Duquesne at Wagner Preview 10/25/25
The Dukes are heading to Staten Island this week to take on a Wagner squad that almost knocked off Central Connecticut State last Saturday. The Seahawks had a chance to win the game late with an accurate field goal kicker in the red zone, but threw an end zone interception to knock themselves out of scoring range. The Dukes, meanwhile, are coming off of a road trip to Erie that saw them knock off fellow unbeaten conference foe Mercyhurst.
Trap Game
Let’s call it what it is- this is a talented Wagner squad that can play with anybody. Their record is what it is, but with their backs against the wall they’ll be as hungry for a win as any team in the league. The Dukes hit an emotional high last week with a win against Mercyhurst in a terrific atmosphere under the lights.
In the biz, we call these “trap games.”
Wagner has shown the makings of a strong offense that just hasn’t put it together yet. Time is running out to get it straightened out this seaon, but the piees are excellent. Brady Anderson is as good of an OL anchor as you can ask for. Jordan Barton has improved throughout the season and looks like he’s taken hold of the starting QB job. Andre Hines is a wrecking ball out of the backfield. There’s definnitely talent here.
Sometimes it just takes more than that for everything to fall into place. But more often than not, given time and enough talent, it does.
The Seahawks are due for a game where the offense gets rolling. There’s every chance that it happens in this one.
Three Headed Monster
The Dukes have Ty Riddell, Joey Isabella, and the likely offensive rookie of the year in Ryan Petras. They can sling the rock just fine.
Of course, they can pound the rock, too, and they’ve got a lot of options to do it.
We knew heading into the year that Taj Butts was going to be a problem for opposing defenses, and that Solomon was the second half of a dynamic duo. After JaMario Clements left for Wake Forest, though, the Dukes added Ness Davis. There are a lot of good running backs in this league. Elijah Howard, Brian Trobel, the aforementioned Andre Hines… there’s not shortage. But Davis has looked right up there with them. I don’t envy voters (or myself) for havintg to come up with a first team list that only includes two running backs. It’s hard to see any scenario where Davis gets snubbed, though.
Prediction
From conversations I’ve had, the Dukes began this week well aware that there’s a high that comes off of an emotional win. The physical edge and desire to impose their will that they had against Mercyhurst will be hard to replicate. You just can’t do that week after week; there’s a reason why performances like that, when they occur, are so special.
In any case, there’s been an effort to make sure everyone on the Bluff understands that this is the kind of setting that makes let-down games. Knowing is half the battle, and I don’t think the Dukes will be coming out flat. Look for Wagner to continue to evolve offensively, but the edge rushers for Duquesne will be able to limit Barton’s time to throw. The scrambble drill will be important for the Wagner offense, which is usually not ideal for executing a gameplan.
Dukes win.
