Duquesne brings confidence, momentum into FCS playoffs showdown vs. Youngstown State
Share this post:
As he headed home to North Huntingdon and sat down with family to celebrate Thanksgiving, Duquesne linebacker Gianni Rizzo probably found himself distracted by a barrage of phone notifications.
At least, that had been the case earlier this week, as Rizzo’s former teammates at Youngstown State have been texting him in anticipation of Saturday’s FCS playoff matchup between the Dukes and Penguins.
Rizzo, a junior at Duquesne and Norwin alumnus, committed to Youngstown State out of high school and played there from 2019-21 before transferring to Duquesne in 2022.
On Sunday, when the FCS championship selection show revealed this year’s bracket, Rizzo couldn’t help but smile when the Dukes got paired with his previous school.
The winner of Saturday’s game at Stambaugh Stadium in Youngstown will face Villanova (9-2) on Dec. 2.
The Bracket is ???????????? ????????
???? https://t.co/ocbH97Ohby#FCSPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/g78ZZzn0jZ
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) November 19, 2023
“I’ve had a lot of the guys hit me up,” Rizzo said. “I respect all of them, and I’m happy they got in. They’re still my friends. Good for them. … It’s just funny how it works out.”
The Dukes (7-4) enter the FCS playoffs after winning the outright Northeast Conference title, earned last weekend with a win on the road at Merrimack in both teams’ regular-season finale.
Youngstown State (7-4) received an at-large bid and is one of six Missouri Valley Football Conference teams in this year’s playoff field.
The Penguins have been a semi-regular nonconference foe for coach Jerry Schmitt’s teams over the years. The Dukes have played Youngstown State five times in the last decade — all losses for Duquesne — most recently in 2022, a 31-14 YSU victory.
“We are familiar since we’ve played them in the past,” Schmitt said. “It’s two programs that are proud programs, great tradition. I think it’s a great matchup for the FCS playoffs.”
Duquesne qualified for the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2018 thanks to an end-of-season turnaround that culminated with last weekend’s win over Merrimack.
The previous Saturday, with a chance to clinch the NEC title at Rooney Field on senior day, the Dukes instead lost a sloppy game to visiting Stonehill, setting up a winner-take-all showdown at Merrimack.
The Dukes won that affair 26-14, with their defense and quarterback Darius Perrantes getting back into earlier-season form.
After the win, Perrantes, who was 11 of 18 with 218 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, was named NEC Offensive Player of the Week, with Rizzo earning weekly defensive player honors behind a 10-tackle performance.
Freshman tailback Edward Robinson, who doubtless will factor into Duquesne’s game plan against YSU, rushed for 89 yards and a score, winning conference rookie of the week for the third time this season.
On Wednesday, Schmitt was named NEC Coach of the Year, and 10 players earned all-conference honors, the most of any team in the league.
Undisputed.
Head coach Jerry Schmitt has been named the ???????????? ???????????????????? ???????? ???????????? ????????????????‼️
???? https://t.co/zaBMJ50UQn#GoDukes pic.twitter.com/AHYKoRLDoU
— Duquesne Football (@DuqFB) November 22, 2023
“It’s great to see those guys get that recognition, and, for our team, it’s deserved,” Schmitt said. “… The thing we always say is, those guys thank their teammates because they know they could not earn that without the help of everybody. These awards are for the whole team.”
Offensively, Youngstown State shares similarities with the Dukes in having Mitch Davidson, a multi-year starter, at quarterback, in addition to depth at tailback and wide receiver.
Davidson’s 2,845 yards through the air are second in the MVFC, and he has thrown 19 touchdowns compared to just four interceptions.
Tyshon King averages 5.6 yards per carry, and the Penguins have three wideouts who have at least 30 receptions.
Perrantes, the NEC’s top quarterback in passing yards (2,291), yards per game (208.3) and touchdowns (21), is likely eyeing a desired matchup Saturday. Youngstown State’s defense ranks last in the MVFC in the aforementioned three categories.
“We played them last year,” Perrantes said. “They’re a well-coached team, great front seven, but we definitely are going to take advantage of some things that we see. We’re definitely excited for it.”
The Dukes and Penguins kickoff at 5 p.m. Saturday at Stambaugh Stadium.