Ben Deihl | staff writer

Halloween. A classic holiday. A day full of frights, costumes, scares and candy. For New Haven, Duquesne’s offense was its worst nightmare for a Halloween matinee game to close out October.

Duquesne dominated New Haven on Saturday, leading from whistle to whistle to secure the Dukes’ third straight win and earn a 3-1 conference record.

The 41-21 final marked the second consecutive game Duquesne has scored 40 or more points.

“I’m so proud of our football team to come up here on the road and come away with a victory like this,” Duquesne Head Coach Jerry Schmitt said.

Quarterback Carson Camp carved up the New Haven defense, registering a season-high 291 passing yards while accounting for all six of Duquesne’s scores. The Southeastern Louisiana transfer has improved every game for the Dukes but remained humble after his record performance.

“I can’t do it without the other 10 guys on the field,” Camp said. “Our o-line’s been progressing every single week. I’m really proud of this group, and I’m glad I was able to help as best as I can.”

The Dukes defense started the game off stifling, holding the Chargers to just 19 yards on 10 plays. A good kick return to start the game let New Haven creep into Duquesne territory, but they eventually had to settle for a field goal attempt.

But Dashawn Fields was able to block the attempt, halting the New Haven charge and denying points on its opening drive.

Duquesne responded almost immediately, needing only seven plays to march 69 yards. Running back Ness Davis was Duquesne’s bellcow, marching down the field before Camp connected with receiver Ryan Petras from 9 yards out for the first score of the contest.

Petras dominated the game for Duquesne, hauling in eight receptions for 153 yards and three touchdowns, all career highs for the second-year wideout out of Bethel Park.

“Petras is a great receiver,” Camp said. “We were able to create some mismatches with him in the slot and in the backfield. I’m really proud of Ryan, and he’s getting better each day.”

Just as Duquesne’s offense was getting hot, the defense was able to match their energy. On New Haven’s first play after the touchdown, defensive end Bernard Blakey recovered a fumble to give the ball right back to Camp.

Duquesne needed just three plays to find the end zone, as Camp once again found Petras to jump out to a quick 14-0 lead.

With Duquesne’s most efficient offensive showing to date, the defense was also lights out. The Chargers only collected 255 yards of total offense, including 59 on the ground.

Duquesne has held their opponents to under 100 yards rushing four times this season, and their performance against New Haven was the third straight game Duquesne’s opponent was held under the century mark.

“[It was] a full team effort,” Schmitt said. “Defense did an outstanding job. They played their base stuff as well as they could play.”

The Dukes played near-perfect ball against the Chargers, committing no penalties and going a perfect 4-4 on fourth down to keep the chains moving when it mattered most.

New Haven was finally able to answer with a 2-yard run from back Matt Chandler, although the Chargers missed their extra point. The Dukes went on the charge once again, eating up five-and-a-half minutes to start the second quarter as Camp punched in a 1-yard rush on fourth down to go up 21-6.

With three minutes to go in the first half, New Haven once again went on the attack. But it was Duquesne’s stellar linebacker core to halt the Chargers as Zach Chambers recovered a botched backwards pass, leaving New Haven with only 6 points at the half.

Duquesne opened the second half in almost identical fashion to the first, going 74 yards in five plays to score another Petras touchdown. Petras accounted for 48 yards of the drive, becoming Duquesne’s most consistent threat with his ability to line up anywhere as a receiver.

A Camp interception set New Haven up for their only other score of the game, a 9-yard pass to Lasalle Rose Jr. Besides the good field positioning from the turnover, the Chargers’ offense was stuck in the mud for most of the second half, ending with two three-and-outs and an interception by Nico Pate.

Camp put Duquesne on his back in the second half, rushing for two more touchdowns to put the Dukes ahead for good. Camp consistently made the correct reads and completed passes to seven different receivers.

“[He’s] understanding what we need to do,” Schmitt said. “He’s starting to utilize all his receivers, his run-pass options were really good today.”

Now boasting a 3-1 NEC record and very much alive in the conference title race, Camp has his mindset straight to move forward.

“Every week is important,” Camp said. “But this is what we needed. This was a great win. We’ll celebrate tonight, and then we’re back to work tomorrow.”

Ben Deihl can be reached at deihlb1@duq.edu