Duquesne clinches NEC regular-season crown beating Bryant

SMITHFIELD, R.I. — Garrett Owens ran for 105 yards on 14 carries and scored a touchdown, and Duquesne clinched the Northeast Conference regular-season title with 20-10 win over Bryant on Sunday.

With the win the Dukes (4-0, 4-0) secured a place in the NEC’s conference title game and will get to play that at home for a chance to secure an automatic FCS playoff berth.

Bryant (2-2, 2-2) could’ve secured a rematch in the championship game with a win over Duquesne. Instead, the Bulldogs will have to await the outcome of the matchup between Sacred Heart (2-1, 2-1) and Wagner (0-2, 0-2). That scheduled contest was postponed because of covid-19 protocols. The status of that game is to be determined at a future date.

Daniel Adeboboye ran for 59 yards on five carries in Bryant’s opening drive that ended with his 38-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead. Adeboboye ran for a career-high 180 yards on 25 carries.

After being forced to punt on their first three possessions, the Dukes knotted it at 7-7 following an 11-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Owens’s 13-yard scoring run.

Duquesne forced Bryant to turn it over on downs after a 13-play drive, and the Dukes countered with a 15-play, 76-yard drive that ended when Joe Mischler completed a 2-yard touchdown pass to Cyrus Holder. Duquesne led the rest of the way.