Gisela Cuddy | staff writer

As the weekend approached, Duquesne football found themselves in an enviable position, standing as one of eight teams in the FCS that had managed to maintain an unbeaten record in-conference. It was set to host a Mercyhurst team that had yet to secure a victory against any Division I school.

Despite a challenge from the Lakers, Duquesne showcased why it has been so hard to beat and pulled out a 31-24 win. Wide receiver Joey Isabella made several big-time catches, while JaMario Clements contributed by scoring two crucial rushing touchdowns.

The strong offensive display helped Duquesne ring off their sixth-straight win and improve its record to 6-2, and it has now ensured that it’ll finish the season with a record of .500 or better. This will be the 29th time in the last 32 seasons that the program has reached this milestone.

The early stages of the game displayed misfortunes for both teams. After conceding a touchdown on Mercyhurst’s first drive, Duquesne’s offense struggled to find its rhythm and quickly went three-and-out. As the first quarter progressed, Mercyhurst’s attempt to convert on fourth down fell short, providing an opportunity for the Dukes to capitalize by advancing into the red zone.  

However, their chances to put points on the board were hindered when Brian Bruzdewicz missed a 32-yard field goal attempt. As a result of these missed opportunities and turnovers, the scoreboard remained largely unchanged during the first half, which finished with the Dukes behind 10-7 courtesy of a 5-yard touchdown from Tedy Afful.

There was a complete change in atmosphere from the first play of the second half. QB Darius Perrantes launched a deep pass that found Isabella racing down the left sideline. Isabella evaded a defender with a swift juke before sprinting into the end zone, securing an uncontested 64-yard touchdown. This play announced the Dukes’ emergence into the game.

“We did talk in the first half that the ball wasn’t in [Isabella’s] hands enough,” Duquesne Head Coach Jerry Schmitt said. “I always say he makes clutch catches.”

During Duquesne’s next offensive possession, Perrantes dropped back and launched a high-arcing pass down the left sideline, also targeting Isabella. A Lakers defensive back sprinted alongside him, gripping his jersey and restricting his movement to just one arm — but that was all Isabella needed to make the play. He managed to catch the ball with one hand, securing it despite the close coverage. This set the Dukes up for a successful field goal attempt by Bruzdewicz from 31 yards out to tie the game at 17.

“I got my left hand free, so I was able to use what I had,” Isabella said.

The teams traded three-and-outs to start the fourth quarter before a drive that included long catches from Afful and John Erby ended with Clements’ first touchdown of the day.

With just over five minutes left in the quarter, and Mercyhurst threatening from the Duquesne 18, a deflected pass from defensive lineman Jack Dunkley was intercepted by linebacker Ty Howard. This allowed the Dukes to finally put an end to the intense back-and-forth battle that had characterized the game.

Two plays later, Clements sprinted down the field for an 86-yard touchdown run. Perrantes played an unusual role for a quarterback in this play, acting as a lead blocker for Clements.

“I love [Perrantes] for that,” Clements said. “It shows how selfless he is, putting his body on the line to go out there and block for me.”

Mercyhurst scrambled to respond to its 14-point deficit as the clock wound down. The Lakers scored a touchdown with 1:30 remaining, but Duquesne recovered the onside kick and win number six was in the bag.

“Really good football teams overcome adversity,” Schmitt said. “I thought we faced that, obviously, hadn’t started like we had most of the year. We’re playing a football team that was doing a good job, wanted to win the game; we had to make some adjustments.”

The win earned Duquesne some recognition around FCS circles. The Dukes were ranked No. 25 in the latest Stats Perform Poll, their first ranking since April of 2021. Clements also was awarded Northeast Conference Offensive Player of the Week, his second honor of the season.

Next weekend, the Dukes will again be defending home turf as they prepare to face new conference rival Robert Morris at Rooney Field. This will be the first encounter between the Pittsburgh-area rivals since 2019, following the Colonials’ much-anticipated return to the NEC. RMU is also unbeaten at 3-0 in the conference and the game will decide first place.