Rowan DuBois | staff writer

Duquesne couldn’t quite get over the hump against No. 10 Lehigh on Saturday, falling to the inner-state foe 35-21. The third-ranked Mountain Hawks defense had only conceded 24 points all season heading into the matchup.  

Duquesne moves to 1-2 on the season with its sole win coming against Division II Lincoln University in the Dukes home opener, prevailing 55-14. Lehigh entered the matchup ranked 10th in the FCS and moved to 3-0 with the victory.

“We battled them,” Duquesne Head Coach Jerry Schmitt said. “Sometimes games statistically are against you, and you’re still fighting, you’re still making plays. We got down but came back and responded.”

After a scoreless first quarter, Lehigh got on the board first with a wild ricochet touchdown that went off of two players before finding its way to tight end Garret Guess.

Lehigh quarterback Hayden Johnson would add two more passing touchdowns and finish with 224 yards through the air, including a 54-yard deep shot to Geoffrey Jamiel with under a minute to go in the first half.

Star wide receiver Joey Isabella left his mark all over the Dukes scoresheet as he recorded 153 yards on eight catches and a touchdown.  

But Duquesne’s slow start had an effect on Isabella too, as he dropped a wide open pass from Tyler Riddell. The very next play, Riddell went back to Isabella, who hauled it in for a 35-yard catch.

“I don’t like to make mistakes,” Isabella said. “But when I do, I look at it as an opportunity to bounce back from it.”

Isabella also had the longest play of the day when Riddell found him open down field, and he scampered in for a 66-yard bomb. Riddell finished the game with two touchdowns and 211 yards passing.

A connection between Isabella and Riddell is forming, as the performance is Isabella’s second 100-yard receiving game of the season.

“We’re very close. I like Ty a lot,” Isabella said. “I’m happy to have him here and build a relationship with him. We get closer every week now, so we keep talking, and we mess with each other.”

The rushing attack overpowered Duquesne in the second half as Lehigh had two running backs, Jaden Green and Luke Yoder, average over 6 yards per carry.

Green had a devastating 27-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, bouncing to the outside and carrying Duquesne defenders in tow as he crossed the goal line.

The Dukes committed the only two turnovers of the game, as Riddell threw his first interception of the season. Riddell fumbled late in the fourth quarter as Lehigh linebacker Tyler Ochojski landed a huge blindside hit, ending Duquesne’s hopes for a comeback.

“It doesn’t always go exactly the way it’s supposed to,” Schmitt said. “It’s the beauty of the game. The ball’s not round. It doesn’t bounce the right way all the time.”

Duquesne dealt with injury problems in both halves, as starting linebacker Tyson Meiguez limped off injured in the first half, returning to the sideline in the second half with crutches.

Star running back Taj Butts was also dealing with an injury, so junior running back Shawn Solomon Jr. saw the lionshare of the snaps. Butts had four carries for 20 yards, but his usage was limited to the first half.

“Trust me,” Schmitt said, “we just aren’t as deep of a team. And so when you get two players, two of your best players, one on each side of the ball hurt, that’s going to stretch it a little bit.”

The Dukes put up the most points and yards by any Lehigh opponent this season, totaling 318 yards of total offense. With Butts limited, the pass game took over as Riddell often extended plays with his legs and made big throws under pressure.

Duquesne has had an especially challenging start to the season, facing FBS opponent Pitt before turning around to face the No. 10 team in the nation at its level of play. Regardless of the challenger, Schmitt prepares his team to play at their best.

“We plan every game to play our best football regardless who we’re playing,” Schmitt said. “You know, [it] doesn’t matter if it’s an FBS team, or a Division II team, or a top 10 team.”

The Dukes next outing is away against Akron on Saturday at 6 p.m. It will be Duquesne’s second time facing an FBS team this season after its opening loss to Pitt.

Rowan DuBois can be reached at duboisr1@duq.edu