A 17-point second quarter was the difference in a 30-21 home win for the Duquesne Dukes (2-2) over Monmouth of the Big South on Saturday at Arthur J. Rooney Athletic Field.
Tied 7-7 after one, the Dukes exploded out to a 24-7 halftime advantage, a lead they would not give up. The Hawks of Monmouth started the scoring with a 75-yard opening drive that ended with a touchdown pass from Brandon Hill to Neal Sterling. After trading three-and-outs, Duquesne went 77 yards on just two plays to tie the game on a 55-yard hook-up between QB Dillon Buechel and Chris King.
In the second quarter, Buechel led the Dukes on a 13-play, 80-yard drive for the team’s first lead of the game. Ryan Ho scored from 13 yards deep to make it 14-7, Dukes. After a Monmouth punt, Buechel hit King again for six to blow it open at 21-7, completing a 49-yard drive and taking advantage of great field position. The next two drives featured fumbles by both sides, but Duquesne would close out the half with a field goal by Austin Crimmins.
Crimmins opened second half scoring with another field goal and finished the day a perfect three for three. Monmouth added touchdowns late in the third quarter and early in the fourth to cut the Dukes lead to 27-21, but Crimmins again made it a two-possession lead with his third field goal of the day with just under three minutes remaining.
Dillon Buechel was 29-46 for 344 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Ryan Ho and Rafiq Douglas shared rushing responsibilities, combining for 22 carries and 81 yards. Devin Rahming led all receivers with 11 receptions for 129 yards and King had ten for 124 yards and the two touchdowns.
Duquesne dominated time of possession and yardage gains, overcoming nine penalties and two turnovers. The Dukes rushing defense held Monmouth to just 38 yards on 32 attempts for a measly 1.2 yards per attempt. Brandon Hill was 24-42 for 258 yards through the air for Monmouth, adding two touchdowns and no interceptions, but lack of support from his running backs proved troublesome.
After a week off, Duquesne returns to action at home vs. West Liberty on Saturday, October 4 before opening the conference schedule at Central Connecticut State.
