Pitt dominates in a 61-9 win over the Duquesne Dukes in The Battle of Pittsburgh

Tagged under: District 7, Pennsylvania Colleges

Ryan Thielet | August 30, 2025

For the first time in over eight decades, the “Battle of Pittsburgh” returned to the gridiron, and the Panthers made sure it was worth the wait. Pitt jumped on Duquesne early, piling up points behind explosive plays and a relentless defense on their way to a commanding 61-9 victory at Acrisure Stadium.

Duquesne opened the game with the ball but failed to gain much traction, running just four plays for a single first down before punting. On the return, Pitt’s All-American running back Desmond Reid showed off his blazing speed, taking it 88 yards to the house for the first score of the game. That put the Panthers up 7-0 with 12:14 left in the opening quarter. The next three possessions ended in punts—two by the Dukes and one by Pitt—before the scoreboard lit up again. With 2:47 remaining in the first quarter, Cataurus “Blue” Hicks hauled in the first of his two first-half touchdowns, stretching the Panthers’ lead to 14. Pitt’s defense, known as “the Sharks,” followed with a dominant stand, tallying two sacks and forcing another punt. The Panthers held possession as the quarter closed, carrying a 14-0 lead into the second.

The Dukes struck quickly to open the second quarter, picking off Eli Holstein in the back of the end zone on just the second play. However, they failed to capitalize and punted it right back. Pitt’s offense returned the favor with a turnover of their own, giving Duquesne another chance. This time, the Dukes found the end zone, as B.J. Alexander hauled in their lone first-half score. The extra point was no good, trimming Pitt’s lead to 14-6. From there, the Panthers seized control, rattling off 20 unanswered points before halftime. Hicks capped the surge with a highlight-reel one-handed touchdown grab with just 48 seconds left in the half. The PAT was blocked, but Pitt still carried a commanding 34-6 advantage into the break.

Coming out of halftime, the Panthers wasted no time extending their dominance. On their opening drive, Desmond Reid broke free for an explosive 53-yard touchdown run, stretching the lead to 41-6 with 14:14 remaining in the third quarter. After a brief exchange of punts between the two teams, Eli Holstein connected with Malachi Thomas for his fourth touchdown pass of the day, pushing Pitt’s advantage to 48-6 with 3:14 left in the third. That score closed out the quarter, setting the stage for the Panther faithful to rise and sing “Sweet Caroline”.

The fourth quarter opened with Duquesne’s final score of the day, a 35-yard field goal by Matt Marcinko that cut the deficit to 48-9 with 13:56 remaining. From there, Pitt closed the door, adding two 27-yard field goals from freshman Trey Butkowski to push the lead to 54-9. The exclamation point came on a highlight play, as Bryce Yates hauled in a 60-yard touchdown strike to cap the scoring at 61-9 in Pitt’s favor.

With the dominant victory, the Panthers keep momentum rolling as they turn their attention to next week’s matchup at home against Central Michigan.

 When asked about the team performances, Steel Valley’s own  Cruce Brookins stated, “We still have a lot to improve on”. Desmond Reid also echoed this message in his post-game interview.

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