PITTSBURGH — Duquesne fell 35-21 to No. 10/12 Lehigh on Saturday at Rooney Field in a hard-fought non-conference matchup.

The Dukes (1-2) pulled within one score at 28-21 with 12:37 remaining, but the Mountain Hawks (3-0) responded with their third consecutive second-half touchdown and later forced and recovered a fumble as Duquesne was inside the red zone. Duquesne trailed 14-7 at halftime, and the teams traded blows combining for five straight touchdown drives in the second half.

Graduate wide receiver Joey Isabella had a career-high 153 receiving yards, tied his career mark with eight catches, and scored on a 66-yard pass from quarterback Tyler Riddell in the third quarter. Riddell finished 17-of-28 for 211 yards and two touchdowns, including a connection to tight end Daniel Tarabrella, who notched his second career touchdown reception in as many games. Sophomore QB Logan Kushner also scored his first career touchdown on a 1-yard rush in the fourth quarter.

Lehigh totaled 390 yards of offense (166 rushing, 224 passing) to Duquesne's 318 (107 rushing, 211 passing). Lehigh converted 6-of-10 third downs; Duquesne was 2-of-10 but went 2-of-2 on fourth downs. The Dukes' 21 points were the most allowed this season by the Mountain Hawks, who entered the game as the No. 3-ranked FCS defense.

HOW IT HAPPENED
After a defensive-minded and scoreless first quarter, Lehigh struck first on a 10-play, 64-yard touchdown drive with 12:28 remaining in the second quarter. Kevin Kurzinger's third-down stop on the following Mountain Hawk possession sparked a nine-play, 80-yard drive for the Dukes, tying the game at 7 with 2:32 to play. Riddell connected with Tarabrella on an eight-yard touchdown pass; a 35-yard reception by Isabella on 3rd-and-13 and rushes from Taj Butts and Shawn Solomon, Jr. helped extend the drive.

Both teams exchanged quick three-and-outs before Lehigh scored on a 54-yard touchdown pass on the first play of their next possession, taking a 14-7 lead into halftime.

Duquesne opened the second half with a three-and-out, and then the teams traded five straight touchdown drives. The Mountain Hawks scored on an eight-play, 63-yard drive capped by an eight-yard pass. Duquesne responded in under two minutes as Isabella hauled in a 66-yard Riddell pass, making it 21-14 with 7:47 remaining in the third quarter. Lehigh answered with a seven-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 27-yard rushing touchdown to extend the lead to two possessions with 4:40 left in the third.

The Dukes methodically marched 83 yards on 13 plays over 6:48 — the longest drive of the game for either team — highlighted by a 22-yard run and a fourth-down conversion from Riddell, along with 10 total rushes, before Kushner's first career touchdown made it 28-21 with just over 12 minutes remaining. Lehigh came back with a nearly five-minute drive, rushing seven of eight plays, to push the lead back to two possessions. Duquesne converted a fourth-and-one at the Lehigh 35 with four minutes left, then a 20-yard completion set up a first down at the Lehigh 12, but a sack-fumble gave possession back to the Mountain Hawks and iced the game.

NOTES

• Team
  • Duquesne falls to 2-9 all-time against nationally ranked FCS opponents … third straight season facing a ranked foe in the regular season … Lehigh just the second ranked team to visit Rooney Field (No. 18/18 Central Connecticut State in 2019, 43-10 loss) … fourth top-10 opponent the Dukes have faced; 14-point margin is the closest … first-ever meeting between the programs … Dukes now 12-14 vs. Patriot League teams at the FCS level.
  • Lehigh never trailed after going ahead at 12:28 of the second quarter … Dukes tied it 7-7, later pulled within one score (28-21) with 12:37 left.
  • Dukes drop to 51-13 all-time in non-conference action at Rooney Field … 34-4 under Coach Schmitt … snap six-game overall home win streak and 10-game non-conference home win streak (last home non-conference loss was 9.24.16 vs. Kennesaw State).
• Offense
  • All three scoring drives were 80-plus yards.
  • Duquesne 2-for-2 on fourth downs … improves to 4-for-4 on the season after leading FCS in fourth-down conversions last year.
  • Graduate QB Tyler Riddell: 17-of-28 for 211 yards, 2 TDs … also rushed for 31 yards ... 66-yard touchdown to Joey Isabella longest pass of season.
  • Graduate WR Joey Isabella: career-high 153 yards (tops 149 vs. CCSU in 2023) … tied career-high with 8 catches (third time, second this season) … 12th straight game with multiple grabs … back-to-back games with a touchdown catch.
  • Graduate WR B.J. Alexander: career-best 4 receptions, 34 yards.
  • Sophomore QB Logan Kushner: first career touchdown (1-yard run).
  • Graduate WR Daniel Tarabrella: 8-yard touchdown catch … second career TD reception, third overall.
  • Junior RB Shawn Solomon, Jr.: led the team with 13 carries and finished with 43 yards.
  • Duquesne's 21 points were the most allowed this season by Lehigh, which entered the game as the No. 3-ranked defense in FCS.
• Defense
  • Junior LB Jabari Odoemenem: career-best 12 tackles … first Duke with double-digit stops this season.
  • Junior DB Joel Kpassou: career-high 8 tackles.
  • R-Soph LB Ethon Cole: tied career-high with 6 tackles (also vs. Pitt) … 1.0 TFL.
  • Junior DL Jack Dunkley: career-best 5 tackles … TFL streak extended to 9 straight games with 1.0.
  • R-Soph DB Dallas Harper: 5 tackles for second straight game.
  • Duquesne takeaway streak ends at 12 games (Sept. 2023 at Boston College through Sept. 2024 vs. Lincoln, Pa.).

POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCES
Head Coach Jerry Schmitt


WR Joey Isabella


UP NEXT
Duquesne travels to Akron next week for a 6 p.m. kickoff on ESPN+, its second FBS matchup of the season.

FOLLOW THE DUKES
Follow Duquesne football online all season at GoDuquesne.com, as well as on X (Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook (@DuqFB).