On Sept. 28 The Chargers traveled to Arthur J. Rooney Field to face off against the 1-3 Duquesne Dukes in Pittsburgh, Penn. The Chargers were coming into this game with a record of 2-2, after two back to back wins.
To start the first half, the Chargers would win the coin toss, electing to defer. To start the game the Charger defense initially found success, and were able to get the Dukes off the field in three downs. The Chargers offense and quarterback AJ Duffy would take advantage of the stop and find the endzone quickly with a long 56 yard touchdown throw and catch from Duffy to receiver Joshua Tracey. Making the score 6-0, pending the extra point which would be missed. Through the remainder of the first quarter, both teams went back and forth, neither able to find the endzone due to strong defense and costly drive-killing penalties.
To open the second quarter, the Dukes retained possession of the ball and finished a lengthy six and a half minute drive to find the endzone on a short dump off pass from quarterback Tyler Riddell to Joey Isabella. The Chargers continued to be unable to move the ball which would start to become a common theme throughout the game.
The Dukes took advantage of the Chargers’ faults and in the second quarter, scored on a short 6 yard pass from Riddell to Isabella, making the score 14-6 with the Dukes scoring an extra point. The Chargers quickly stalled out, punting the ball back to the Dukes, which led to another quick drive plus touchdown from Riddell to Isabella on a 61 yard throw and catch, making the score 21-6. Through the remainder of the second quarter, neither team scored, and the Chargers would look to regroup at halftime as they would start with the ball to open up the second half.
The Chargers opened the second half with a steady drive across midfield but were set back by a penalty and forced to punt. The Dukes wasted no time responding with a 78-yard march capped by quarterback Tyler Riddell’s 10-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 28–6. Moments later Avery Morris intercepted Duffy and returned it 34 yards for a pick-six to extend the margin to 35–6.
The Chargers answered late in the third quarter when Zaon Laney ripped off a 51-yard run and later finished the drive with a one yard touchdown plunge to cut the score to 35–12. Early in the fourth Duffy connected with Kevonne Wilder for a 19-yard touchdown with a successful two-point conversion making it 37–18. The Dukes leaned on their rushing attack to regain control, with Ness Davis, Taj Butts and Dazhaun Hopkins churning out big gains. Riddell added another rushing touchdown to extend the advantage to 44–18 before Hopkins broke free for a 30-yard run that set up the Dukes to kneel out the clock.
Following the loss, the Chargers fell to 2-3 on the season. Next week, the Chargers will host Pace for their homecoming game as they look to get back on track. For more information on the Chargers season, check out NewHavenChargers.com.
