Ben Deihl | staff writer

With just over a minute to go before halftime, Rooney Field was deflated. Wagner had scored back-to-back touchdowns to earn a 21-10 advantage over Duquesne. The Dukes couldn’t figure out how to stop the Seahawks, and it seemed like a long second half was on the horizon.

But a clutch two-minute drive led by quarterback Carson Camp gave the Dukes life, giving Duquesne all the momentum moving into the second half. And they took full advantage of it.

Duquesne steamrolled Wagner 52-21 Saturday afternoon, scoring 42 unanswered points to secure the win. 35 of those points were scored in the fourth quarter, headlined by two defensive touchdowns.

“It’s such a good feeling to get out of there with a win,” linebacker Nico Pate said. “We work so hard during the week, and anytime you can win in college football, it’s a great feeling.”

Camp had a career day for Duquesne, going 10-17 for 180 yards and two touchdowns while adding another two scores on the ground.

“I think it was his best football game for us,” Head Coach Jerry Schmitt said. “He showed more command of being able to run the offense.”

Consistent rushing by running back Ness Davis paired with quick sideline passes had the Dukes moving early, going 65 yards on 10 plays for an opening drive score. Antwon Thomas capped it off with a perfect slant route for the touchdown, the first of his career.

Wagner’s response drive was as efficient as Duquesne’s, using no-dropback passing to get the ball out quickly and attack Duquesne’s zone defense.

Facing a fourth-and-2, quarterback Benjamin Newman found Jeremiah Colclough on a simple curl. Defensive back James Monds III missed his tackle, and Colclough turned on the burners to scoot in for a 33-yard score and tie the game.

Another promising Duquesne drive led by Davis stalled just outside the red zone. Matt Marcinko was able to salvage the opportunity, draining a 42-yard field goal to give the Dukes a slight edge.

But until a minute remained in the first half, Wagner dominated. Their offensive gameplan was crafted carefully to mess with Duquesne’s defense, using trips formations to create rub routes to disrupt zone coverages.

On yet another fourth and short, Zion Fowler-El bent the corner on an out route to scamper down the sideline for another 33-yard score for the Seahawks.

But Duquesne’s momentum shift to end the first half was the turning point of the game. Although the third quarter was a grind with no points scored, the Dukes seemed to start to understand how to stop the Wagner attack.

A switch to man coverage locked Seahawks receivers up, but running back Matt Morad continued to slice Duquesne’s line for four yards per carry. Carried by him, Wagner drove for almost 10 minutes on 17 plays, marching down to the Duquesne 14.

But Luke Miller, Duquesne’s leading tackler, was ready to change the momentum again. He shot the gap and forced a fumble from running back Sekou Kamau, ending a drive that nearly took the whole third quarter with one punch.

“I love the consistency that he’s leading the team and tackles. He’s being a leader,” Schmitt said of Miller. “I’m happy that he’s staying healthy and leading our football team.”

Duquesne’s linebacker core consisting of Pate, Miller, Zach Chambers and Will Martin combined for 26 tackles, four tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and a pick-six.

“We feed off each other,” Pate said. “We’re a very close group. There’s never a time where we’re not excited for one another.”

The Dukes then went on a scoring tear, registering 35 points in the final quarter. Running back Ness Davis found his footing for the first time this season, rushing for a career-high 181 yards as the driving force for Duquesne’s offense.

“[It was] kind of the first opportunity on a consistent basis he could get rolling downhill,” Schmitt said. “And when he does, he’s tough to stop. He’s not only quick; he runs hard.”

Davis was able to rip off multiple 15-plus yard runs in the fourth quarter, consistently setting Duquense’s offense up for success. But even with a career day, Davis gave his teammates their flowers.

“The holes were open,” Davis said of the offensive line’s blocking. “You could drive trucks through some of those holes today. They were making it easy for me.”

Using the positive field positioning, Camp scored his two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter, both in the red zone. Chambers added a pick-six to the defense’s impressive second-half shutout.

Defensive back Deven Thomas put the exclamation point on the game for Duquesne, taking Martin’s forced fumble 70 yards to the house for a Dukes 50-piece and their first back-to-back wins of the season.

“That was a complete football game,” Camp said. “That’s what we are. That’s what we’ve been talking about all season. It was good momentum, good flow.”

Ben Deihl can be reached at deihlb1@duq.edu