For the first time since the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration, the Mountaineers of West Virginia will take on the Dukes of Duquesne on the gridiron.
Despite Duquesne’s campus in the heart of Pittsburgh being just over an hour away from Morgantown, the Mountaineers and Dukes have not met since November of 1935.
With Duquesne being an FCS opponent, many wouldn’t think WVU would have any history with the Dukes, but unfortunately, that is not the case. The Mountaineers and Dukes have played a grand total of eight times, with WVU barely leading the series 4-3-1.
The first matchup between West Virginia and Duquesne dates back to October of 1914, just months after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. In that first game played in Morgantown, the Mountaineers prevailed in a dominating 37-0 win.
The Mountaineers and Dukes played to a 7-7 draw in the next context in 1929 before West Virginia picked up another two wins in 1930 and 1931 in a home-and-home series to make the series 3-0-1 in favor of WVU.
However, in 1932 and 1933, Duquesne got on the board against WVU with back-to-back wins in Pittsburgh by the scores of 3-0 and 19-7. The following season, in 1934, the Mountaineers and Dukes met in Pittsburgh for the third straight year, but this time, it was West Virginia playing spoiler on the road, winning by the score of 7-0.
The final matchup came in 1935 in Morgantown before the series stalled for over eight decades. In Morgantown, Duquesne manhandled the Mountaineers, winning by the score of 19-0.
Fast forward to 2023, and Duquesne will again make the 75-mile trip down to Morgantown to take on a West Virginia team looking to build some confidence after losing to No. 7 Penn State in Happy Valley.
Duquesne comes in at 1-0 with a season-opening, 49-7 win over Edinboro. It will be the Dukes’ first chance to even the series against the Mountaineers since the last matchup in 1935.
