Duquesne University Athletics

Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University football team erupted for 35 points in the fourth quarter to pull away for a 52-21 win over Wagner in NEC action Saturday at Rooney Field.

The Dukes have won back-to-back games and improved to 2-1 in conference play.

After a back-and-forth first half in which Wagner led by as many as 11 points, Duquesne trailed 21-17 at halftime following a four-play, 80-yard touchdown drive by the Dukes in the final minute. In the third quarter, Luke Miller forced a fumble and Carter Lance recovered at the Duquesne 4-yard line to halt a Wagner drive deep in the red zone. The Dukes seized the momentum with a 96-yard touchdown drive to take a 24-21 lead and never looked back. Duquesne added three more touchdown drives before defensive touchdowns from Zach Chambers, who returned an interception 55 yards, and Deven Thomas returned a fumble 70 yards for a touchdown after Will Martin's strip sack, capping a run of 42 unanswered points to close out the 31-point victory.

Quarterback Carson Camp accounted for four touchdowns, throwing for two and running for two, while completing 10 of 17 passes for 180 yards. Ness Davis rushed for a career-high 181 yards on 18 carries, averaging 10.1 yards per attempt, and added a touchdown.

Six different receivers contributed to the passing game, with Myles Walker and Antwon Thomas finding the end zone. Noah Canty led the group with 56 receiving yards on one catch, a career-long reception.

Miller led all defenders in tackles for the third consecutive week, finishing with 10 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup. Nico Pate recorded nine tackles and 1.5 sacks, while Lance added eight tackles and half a sack. Both posted career-high tackle totals for the second straight week. Caleb Jones also set a career high with eight tackles and added half a tackle for loss.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Duquesne's defense opened with a three-and-out, and the Dukes capitalized with a 10-play, 65-yard touchdown drive capped by a four-yard slant from Carson Camp to Antwon Thomas for a 7-0 lead. A 33-yard connection from Camp to Zae-Mear Correll, along with a face-mask penalty, moved Duquesne to the Wagner 5-yard line to set up the score.

Matt Marcinko connected on a career-long 42-yard field goal as Duquesne held a 10-7 lead after the first quarter. The kick came between a pair of Wagner touchdown drives, the second of which came on a 33-yard fourth-down catch-and-run on fourth-and-5 to give the Seahawks a 21-10 advantage midway through the second quarter.

Wagner threatened to extend its lead late in the half, but a sack, a tackle for loss and a holding penalty pushed the Seahawks back before they missed a 35-yard field goal attempt. With 86 seconds remaining, Duquesne needed just 57 seconds to cover 80 yards in four plays. An 11-yard reception by Thomas and back-to-back 15-yard penalties against Wagner helped set up a 25-yard touchdown connection from Camp to Myles Walker, cutting the deficit to 21-17 at halftime. The Dukes received the second-half kickoff.

A Wagner interception in the end zone halted Duquesne's opening drive of the second half. The Seahawks then marched down the field on a 16-play drive that lasted nearly 10 minutes, reaching the Duquesne 5-yard line before Luke Miller forced a fumble and Carter Lance recovered to give the Dukes possession.

Two plays later, Noah Canty caught a short pass from Camp and raced 56 yards down the sideline for Duquesne's longest offensive play of the season. Camp finished the drive with a one-yard quarterback keeper to put the Dukes ahead, 24-21. After the defense forced a three-and-out, Ness Davis broke off three runs totaling 49 yards before Camp added another rushing touchdown, this time from nine yards out.

A four-play drive ended with Wagner turning the ball over on downs, and Davis followed with a 27-yard touchdown run to extend Duquesne's lead. The defense then added two scores of its own. Zach Chambers returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown before Will Martin strip-sacked the Wagner quarterback and Deven Thomas scooped up the fumble and returned it 70 yards for another score, capping a dominant 35-0 fourth quarter.

NOTES

• Duquesne improved to 2-1 in NEC play, winning back-to-back games. The Dukes are 16-6 all-time against Wagner and 8-1 at home against the Seahawks.
• Duquesne scored a season-high 52 points against a Division I opponent and closed the game with 42 unanswered points including a 35-0 fourth quarter.
• The Dukes outgained Wagner, 425-332, including a 245-89 advantage on the ground.
• Ness Davis: Rushed for a career-high 181 yards on 18 carries, averaging 10.1 yards per carry, and scored on a 27-yard run. He gained 148 yards in the second half, including three runs of more than 20 yards and a long of 40.
• Carson Camp: Recorded the first two-rushing-touchdown game of his career, now a team-high four on the season and back-to-back games with a rushing score.
• Antwon Thomas: Caught his first career touchdown, a 4-yard reception that capped Duquesne's opening drive and gave the Dukes a 7-0 lead. He became the sixth Duquesne player to record a receiving touchdown this season.
• Myles Walker: Caught his second touchdown of the season on a 25-yard reception in the final seconds of the first half, cutting the deficit to four at the break. He became the first Duquesne receiver to record multiple receiving touchdowns this season.
• Noah Canty: Career-long 56-yard reception was the second play after Duquesne took over following a fumble recovery at its own 4-yard line. It was the Dukes' longest offensive play of the season.
• Four Duquesne receivers recorded catches of at least 20 yards: Canty (56), Zae-Mear Correll (33), Khiryn Boyd (27) and Walker (25). Boyd has seven receptions this season, all of at least 15 yards.
• Matt Marcinko: Made a career-long 42-yard field goal in the first quarter and went 7-for-7 on extra-point attempts, a career high and tied for second-most PATs in a game by a Duke in program history.
• Zach Chambers: Recorded his first career interception and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown, Duquesne's first interception return for a touchdown this season. The Dukes have recorded an interception in four of their last five games.
• Deven Thomas: Returned a fumble 70 yards for a touchdown after Will Martin's strip sack, giving Duquesne its first fumble return for a touchdown this season. He also tied his career high with four tackles.
• Will Martin: Career-high 2.0 tackles for loss, including his first career sack, which forced the fumble returned for a touchdown.
• Nico Pate: Career-high 1.5 sacks and a career-high nine tackles.
• Luke Miller: 1.5 tackles for loss and a career-high 1.0 sack.
• Dashawn Fields: Recorded a sack for the third consecutive game, finishing with three tackles.
• Jacob Logan: 1.0 tackle for loss, matching his career high.
• Carter Lance: Career-high eight tackles and added half a sack.
• Caleb Jones: Career-high eight tackles and added half a tackle for loss.
• Team defense: Recorded eight tackles for loss and five sacks, marking the fourth consecutive game with at least seven tackles for loss and multiple sacks. The Dukes also held Wagner to 89 rushing yards. Second straight game with a second-half shutout.

UP NEXT
Duquesne travels to New Haven for the first time to face the Chargers in an NEC Showcase matchup on ESPN+ on Halloween, with kickoff set for noon.

POSTGAME INTERVIEWS
Head Coach Jerry Schmitt


RB Ness Davis & QB Carson Camp


LB Nico Pate


HIGHLIGHTS