Duquesne University Athletics

Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University football team fell 17-14 to LIU on Saturday at Rooney Field in its NEC opener during Homecoming and Family Weekend.

The Dukes (1-4, 0-1 NEC) built a 14-3 lead with 4:33 remaining in the first half before LIU (2-5, 2-0 NEC) answered with a touchdown drive to cut the deficit to 14-10 at halftime. In a defensive battle after the break, the Sharks scored the only points of the second half on a six-play, 88-yard touchdown drive to take a 17-14 lead with 11:29 remaining. LIU held on for the win, fending off a pair of Duquesne drives into Sharks territory.

Ness Davis scored a touchdown and posted a game-high 69 rushing yards, while Dazhaun Hopkins opened the scoring for the Dukes with a 13-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter.

Khiryn Boyd led Duquesne with 82 receiving yards on two catches, including a 42-yard reception that moved the Dukes to the LIU 34-yard line with fewer than 50 seconds remaining. However, the Sharks intercepted a pass on the next play.

Defensively, Duquesne recorded five sacks, including 2.0 by Adrian Ramirez. Luke Miller posted a game-high 10 tackles, his second double-digit tackle performance of the season, and added a tackle for loss.

HOW IT HAPPENED
LIU recovered a fumble at the Duquesne 32-yard line on the Dukes' opening offensive possession, but the defense limited the Sharks to a 43-yard field goal to go up 3-0 midway through the first quarter.

The Duquesne defense faced another challenge on the next possession after an interception gave LIU the ball in Duquesne territory. Dashawn Fields stopped a fourth-and-2 attempt at the line of scrimmage to force a turnover on downs. The Dukes capitalized with a 10-play, 67-yard touchdown drive, with nine of the 10 plays coming on the ground. Dazhaun Hopkins capped the drive with a 13-yard touchdown run to give Duquesne a 7-3 lead late in the first quarter.

The defense followed with back-to-back three-and-outs, allowing just five total yards across the two possessions. Duquesne then put together a seven-play, 68-yard drive that took more than five minutes off the clock. Khiryn Boyd hauled in a 40-yard reception from Carson Camp to move the Dukes into the red zone before Ness Davis finished the drive with a five-yard touchdown run. Duquesne extended its lead to 14-3 with 4:33 remaining in the first half.

The Sharks answered with a third-and-26 conversion before connecting on a nine-yard touchdown pass two plays later to cut the deficit to 14-10. Duquesne had a chance to respond before halftime, reaching the LIU 39-yard line on a fourth-and-1, but a wayward snap resulted in a turnover on downs as the half ended.

Five of the seven combined possessions in the third quarter ended in three-and-outs. LIU was stopped on a fourth-and-2 near midfield, and Duquesne responded with an eight-play drive that consumed more than five and a half minutes. The Dukes reached the LIU 25-yard line, but a sack on third down pushed them out of field goal range, forcing a punt.

LIU quickly moved into Duquesne territory early in the fourth quarter with completions of 42 and 22 yards. A quarterback run converted a third-and-4 at the Duquesne 18-yard line, and the Sharks scored a touchdown on the next play to take a 17-14 lead with 11:29 remaining.

The Dukes answered with a drive into the red zone. Camp connected with Myles Walker for a 24-yard completion on third-and-11 to extend the possession. An 11-yard pass to Ryan Petras and a Camp quarterback sneak moved Duquesne to a first-and-10 at the LIU 15-yard line. The Sharks forced a fourth down, and Duquesne's 26-yard field goal attempt went wide.

LIU moved back into Duquesne territory and ran the clock down to 1:09 before facing a fourth-and-1 at the Duquesne 33-yard line. The Dukes' defensive front stopped the Sharks short of the line to gain, giving the offense possession at its own 33 with 64 seconds remaining and one timeout.

After an intentional grounding penalty and the loss of a timeout, Camp and Boyd connected for their second completion of more than 40 yards, moving the Dukes to the LIU 34-yard line. However, LIU defensive back Trey Watkins intercepted the ensuing pass to seal the 17-14 victory.

NOTES

• Duquesne outgained LIU 296-272 in total offense and held a 33:34-26:26 advantage in time of possession.
• The Duquesne defense held LIU to 3-of-12 on third downs and 0-for-3 on fourth downs while recording five sacks and seven tackles for loss. Adrian Ramirez posted a career-best 2.0 sacks and tied his career high with five tackles. Dashawn Fields had a career-high 2.0 tackles for loss, including his first sack as a Duke. Bernard Blakey charted 1.5 sacks, the first of his career, and a career-high four tackles.
• Khiryn Boyd recorded career highs with 82 receiving yards on two catches of 40 and 42 yards. Both receptions were Duquesne's longest pass plays of the season.
• Nine different Dukes hauled in a reception, led by Ryan Petras with four catches and Shawn Solomon, Jr. with three. Boyd had two receptions for a game-high 82 yards. Antwon Thomas (20 yards) and Myles Walker (24 yards) each registered a career-long reception.
• Carson Camp finished 15-for-24 for 203 yards passing.
• Andrew Graham pinned LIU inside its own 20-yard line on a career-high four punts. He also belted two punts of more than 50 yards, including a 53-yarder downed at the LIU 4-yard line in the third quarter.
• Luke Miller turned in his third career double-digit tackle game, and second of the season, with a game-high 10 (seven solo). Zach Chambers and Caleb Jones each had six tackles (five solo). Will Kocher recorded his first career tackle.
• Duquesne's three-game winning streak in NEC openers came to an end. The Dukes are now 15-4 all-time in NEC openers, including 10-2 at home.
• The loss snapped Duquesne's six-game home winning streak against NEC opponents, dating to 2023.

UP NEXT
Duquesne travels to Stonehill next Saturday for a noon kickoff in North Easton, Mass.

POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
Head Coach Jerry Schmitt