week 2 preview: duquesne at boston college

The Duquesne Dukes are shipping off to Boston this week in a game that suddenly has a lot more intrigue after what happened on Labor Day. In case you missed it (you probably didn’t), the Eagles shut down a top ten Florida State squad that is now 0-2 on the season. If there weren’t eyes on Bill O’Brien’s Eagles before, there certainly is now. There were going to be eyes on Duquesne before- there always are when you play a Power 4 opponent- but their game now takes on an added significance. The Dukes have a golden opportunity to play spoiler on the national stage.

This is Duquesne’s second FBS opponent in as many games. Against Toledo last week, Duquesne had the offensive firepower to keep up in the early game. As the game progressed, though, it became clear that the Dukes couldn’t catch up to the Rockets, and the game eventually ended up at 49-10. Toledo is a quality opponent, though, and one that has a lot of stability. By comparison, Boston College is seeing a lot of change this season.

One constant for both the Dukes and the Eagles is their quarterback situations. Duquesne’s Walter Payton Award Watch List quarterback, Darius Perrantes, has the potential to play on Sundays and is probably the best returning player this season in the NEC. Opposite him will be Thomas Castellanos, an athletic player that serves as the conduit for the Boston College offense. He threw for two touchdowns with no interceptions in the win against Florida State while also rushing for 73 yards and another touchdown. Following the offensive performance Toledo had against the Duquesne defense, he will certainly be a massive challenge to contain.

Duquesne will be upset minded and hoping to catch Boston College napping after their top 10 win on Monday. The game will be on ESPN+ and ACC Network Extra at 3:30 PM on Saturday, September 7th.