Just two teams entered play this weekend with a shot to win a Northeast Conference championship and its automatic bid to the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs.
After running back Taj Butts rushed for a career-high 254 yards and three touchdowns Saturday afternoon to lead Duquesne to a 38-33 victory over Central Connecticut State in a critical late-season NEC contest at Arthur J. Rooney Athletic Field in Oakland, those two teams remained.
And that’s just fine with the Dukes.
With its victory, Duquesne (6-5, 4-2) broke a two-game NEC losing skid and kept pace with Central Connecticut State (7-4, 5-1) for a shot to earn a share of the conference title and its automatic berth in the FCS postseason.
“It felt amazing as the game went on,” said Butts, whose 59-yard touchdown run with 3:19 left in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference in the game. “It being a battle and us coming out on top felt good.”
If the Dukes can knock off crosstown rival Robert Morris next Saturday and the Blue Devils fall at Mercyhurst in their regular-season finale, Duquesne and Central Connecticut State would split the NEC championship.
By virtue of earning the head-to-head victory against the Blue Devils, though, the Dukes would earn their second automatic FCS playoff bid in three seasons.
“It’s huge that we’ve got a chance,” Duquesne coach Jerry Schmitt said. “We’ve got to win another football game, we hope to get some help, but we are in that battle. We are in that conversation. That’s what we always talk about, that our goal is to be in the playoff hunt in the last week or two of the season. We’re here and we’ve done that.
“I know if it doesn’t work out, they’ll be disappointed,” he added, “but finishing this thing strong is important to our football team.”
A year ago, Central Connecticut State knocked off Duquesne, 21-14, in the final week of the regular season as the teams split the NEC championship, but the Blue Devils advanced to the FCS playoffs.
“It was just kind of heartbreaking just losing that game,” Butts said. “We knew we had another chance this year, especially with them being No. 1 in the conference, we knew we had an opportunity to kind of do what they did to us last year.”
Dukes redshirt senior safety Antonio Epps, who is a South Allegheny graduate and Liberty Borough native, said he was proud of his team’s effort against Central Connecticut State.
After opening its NEC schedule with three straight victories, Duquesne dropped a 24-13 decision to Wagner before falling, 29-11, against Long Island University a week ago.
Epps recorded a game-high 12 tackles and his interception of Blue Devils quarterback Brady Olson on the Dukes’ 4-yard line with his team clinging to a 38-33 lead with 36 seconds left in the game sealed the victory.
“I’m proud of the way we played and fought,” he said. “We showed a lot today that the last two weeks we might not have shown. I was really proud and grateful for all the guys in the room, the way we came together, in those last moments. Just giving ourselves a chance was the biggest thing. How things work out is how they’ll work out. We gave ourselves a chance and that’s all that matters.”
Duquesne and Central Connecticut State entered the game as the top scoring offenses in the NEC. The Dukes averaged a conference-best 28.3 points per game, while the Blue Devils were scoring a second-best 25.8 points per game.
Neither offense disappointed Saturday, as the teams combined for 1,114 yards of total offense.
Quarterback Tyler Riddell threw for 182 yards and three touchdowns to go along with Duquesne’s 344 rushing yards.
Wide receiver Joey Isabella caught five passes for 48 yards and two touchdowns, while Bethel Park product Ryan Petras caught two passes for 51 yards and a score to pace the Dukes through the air.
Blue Devils quarterback Brady Olson completed 28 of 45 passes for 423 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. He completed six passes for 86 yards and two touchdowns to wide receiver Michael Trovarelli, five passes for 111 yards and one score to tight end Peter Cleary and three passes for 59 yards and a touchdown to wide receiver Donovan Wadley.
Central Connecticut State running back Elijah Howard carried the football 22 times for 108 yards and a touchdown.
After Duquesne seemingly put the game out of reach with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Riddell to Isabella that made Dukes’ lead 32-20 with 9:21 left in the game, the Blue Devils rallied.
Olson first threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Wadley before connecting with Trovarelli for a 40-yard scoring strike to hand Central Connecticut State a 33-32 lead with 4:05 left in the game.
