By MICHAEL O’GRADY, special to Pittsburgh Sports Now
PITTSBURGH – A stellar season for Duquesne football (8-2, 5-0 Northeast Conference) continued Saturday afternoon at Rooney Field with an offensive masterclass against Wagner (4-7, 2-3).
Led by quarterback Darius Perrantes’ six touchdowns and wide receiver Tedy Afful’s 208 yards, the Dukes had little trouble putting away the Seahawks, winning by a 42-21 score that made the game seem closer than it was.
Duquesne’s victory earns it both an undefeated season at home and second consecutive NEC title, although Central Connecticut State’s double-overtime comeback over Robert Morris means Duquesne are only co-champions for now. The FCS Playoff bid will go to the winner of next week’s game when the Dukes visit CCSU. Despite the added drama, they are relishing the opportunity to win it all themselves.
“We talked it about it out on the field,” Duquesne head coach Jerry Schmitt said. “They understood if Robert Morris had won the game, we would’ve been outright champs, but they were like, ‘Coach, we wanna go up there and win this game.’ They want to win it, you know? They don’t want someone else to do it for them.”
Duquesne’s offense was nearly flawless, and it had to be after running back JaMario Clements went down with an injury after his first and only carry of the game. The passing game especially shone in Clements’ absence. Perrantes threw for 393 yards and spread receptions to seven different targets. Wideouts John Erby and Joey Isabella had two touchdowns each to go with one from Afful and another from tight end Steven Mahar Jr.
“Obviously, somebody goes down in the run game, I gotta step up with my pass game,” Perrantes said. “Coaches did a great job calling up plays for the receivers, getting separation from the DBs. I’m just blessed to have these people around me.”
Taj Butts and Shawn Solomon Jr. picked up the workload in the backfield, finishing with a combined 28 carries and 107 yards. Duquesne also refused to leave the field after third down when at midfield; it converted 5 of 6 fourth downs when going for it. The Dukes have now converted 17 of 19 fourth downs on the season.
“Our stats speak for themselves,” Perrantes said. “We’re top of the country in fourth-down conversions, it just comes down to the coaches’ trust in me and people around me to have the opportunity to convert, and most of the time we do.”
Wagner struck first when it executed a perfect trick play with 4 minutes left in the first quarter. QB Jake Cady threw a lateral to Rickey Spruill, who threw a dart to a wide-open Teree McDonald for an 80-yard score. Duquesne responded with three touchdowns in the second frame, first by Erby on a post route, next by a completely-covered Isabella who made a two-hand catch in the corner and managed to keep a foot in, and then by Mahar on a quick forward pitch.
The Dukes further widened their lead in the second half when Perrantes found a diving Isabella on a broken 4th and 8 play for a 28-yard touchdown, Perrantes’ longest of the day. The Seahawks’ Sekou Kamau cut the lead down to 14 on the ensuing drive, but Duquesne marched right back down the field and eliminated all remaining doubt when Erby made a jaw-dropping, leaping one-handed catch over two defenders in the end zone. From there, it was smooth sailing for the Dukes, though they did let in another score. With Perrantes’ last touchdown pass to Afful, he became the first Duquesne quarterback since Dillon Buechel in 2016 to throw for six in one game.
“[Perrantes] has grown a ton since he’s been here,” Schmitt said. “I love where he is. He was really talented when he came here, used his feet and his arm strength, and now he knows the offense inside and out… It’s very good to see his maturation and growth, and I’m really impressed with his game every week. I just keep getting more and more impressed.”
Duquesne will aim to give its senior QB a proper sendoff by sending him back to the FCS playoffs, which a win at Central Connecticut State next Saturday at noon will accomplish. For Wagner, it will finish its 2024 campaign at the same time via a New York-area clash with LIU at home.
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