Duquesne University Athletics

West Haven, Conn. – The Duquesne University football team extended its winning streak to three games with a 41-14 victory over New Haven in NEC action Saturday afternoon at Ralph F. DellaCamera Stadium, improving to 4-4 overall and 3-1 in conference play.

Duquesne led wire-to-wire, jumping out to a 14-0 first-quarter advantage before taking a 21-6 lead into halftime. The Dukes maintained control throughout the second half, pulling away for the 27-point road victory.

Quarterback Carson Camp accounted for six touchdowns, throwing for three and running for three, while completing 16 of 23 passes for a season-high 291 yards. Ryan Petras had a career day with eight receptions for 153 yards and three touchdowns, all career highs.

Luke Miller led the defense in tackles for the fourth straight game, finishing with seven stops, 0.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups. The Dukes forced three turnovers, with Nico Pate recording his first career interception and Zach Chambers and Bernard Blakey each recovering a fumble. Dashawn Fields also blocked a field goal on New Haven's opening drive.

Duquesne finished with 488 yards of total offense, including 291 passing yards and 197 rushing yards, while limiting New Haven to 255 total yards and just 59 on the ground.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Dashawn Fields blocked a 48-yard field goal attempt on New Haven's opening drive to give the Dukes an early stop. Duquesne responded with a seven-play, 69-yard touchdown drive, capped by a nine-yard scoring reception from Ryan Petras to give the Dukes a 7-0 lead. Khiryn Boyd put Duquesne in the redzone with a 29-yard catch.

On the first play following the touchdown, Bernard Blakey recovered a New Haven fumble to give Duquesne possession at the Chargers' 31-yard line. The Dukes needed just three plays to find the end zone again, as Carson Camp connected with Petras for a 29-yard touchdown on third-and-eight to extend the lead to 14-0.

New Haven got on the board with a touchdown on its next possession but missed the extra point. Duquesne answered with a 10-play, 76-yard scoring drive that spanned more than five minutes. Shawn Solomon, Jr. set up the score with a 54-yard catch-and-run on third down before Camp punched it in from one yard out on fourth-and-goal to give the Dukes a 21-6 advantage.

Nearing halftime, the Chargers moved into Duquesne territory, but Zach Chambers recovered a fumbled backward pass to halt the drive. The play was initially ruled a forward pass before a successful Duquesne challenge overturned the call. The Dukes drove to the New Haven 10-yard line on the ensuing possession but could not convert, carrying a 15-point lead into halftime.

On the opening drive of the second half, Duquesne needed just five plays to extend its lead. Davis opened with a 19-yard run before Camp connected with Petras for gains of 33 and 15 yards, with the latter going for a touchdown to make it 28-6.

New Haven scored to cut the deficit to 28-14 in the third quarter. The Dukes responded with a 12-play, 70-yard drive that carried into the fourth quarter, with Camp scoring on a five-yard run to push the lead back to 34-14. Duquesne scored touchdowns on the drives following both New Haven scores.

Nico Pate intercepted a tipped New Haven pass on the Chargers' next possession, setting up Duquesne at the New Haven 39-yard line. The Dukes converted the takeaway into the game's final points, as Camp scored his third rushing touchdown of the afternoon on a one-yard keeper on fourth-and-goal for the 41-14 final.

NOTES

• Duquesne improved to 3-1 in NEC play, 2-0 in conference road games and has won three straight overall.
• The Dukes are now 8-2 all-time in games played on Halloween and 2-0 all-time against New Haven.
• Ryan Petras recorded career highs with eight receptions, 153 receiving yards and three touchdowns. His totals also are season highs by a Duquesne receiver and the most receiving yards and touchdowns by an NEC receiver in a conference game this season. Petras had four receptions of at least 20 yards, including a long of 34 yards and a 29-yard touchdown.
• Carson Camp accounted for all six Duquesne touchdowns, setting a career high with three rushing scores and tying his career best with three passing touchdowns. His six touchdowns responsible for are the most in a game by an NEC player this season. Camp completed passes to seven different receivers, with seven completions of at least 20 yards to four different targets. He also recorded a season-high 291 passing yards and now leads the team with seven rushing touchdowns.
• Shawn Solomon, Jr. hauled in a career-long 54-yard reception on third down, Duquesne's longest reception of the game.
• Khiryn Boyd finished with three receptions for 44 yards, including a 29-yard catch.
• Daniel Tarabrella recorded his first reception of the season, a 22-yard catch.
• Ness Davis paced the run game with 79 rushing yards on 19 carries. The Dukes totaled 197 rushing yards with contributions from eight different ball carriers.
• Luke Miller led Duquesne in tackles for the fourth consecutive game, recording seven stops, including six solo tackles. He also added 0.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups.
• Deven Thomas posted a career-high five tackles.
• Duquesne charted five tackles for loss, extending its streak to six consecutive games with at least four. Carter Lance, James Monds III (first of career) and DJ Cerisier each had 1.0 TFL, while Zach Chambers and Miller combined for 0.5 each.
• The Dukes have forced three turnovers in back-to-back games. Nico Pate recorded his first career interception, while Chambers and Bernard Blakey each recovered the first fumble of their careers. Chambers has now recorded a takeaway in back-to-back games (pick-six vs. Wagner).
• Dashawn Fields blocked a field goal on New Haven's opening drive, the first blocked kick of the season for Duquesne and the first of his career.
• Duquesne converted all four of its fourth-down attempts, including two one-yard quarterback keepers by Camp on fourth-and-goal.
• The Dukes owned a 34:48-25:12 advantage in time of possession.

UP NEXT
Duquesne begins a two-game homestand next week hosting Robert Morris for a noon kickoff on Saturday at Rooney Field.

POSTGAME INTERVIEWS
Head Coach Jerry Schmitt


QB Carson Camp


HIGHLIGHTS