It wouldn’t last long, as Butts immediately responded with a 59-yard touchdown run to hand Duquesne the lead for good.
“You give a ton of credit to the o-line,” Schmitt said. “We had three healthy tight ends that helped with that, obviously. The receivers did a nice job, too, getting on their safeties because they drop those guys in the box. I didn’t know what to expect with Taj because he’s been hobbling.
“I’m happy for him.”
Robert Morris offense fails to get going in loss at Mercyhurst
Kicker Jayson Jenkins, a Gateway product, made fields goals of 45 and 23 yards, while running back Ethan Shine rushed for 86 yards and a touchdown for Robert Morris, which dropped a 27-13 decision to Mercyhurst in an NEC game at Saxon Stadium in Erie.
Quarterback Adam Urena threw for 206 yards, a touchdown and an interception for the Lakers (5-6, 4-2), while running back Brian Trobel rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns against the Colonials (3-8, 2-4).
IUP hangs tough before ultimately falling to No. 4 Kutztown in PSAC title game
Indiana University of Pennsylvania quarterback Matthew Rueve completed 29 of 37 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns, and staked his team to a three-point halftime lead, but No. 4 Kutztown rallied in the second half before emerging with a 28-23 victory Saturday afternoon in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championship game at Andre Reed Stadium in Kutztown.
Freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Coleman caught four passes for 57 yards and two touchdowns, while Belle Vernon native Devin Whitlock caught seven passes for 49 yards and a touchdown for the PSAC West Division champion Crimson Hawks (7-3, 5-1).
The PSAC East champion Golden Bears (11-0, 7-0) defense held IUP to minus-12 yards on the ground.
Kutztown quarterback Judd Novak threw for 188 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Steven Burkhardt carried the football 22 times for 107 yards and a score.
Burkhardt also caught two passes for 15 yards and a touchdown.
Kicker Nick Andrasi converted on a 50-yard field goal for the Crimson Hawks just before halftime.
California dominates Shippensburg in regular-season finale
Quarterback Roman Purcell passed for 168 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while also rushing for 29 yards and another score to lead California University of Pennsylvania to a 35-10 win over Shippensburg in its regular-season finale Saturday afternoon at Seth Grove Stadium in Shippensburg.
Running back Kendrick Agenor rushed for 79 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns to push the Vulcans (8-3, 3-3) past the Raiders (3-8, 3-4).
Wide receiver D’Avay Johnson caught five passes for 72 yards and a touchdown, while Rowen Hershey also caught a 31-yard scoring strike for California.
Slippery Rock falls to Bloomsburg in OT to end season on two-game losing skid
Slippery Rock rallied from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime Saturday afternoon, but Bloomsburg quarterback KJ Riley scored the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard run to hand the Huskies a 30-24 victory over the Rock at Redman Stadium in Bloomsburg.
After ascending as high as the third spot in the national rankings, Slippery Rock (6-4, 3-3) ended its season with its second straight loss to end its NCAA Division II playoff streak at six seasons.
The Rock, which wrapped up its 16th consecutive winning season, had the second-longest NCAA postseason streak in the nation.
Running back JayJay Jordan rushed for 181 yards and two touchdowns for the Rock against Bloomsburg (3-8, 1-6).
Slippery Rock quarterback DaOne Owens threw for 179 yards, a touchdown and interception. He completed three passes for 89 yards and a score to wide receiver Xander McClure.
Seton Hill drops third straight game to round out season
Seton Hill took a six-point lead into the second half before eventually succumbing to Shepherd, 21-13, Saturday afternoon at Rams Stadium in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, to close out its season with a third-straight loss.
Running back Ky’Ron Craggette, a Connellsville native, rushed for 45 yards and a touchdown for the Griffins (4-7, 2-4), while Greensburg Salem product Hayden Teska threw for 61 yards, a touchdown and interception.
Jayden Llanos caught two passes for 26 yards and a touchdown for Seton Hill against Shepherd (7-4, 6-1).
