Box Score
Duquesne at Robert Morris Independence Day Magazine

Moon Township, Pa. – The Robert Morris University football team made a spirited comeback attempt in the fourth quarter but dropped a 21-20 decision to Duquesne in its Northeast Conference (NEC) opener Saturday evening at a cold and damp Joe Walton Stadium.

Junior Paul Jones (McKees Rocks, Pa. / Sto-Rox (Penn State)) pounded in a rushing touchdown with fewer than five minutes left to pull the Colonials within a point, but a very close extra point attempt was ruled to have gone wide.
 
The RMU defense put forth a strong effort as it held the Dukes to 17 points and allowed just one scoring drive longer than 10 yards (a 54-yard drive late in the third quarter). The Colonials held Duquesne to a mere 67 rushing yards and a season-low 269 yards of total offense.
 
Redshirt senior linebacker Mike Cook (Victoria, Minn. / Eden Prairie (Winona State)), who entered the game ranked third nationally in tackles per game, once again led the RMU defense as he notched a game-high 13 tackles. He added a tackle for loss and a pass breakup as he tallied his eighth double-digit tackle effort in the last 15 games.
 
Senior linebacker Luke Mueller (Cranberry Township, Pa. / Seneca Valley (Thiel)) posted a season-high seven tackles, including a tackle for loss, while redshirt senior linebacker Kyle Cooper (Hurricane, W.Va. / Hurricane) contributed six tackles and a sack.
 
Five of the game's first six drives garnered fewer than 10 yards of offense and resulted in punts with the lone exception being a missed field goal by the Dukes.
 
Robert Morris took over inside its own 20 late in the first quarter and proceeded to run 16 straight plays, methodically moving the ball down field and into the red zone. On the 16th play, Jones ran in to the left corner of the end zone on a bootleg to put the Colonials on top early in the second quarter.
 
With each of the next two drives resulting in punts, Duquesne then moved the ball into RMU territory. Facing third-and-three from the 32, the Dukes ran two straight plays, but the Colonial defense was up to the task as it allowed zero combined yards on two rushes to force a turnover on downs.
 
That turnover on downs essentially ended the first half.
 
Duquesne was forced to punt on the opening drive of the second half, but a strong boot left RMU with poor field position. Punting out of its own end zone on the ensuing possession, RMU's punt was blocked out of the end zone for a safety.
 
The Dukes then used a strong return on the free kick to set up a short drive for a field goal.
 
Robert Morris fumbled on its next drive, and the Dukes immediately took advantage of the great field position with a 10-yard touchdown pass to take their first lead of the day.
 
After back-to-back punts, a fumble near the goal line of the Colonials would result in a second safety for the Dukes.
 
Duquesne carried over its momentum from the defensive side with a scoring drive, albeit getting points on a controversial touchdown.
 
The Dukes would take a 21-7 lead with a 26-yard pass, but on the run after the completed catch one of the Dukes would deliver a vicious helmet-to-helmet blow to a Colonial that was pursuing the ball, and amazingly no penalty was called on the play.
 
The nasty hit lit a fire under the Colonials as they drove 71 yards on nine plays, spanning two quarters, to find paydirt. A season-long 24-yard rush by Jones moved the ball near the goal line before senior Deontae Howard (Clairton, Pa. / Clairton) pushed it across to narrow the lead to seven points.
 
With Duquesne having moved the ball to midfield on its next drive, senior safety D.J. Myers (Aliquippa, Pa. / Pittsburgh Central Catholic) would come up with a big play as he made a leaping interception, the first of his career, right along the sideline to give the ball back to the Colonial offense.
 
After picking up one first down, Jones then went deep down the right sideline and found junior wide receiver Duane Mitchell (Monroe Falls, Ohio / Stow) who made a tough grab and dropped one foot inbounds before being tackled out of bounds for a 34-yard gain. Four plays later, Jones broke the plane of the goal line with a rush to make the score 21-20.
 
The ensuing extra point kick was very high, and the officials called it wide.
 
The RMU defense forced a three-and-out from the Dukes, but the Colonials would turn the ball over on downs on their next possession.
 
Robert Morris would force one more punt to get the ball back with under a minute to play. The Colonials would move their ball to their own 48-yard line and then completed a pass into Duquesne territory, but a fumble all but ended the contest.
 
Jones' two rushing scores were his first two in a Colonial uniform. Mitchell tied his career high of six receptions, which was initially set three weeks ago at VMI.
 
Redshirt senior defensive lineman R.J. Cook (Beaver, Pa. / Beaver) set a new career high with five tackles while senior wide receiver Donte Jeter (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Oliver) moved into a tie for seventh in career receptions (73) at RMU Saturday night.
 
Robert Morris will have the challenge of looking to regroup next Saturday, Oct. 26, on the road against defending NEC champion, and 2013 preseason favorite, Wagner.