Rowan DuBois & Josh Imhof | staff writer & features editor

Back in 1939, movies like “The Wizard of Oz” and “Gone With the Wind” were wowing audiences, the world was in the grips of World War II, and the Duquesne Dukes and Pitt Panthers just finished a competitive game, with Duquesne prevailing 21-13. That was the last time these two inner-city foes met until Saturday, with Pitt taking the rematch 61-9.

Pitt Quarterback Eli Holstein threw for 215 yards and a career high four touchdowns in front of a crowd of roughly 53,000 — the largest crowd for a Duquesne football game since 1969.

This rivalry renewal was the first chance for many students to see Duquesne football.

Charles Steinmetz, a freshman, came dressed in red and blue striped overalls to cheer on his school’s team. Despite the Dukes being a 39.5 point underdog, he remained optimistic.

“It’s my first football game here so I gotta show my support either way,” he said. “People know that we’re the underdogs, but I think everyone’s excited.”

Special teams was Duquesne’s Achilles heel against the Panthers, allowing an 88-yard punt return touchdown to Desmond Reid early in the first quarter. The Dukes special teams unit let up 221 return yards to Pitt, including another long return that set the Panthers up in the red zone.

“All day you can see it with special teams,” said Duquesne Head Coach Jerry Schmitt, “and when you play games like this, that’s usually where the big differences are.”

Apart from their special teams woes, the Dukes were 2-of-15 on third downs, punting 11 times. Pitt’s defensive line was rock-solid, forcing Duquesne into various third-and-long situations, making it impossible for the Dukes to move the chains. Meanwhile, the Panthers scored on eight of their last 10 drives and improved their all-time record against Duquesne to 6-2.

Both schools’ men’s and women’s teams have faced-off in basketball, which pitted Duquesne director of Business Administration Grace Sommers against her husband, Brian Sommers, who graduated from the University of Pittsburgh.

Sommers came wearing a bright red Duquesne sweatshirt, while her husband wore a royal blue Panthers pullover.

“It’s only when we’re playing each other that we root against each other,” she said.

At the stadium, fans of the Dukes were severely outnumbered, with small pockets of red among a sea of blue and gold throwback jerseys. Despite this, some fans found comfort in the fact that they were considered underdogs in this matchup.

“It’s fun to support the community with this kind of thing,” said Noah Potvin, a Duquesne music therapy professor. “You know you’re in the minority so it feels like there’s this connection there.”

It wasn’t all bad for the Dukes though, as quarterback Tyler Riddell settled in nicely, throwing for 154 yards and a touchdown on his Duquesne debut.

Riddell is a grad-student transfer from Gardner-Webb University, where he threw for 2,573 passing yards and 16 touchdowns in 2024. The Dukes offensive line was up against a dominant Panthers front, forcing Riddell to scramble out of the pocket and take costly sacks.

“They have a great defensive front,” said Schmitt. “Always have. How many guys from the NFL do they have from their D-Line? They recruit well, they coach them well, so they put some pressure on [Riddell], but he fought and battled through it.”

Joey Isabella was the Dukes offensive star, hauling in eight catches for 120 yards, including the Dukes’ longest play, a 59-yard reception.

The following play Riddell connected with B.J. Alexander for a seven-yard touchdown, marking Duquesne’s only offensive score of the afternoon. The game was Isabella’s second in a row with over 100 receiving yards – dating all the way back to last season – and fourth in his career.

It was the Panthers who stole the show on offense, though. After a slow start to the first half, Duquesne seemed to be in the game with the score sitting at 14-6 with 10 minutes to go before the break.

Pitt then went on to score 20 more points before halftime, putting Duquesne in a 34-6 hole. The Panthers had four touchdown passes of 15-plus yards, including a 60-yarder from quarterback Cole Gonzalez to wide receiver Bryce Yates in the dying moments of the fourth.

Despite the final score, fans of Duquesne continued to support their team throughout the game.

“We were the only Duquesne students in the section. It was all Pitt,” Kailyn Knapp said. “We were standing up and cheering and screaming.”

Reid was not only lethal on special teams, but gashed the Duquesne defense for 66 yards rushing on only eight attempts, with one going 53 yards to the house.

Pitt’s speed seemed to be a problem for the Dukes, as they just couldn’t match their players’ speed or the tempo that Pittsburgh liked to play in. The Panthers had six plays of 20 or more yards, with half of them resulting in touchdowns.

“It’s tough to simulate in practice, the game speed,” said Schmitt. “When we go play these games, we’re pushing ourselves to our highest level. When you do that, that helps you get better.

Duquesne still had some shining moments on defense, regardless of what the box score might show. Defensive Lineman Jack Dunkley got his first sack of the season in the third quarter, and Safety Dallas Harper leaped in front of a Panther receiver to intercept Holstein in the second quarter. The pick was Harper’s first as a Duke, who got to relish the moment in his hometown’s biggest stadium.

Duquesne has 47 in-state recruits and 27 players from the Pittsburgh region. Many from the area had the opportunity to play high school championship games at Acrisure, making the chance to play in the city still feel like home for many on the team.

Despite not getting the result they wanted, Schmitt was glad to see the matchup rekindled for the first time in 86 years.

“It’s great for Pittsburgh football,” said Schmitt. “And for us to play at Acrisure, against Pitt, I think it’s great.”

After starting their season against tough opposition like Pitt, Duquesne players are still taking positives into the next week. The result is the fourth time in five years that Duquesne has opened its season against an FBS team, with Duquesne falling in all four matchups.

“I think we’re better than we thought we were,” Isabella said. “I think that’s a big lesson to take away from this game.”

Duquesne’s next matchup is their home opener against Lincoln University (Pa.) on Sep.6. Lincoln competes at the NCAA Division II level, giving the Dukes a favorable matchup to kick off their season on the Bluff.

Rowan DuBois can be reached at duboisr1@duq.edu

Josh Imhof can be reached at imhofj@duq.edu