PITTSBURGH — In an impressive performance, Darius Perrantes launched six touchdown passes while Tedy Afful amassed over 200 receiving yards, leading Duquesne to a decisive 42-21 victory against Wagner on Saturday afternoon. This win secured a share of the Northeast Conference championship for the Dukes, who now sport an 8-2 overall record and a perfect 5-0 in conference play. They can clinch the championship outright next week against second-place Central Connecticut (6-5, 4-1) in the final game of the regular season. Notably, Duquesne entered this matchup ranked No. 21 in the latest FCS Coaches Poll.
The Seahawks drew first blood as running back Rickey Spruill connected with Teree McDonald for an impressive 80-yard touchdown pass, putting Wagner ahead with just under five minutes remaining in the opening quarter. However, Perrantes quickly responded, throwing three touchdown passes in the second quarter alone. He connected with John Erby for a 24-yard score, followed by a 14-yard touchdown to Joey Isabella, and capped off the half with an eight-yard strike to Steven Mahar Jr. as time expired, leaving the Dukes leading 21-7 at halftime.
Following the intermission, Perrantes found Isabella once more, this time with a long 28-yard touchdown pass to extend Duquesne’s lead. Sekou Kamau kept Wagner within striking distance with a 47-yard touchdown run, but Perrantes was relentless, rolling to his right before spotting Erby in the end zone. Erby made an incredible one-handed catch, securing his second touchdown of the game. The scoring concluded with a touchdown pass from Perrantes to Afful in the fourth quarter.
Perrantes has been in top form, accumulating four touchdown passes during Duquesne’s previous 31-6 victory over Robert Morris, bringing his total to 21 touchdowns for the season. He has surged recently, with 10 of those touchdowns coming in the last two games. Against Wagner, Perrantes completed 27 of 46 passes for 393 yards, raising his season total to 1,648 yards with just six interceptions, two of which were thrown against Wagner. Afful had a standout game, catching 10 passes for 208 yards, which included a long reception of 61 yards. Isabella also made notable contributions with five catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns, while Erby added six catches for 63 yards and two scores.
On the other side of the field, Jake Cady helmed the Wagner offense, completing 21 of 36 passes for 196 yards, along with a touchdown and one interception, as the Seahawks fell to a 4-7 overall record and 2-3 in conference play.