Matthew Theodros | staff writer

Duquesne football triumphed in its 2024 home opener with a dominant 35-0 win over West Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday at Rooney Field.

The victory brightened a notable day for the Dukes, who recognized 37 upperclassmen for their Senior Day. Families, friends and coaches gathered prior to kickoff to celebrate the graduating players for their final home opener.

“I love winning on Senior Day, we recognize those guys, we appreciate them and celebrate with them,” said Duquesne Head Coach Jerry Schmitt. “I told them I loved winning on Rooney, and I love winning with the Dukes.”

Winning the home opener has become a tradition for the Dukes, who extended their win streak at the event to 17 seasons and have won 25 of the last 26. Including Saturday’s game, in three of the four past home openers the Dukes have held their opponent to under 10 points.

Jordan Heisey made his first career start as a Duke, stepping in at quarterback for the absent Darius Perrantes. Heisey threw for three touchdowns with a productive 161-yard performance, throwing 17-for-23. All three passing touchdowns came in the second quarter, where the game escaped WVW. His impressive performance made him a Northeast Conference Prime Performer for Week 4.

Duquesne was off to a fast 7-0 start before the game was delayed due to inclement weather. Joey Isabella’s touchdown in the second quarter to go up 14-0 was the last offensive play before a lightning strike stopped the game; Duquesne showed no signs of rust once play resumed.

Wide receiver Jermaine Johnson had himself a memorable Senior Day, scoring his first two touchdowns as a Duke in succession to round out the 21-point second quarter.

“Jermaine is an unbelievable receiver,” Heisey said. “He made it really easy on me, he wanted his one-on-one and got open.”

Another key contributor for the Dukes offensive masterclass was receiver John Erby. Still early in his first season with Duquesne, he recorded one of his best performances of his collegiate career Saturday, posting a total 91 yards.

Duquesne’s rushing attack was also pivotal in maintaining a substantial lead over WVW. The Dukes running backs overwhelmed the Bobcats, trouncing them for a total 265 rushing yards.

JaMario Clements and Shawn Solomon Jr. led the way scoring the opening and closing scores of the game. Freshman back Dazhaun Hopkins welcomed himself to the Bluff in limited fourth quarter minutes, rushing for 70 yards.

On the other side of the ball, the Dukes run defense was stifling, limiting the Bobcats to a measly 11 yards on 17 attempts. The 11 rushing yards allowed is the second-least by a Duquesne defense since joining the NEC in 2008.

“They have some talent and jump,” Schmitt said. “They use their explosiveness to get off the ball and force some plays.”

WVW quarterback Quinton Pulley’s passing was subdued by the defense, forcing him to make quick decisions on his feet and make ill-advised passes. He finished the day with a mediocre 9-for-21 completion rate with only 85 yards and two interceptions. In addition, the Dukes forced the Bobcats to a very inefficient 13-for-15 on third down conversions.

Reigning NEC Defensive Player of the Week Luke Miller continued his sensational play, intercepting Pulley in the first half, the first of his career. CJ Barnes also recorded an interception, the second of his career. The defense contributed in a multitude of other ways, including 26 players recording a tackle in the win, led by Antonio Epps with five. 

After an abysmal defensive start to the season allowing 49 and 56 points to Toledo and Boston College, the defensive performance from Duquesne in the past two weeks showed the resilience and enhanced effort in order to be the winning football team they were last season.

“[The defense] is coming along really good,” Schmitt said. “When a guy goes down, they are training their guys to play the second and third level. I feel very comfortable with them right now and where they are at progression wise.”

“Our guys are put in that position to make those plays,” Miller said. “We expect them to make those plays. We are executing the call, we are executing it efficiently. We just [have to keep] doing it going into conference play.”

The victory prompted celebration of another Duquesne milestone, earning Schmitt his 150th career win, making him one of seven current FCS coaches to achieve that honor.

“I have had a lot of good football players at Duquesne, [a lot of] good coaching staff and support,” Schmitt said. “I’ve been here for a long time and been fortunate to be here. It is very nice to get to that level, but as I tell the players, the next one is most important.

Duquesne takes the week off before beginning conference play against Long Island for Homecoming and Family Weekend on Oct. 5 at Rooney Field at 1 p.m.