Patterson Passes Dukes Past Saint Francis 41-14
Sept. 24, 2011
LORETTO, PA - In a matchup of the NEC's top two running backs, it was Duquesne quarterback Sean Patterson who stole the spotlight with four first-half touchdown passes as Duquesne opened Northeast Conference play with a 41-14 win at Saint Francis, Pa. Patterson, who finished with a season-high 290 yards, threw touchdowns of 87, 40, 17 and 50 yards in the first half as the Dukes (3-1, 1-0) scored on six of seven possessions in rolling up 553 yards of total offense. Saint Francis dropped to 1-3 overall and 0-2 in the NEC. Duquesne's Larry McCoy, who entered the game ranked sixth in the FCS in rushing at 129.7 yards per game, outgained Saint Francis' Kyle Harbridge 153-76. Harbridge entered the game as the leading rusher in all levels of NCAA Divsion I with a 180.3 ypg. average. McCoy reached the 100-yard mark for the fourth time in as many games on his 12th carry - a seven-yard run in the second quarter. Duquesne's defense was outstanding in holding the Red Flash to 182 yards, including just 45 through the air. SFU had 99 yards before the Dukes went to their second team defense after three quarters. Patterson hit Connor Dixon with a 41 yard pass on the game's first play to set up a 40 yard Charlie Leventry field goal that gave Duquesne a 3-0 lead less than two minutes in. DU made it scores on consecutive possessions when Leventry added a 33 yard field goal at the 7:53 mark. Saint Francis, which went three-and-out on its first two possessions, caught the first break of the game when Serge Kona fumbled a punt on the Duquesne 14 yard line.
Five plays later, quarterback John Kelly punched it in from one yard out to give the Red Flash a 7-6 lead. The lead was short-lived as Patterson found Dixon for an 87 yard touchdown on the next play to put the Dukes up 13-7 with 3:09 to go in the first quarter. Jared Williams intercepted a Saint Francis flea flicker attempt to set up Patterson-to-Dixon again, this time for a 40 yard score. Dixon, who had three catches for 168 in the opening quarter, finished with 175 yards on four receptions. Khiry Carter picked off back-up quarterback Corey Nielsen on the first play of the second quarter leading to a 17 yard Patterson to Brian Layhue touchdown that made it 27-7. DU added another long-distance score when Isaac Spragg took a swing pass 50 yards for a score to make it 34-7 at the half. The Dukes outgained the Red Flash 442-79 in the opening 30 minutes. McCoy capped a nearly seven minute drive with a two yard plunge to make it 41-7 with just under six minutes left in the third quarter. Outside linebacker Chris Oliver led the Dukes in tackles for the third consecutive game with eight stops. Fellow linebackers Horvin Latimer and Chidozie Oparanozie added seven tackles each. Duquesne plays its first home NEC game next weekend when it welcomes Bryant (3-1, 2-0) to Rooney Field for Homecoming. Game time is set for 1:10 p.m.
Scoring by Quarters
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