Rowan DuBois | staff writer

Duquesne’s tumultuous season ended on a high against Robert Morris as kicker Matt Clark thumped a 33-yard game-winning field goal that gave Duquesne a 20-17 win over the Colonials on Nov. 22.

The Dukes went into the day with high hopes, needing a victory over RMU and a Central Connecticut State loss to Mercyhurst in order to advance to the FCS playoffs and win the NEC.

A CCSU victory ended those hopes, though, and meant the Dukes were playing for pride. With the victory, Duquesne finished 7-5 (5-2 NEC), good for second in the NEC.

“It’s great to end on a winning note,” Duquesne head coach Jerry Schmitt said. “[I] just love seeing the excitement of our guys to win a game here to finish the season.”

A large senior class meant many Dukes were playing their last game in red and blue, and wide receiver Joey Isabella is one of them.

“I was just starting to realize that that’s it,” Isabella said. “That’s my last time putting on the Duquesne football jersey, and there’s a lot of emotions that come with that.”

After the game, Schmitt spent significant time on the field with his players.

“For me and the staff who have been coaching some of these guys for a long, long time, it’s pretty emotional,” Schmitt said. “And I’m just happy for them.”

The scoring started with a familiar sight as Duquesne quarterback Tyler Riddell located Isabella for a 71-yard house call, the 30th touchdown of Isabella’s career. Isabella is just the fifth Duke to reach 30 receiving touchdowns in their career.

“I’m so proud of him for getting that,” Schmitt said. “[I’m] so happy for him. He’s a great young man.”

At the end of the regular season, Isabella was tied atop the FCS receiving-touchdown tally with 13. Isabella was named a finalist for the FCS Offensive Player of the Year award.

“That [nomination] was surprising,” Isabella said. “But it was awesome, and kind of humbling. I’ve played a lot of seasons here, so for my last one to be my best one is a great achievement.”

On the ensuing drive, Jack Dunkley punched the ball out of wide receiver Jaqai Carter’s hands, setting the Dukes offense up inside Colonial territory.

The Dukes quickly drove the ball to the goal line, where Ness Davis fumbled just short of the end zone, returning the ball to RMU.

Both teams exchanged punts in the second quarter before the Colonials put together an eight-play, 55-yard touchdown drive to make the score 7-7.

Duquesne’s offense struggled to get moving throughout the half, and once again stalled when running back Ness Davis hit a wall of defenders on 4th-and-1.

“We definitely made mistakes in the game,” Isabella said. “We had a lot of plays where players did the wrong stuff. If we did that stuff correctly I think we would beat them by a lot more.”

RMU took advantage of the turnover and drove down the field in under two minutes to set up a go-ahead field goal. The Colonials led 10-7 at half.

The offensive struggles weren’t immediately solved in the second half, but after three-and-outs from both sides, the Dukes capped off a patient drive with a 4-yard pass to tight end Garrett Harrold, who snuck in to give Duquesne a 14-10 lead.

With RMU’s offense also struggling, it looked like the Dukes might be able to hold on to their slim lead, but early in the fourth quarter, a 63-yard punt-return touchdown from Colonial wide receiver Kai Holloway once again left them trailing by 3.

The Dukes answered with a drive powered by runs from Davis, who had a season-high 180 rushing yards on the day. The drive ended with a 34-yard Clark field goal which evened the score at 17-17.

Following the field-goal, the teams exchanged fruitless drives for three possessions, before the Dukes found themselves with the ball at their own 32 yard-line with just over two minutes to play.

After a few short gains, rookie Ryan Petras reeled in a Riddell pass for a 38-yard gain, putting Duquesne in prime position.

Clark, who was later named NEC special teams player of the week, buried the kick and Duquesne’s city rival as time expired.

Clark leapt into celebration.

“After it goes in you have to do something,” Clark said. “I just took off down the field waiting for my teammates to embrace me. It’s a good way to end the season, that’s for sure.”

Rowan DuBois can be reached at duboisr1@duq.edu