Carnegie Mellon rounds out inaugural Centennial Conference season with second-straight loss
Wide receiver Reece Kolke caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jackson Salters, South Fayette product Justin Caputo kicked field goals of 25 and 36 yards, while Robert Sturges returned an interception 23 yards for a score, but Carnegie Mellon was outscored by 10 points in the second half en route to suffering a 27-20 setback against Ursinus in its Centennial Conference finale Saturday afternoon at Patterson Field in Collegeville.
Salters threw for 182 yards for the Tartans (5-5, 3-4), which fell to the Grizzly Bears (6-4, 3-4) for their second consecutive loss.
Carnegie Mellon’s defense held Ursinus to minus-2 rushing yards, but quarterback Tristan Machado threw for 347 yards, four touchdowns and an interception.
W&J dominates Thiel to wrap up perfect PAC campaign
Washington & Jefferson dominated Thiel on both sides of the football Saturday at Cameron Stadium in Washington to capture a 67-0 victory and wrap up its first undefeated Presidents’ Athletic Conference campaign since 2017.
The Presidents (8-2, 8-0) racked up 575 yards of total offense against the Tomcats (1-9, 1-7), who were held to just 4 yards of total offense.
Quarterback Kellan Stahl completed 13 of 14 passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns, while W&J backup Colin Payne threw for 96 yards and two scores and Trey Holsman added 68 yards and a score through the air.
Wide receiver John Peduzzi caught five passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns for the Presidents, while Peters Township product Jacob Macosko caught five passes for 109 yards and a score. Haden Sierocky, Dom Barca and Kobe Derosa each caught a touchdown pass for W&J.
Running back Andrew Sharp, a Baldwin product, also carried the football 15 times for 69 yards and two touchdowns for the Presidents.
W&J defensive back Dante DeRubbo, a Trinity product, also returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown.
Grove City rolls to lopsided win at Hiram
Running back Chase Rankin rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns, while Shepherd Miller added 66 yards and two scores on the ground to lead Grove City to a commanding 63-14 PAC win over Hiram at Charles A. Henry Stadium Saturday afternoon in Hiram, Ohio.
Quarterback Ethan Wiley threw for 163 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for the Wolverines (8-2, 7-1), while backup Mike Holloman also accumulated 107 yards and a score through the air against the Terriers (3-7, 2-6).
Wide receiver Daniel Sullivan caught four passes for 73 yards and a touchdown for Grove City, while Cameron Epps added two catches for 45 yards and a score and Sam Penna chipped in three catches for 38 yards and a touchdown.
The Wolverines held Hiram to minus-5 yards on the ground, led by linebacker Jack Jollie, a Penn-Trafford product, who racked up nine tackles, 1½ sacks and a forced fumble.
Aliquippa grad Quentin Goode leads Westminster to rout of Saint Vincent
Quarterback Quentin Goode, an Aliquippa graduate, threw for 240 yards and four touchdowns to lead Westminster to a 57-14 victory over Saint Vincent in a PAC contest Saturday afternoon at Chuck Noll Field in Latrobe.
Wide receiver Brite Cannon caught six passes for 113 yards and three touchdowns for the Titans (7-3, 6-2), while Lawrence Grayson accumulated six receptions for 45 yards and a score against the Bearcats (2-8, 1-7) secondary.
Ben White added an 11-yard touchdown reception for Westminster, while Clayton Cannon Jr. rushed for 45 yards and a score, and Demere White added 18 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
No. 22 Pitt thrashed by No. 9 Notre Dame
No. 22 Pitt conceded 387 yards of offense, 175 on the ground, as No. 9 Notre Dame (8-2) thrashed the Panthers to the tune of a 37-15 decision Saturday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium on the North Shore.
Kicker Samuel Carpenter converted a 24-yard field goal for the Panthers (7-3, 5-1), while Rasheem Biles returned a Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr pass 10 yards for a touchdown and Malachi Thomas caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Eli Holstein late in the fourth quarter.
Freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel threw for 126 yards and an interception for Pitt, while Carr threw for 212 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown, while Carr also rushed for a 5-yard score.
John is a copy editor and page designer at the Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at jsanta@unionprogress.com.