Ben Deihl | staff writer

Despite a sold-out crowd and one of the most electric atmospheres on Duquesne University’s campus, the Dukes dropped their homecoming game to Long Island University 17-14 Saturday afternoon. It’s the first time Duquesne has lost a home conference opener since 2018 and the first time losing the homecoming game since 2022.

With the loss, Duquesne fell to 1-4 and started conference play winless. LIU improved to 2-5, starting 2-0 in the NEC for the first time since it joined the conference in 2019. The defeat was Duquesne’s first at home since falling to Lehigh Sept. 13, 2025.

“We’re going to learn a great deal from this as a football team,” Duquesne Head Coach Jerry Schmitt said. “We’re a young team in general, and I wasn’t really sure how we’d respond to a four-quarter football game.”

Duquesne fumbled the ball six times against the Sharks, with running back Ness Davis coughing it up on Duquesne’s first possession to give LIU a short field, which resulted in a field goal.

Davis’ fumble set the tone for an inconsistent Dukes offense. Center Matt Brooks sent multiple haywire snaps, making quarterback Carson Camp constantly have to scramble for the ball. Camp put the bad snaps on the turf five times, but Davis’ opening series fumble was the only one the Dukes lost.

“There’s a number of things that can be corrected,” Schmitt said. “It’s hard when you have disappointed young men and you have to face them after the game.”

On Duquesne’s next possession, Camp threw behind his intended receiver. The ball was tipped and Long Island’s Ryan Maxwell was in position for an easy interception, the Dukes’ second turnover in as many drives.

But a Sharks punt gave Duquesne the ball back, and Davis and Shawn Solomon Jr. led the Dukes down the field with a consistent rushing attack. Duquesne marched 67 yards in 10 plays as Dazhaun Hopkins polished the drive with a 13-yard touchdown rush to put the Dukes up.

After Duquesne’s dominance in the trenches — headlined by back-to-back sacks by defensive lineman Adrian Ramirez — forced two Long Island punts, the Dukes once again went on the attack. This time it would be the passing offense to break open, as Camp found wide receiver Khyrin Boyd wide open for a 40-yard bomb to set up a Davis 5-yard rushing score.

“There’s a number of things that can be corrected,” Schmitt said. “It’s hard when you have disappointed young men and you have to face them after the game.”

On Duquesne’s next possession, Camp threw behind his intended receiver. The ball was tipped and Long Island’s Ryan Maxwell was in position for an easy interception, the Dukes’ second turnover in as many drives.

But a Sharks punt gave Duquesne the ball back, and Davis and Shawn Solomon Jr. led the Dukes down the field with a consistent rushing attack. Duquesne marched 67 yards in 10 plays as Dazhaun Hopkins polished the drive with a 13-yard touchdown rush to put the Dukes up.

After Duquesne’s dominance in the trenches — headlined by back-to-back sacks by defensive lineman Adrian Ramirez — forced two Long Island punts, the Dukes once again went on the attack. This time, Camp found wide receiver Khyrin Boyd wide open for a 40-yard bomb to set up a Davis 5-yard rushing score.

Backup quarterback Luca Stanzani led the Sharks on multiple clutch drives when it mattered most. A dump-off touchdown to running back Sam Slade settled the score at 14-10 Duquesne by the midgame break.

Long Island and Duquesne were locked in a defensive stalemate for most of the second half.

Whenever he could, Davis continued to try and will the Dukes’ offense to success, hitting spins and hurdles and keeping his legs churning to get as many yards as possible. The rushing attack was the only consistency Duquesne had on offense, with all three backs combining for 131 yards.

“Those guys lived up to their expectations,” Schmitt said on his running back room. “They did a great job, and they were working overtime.”

Long Island’s first drive of the fourth quarter spanned 88 yards in just three minutes, giving the Sharks their go-ahead touchdown that would clinch the game. Stanzani hit two wide open crossers with huge runs after the catch to open the drive, racking up 64 yards in two plays.

Slowing the tempo down, Slade and Stanzani both carried the ball the rest of the way, with Slade punching it in from 5 yards out to put the Sharks ahead early in the fourth.

Now looking for an equalizer, Duquesne’s offense got kicker Matt Clark into range. The Dukes had worked the ball all the way down to the Long Island 8-yard line, setting up a 26-yard chip shot for Clark. He was 7-7 in his career on field goals less than 40 yards.

With a clean snap and hold, Clark pushed the kick as it doinked off the right upright. Now Duquesne needed a defensive stand to get the ball back to tie or win the game.

Poised for a big tackle for loss on the ensuing drive, Dukes linebacker Luke Miller suplexed Slade and drew an unnecessary roughness penalty. The foul added 15 yards to Long Island’s drive and forced Duquesne to call timeouts to preserve the clock.

With just over a minute to go, a Rooney Field filled to capacity was ready for a miracle. Camp once again found Boyd straight down the chimney for a huge 42-yard gain, setting the Dukes up in Sharks territory.

As Camp loaded back to pass, receiver Ryan Petras got bumped at the line and diverted from his route. With no flag thrown, Long Island defensive back Trey Watkins jumped in front of the pass for a game-sealing interception.

Duquesne will look to right the ship at Stonehill next Saturday at 12:00 p.m.

Ben Deihl can be reached at deihlb1@duq.edu