The passion and intensity generated by the football rivalry brought out some of the best and worst from the Duquesne University and Robert Morris teams.

They engaged in an emotionally charged game filled with scintillating plays and countless penalty flags. Late hits and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on both sides interrupted the flow of the Northeast Conference contest as both teams played with a desperation that comes with losing streaks.

Duquesne thwarted a spirited Robert Morris comeback in the second half to come away with a 34-20 victory much to the delight of an overflow homecoming crowd of 2,577 at Rooney Field.

"We were very fired up, but emotions can't override the intelligence," said Duquesne coach Jerry Schmitt, whose Dukes (2-3, 1-1) ended a three-game losing streak. "We wanted this game really bad."

Robert Morris is 0-5 for the first time since the program started in 1994, 0-2 in the NEC.

Each team was penalized 11 times: 121 yards for Duquesne and 107 for Robert Morris.

"It was a hard-hitting game and emotions can get the best of you," Robert Morris coach Joe Walton said. "You just don't want to do things that aren't right."

Not much went right for the Colonials, who fell behind, 27-0, before staging a stirring rally in the second half behind quarterback Jeff Sinclair, a freshman from Highlands High School making his collegiate debut.

After a shaky start, Sinclair gained confidence and pulled the Colonials to within 27-20 on a 53-yard touchdown pass to Sherrod Evers with 10:05 to play. Sinclair, who was sacked four times for 53 yards, completed 20 of 36 passes for 219 yards. He threw two interceptions.

"We wanted to redshirt Sinclair, but our other three quarterbacks haven't done the job so he deserved a chance," Walton said. "We were hoping for a lift, some enthusiasm. He's got a lot of emotion. He's a player in the making."

Duquesne responded with a touchdown drive on its next possession with Joe Cangilla's leaping 27-yard catch the key play. Larry McCoy, who rushed for 107 yards on 20 carries, capped the march with a 13-yard run for a 34-20 lead with 6:21 left. He also scored on an 11-yard run in the first half.

Cangilla had three catches for 68 yards after having just two receptions in the first four games.

"Crazy as it sounds, I predicted this [a big game for Cangilla] during the week," Schmitt said. "He's been nursing a hamstring the past three, four weeks, but now he's healthy. That catch he made was phenomenal."

Duquesne quarterback Connor Dixon completed 19 of 31 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Sean Patterson, a redshirt freshman, made his first college appearance midway through the second quarter and led the Dukes on a 37-yard touchdown drive to make it 14-0. Patterson, a lanky lefty, completed an 11-yard pass to Jay Spinks and ran 10 and 13 yards to set up Marek Lapinski's 1-yard plunge for the touchdown. Patterson was less successful on his other shift in the third quarter, when he ran three times and the Dukes punted.

"We put him in because he presented a change of pace," Schmitt said. "We had no plan, really."

Duquesne overcame three turnovers -- two fumbles and an interception -- for the victory that gave the Dukes a 6-5 lead in the series.

"Sometimes all the emotion can make a game sloppy," Schmitt said. "But when we needed to keep our poise we did on that last touchdown drive and that's what I really liked to see."

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