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PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Kennesaw State picked off Duquesne four times, including three from Dante Blackmon, while Justin Sumpter reeled in eight catches for 187 yards and two scores, as the Owls rallied on the road to beat Duquesne, 36-28, Saturday in Pittsburgh.
 
The Owls (2-1) trailed 17-16 at the half but out-scored the hosts 20-11 in the second half to beat the reigning Northeast Champions Dukes (2-2), who reached last season's NCAA Playoffs and were picked to repeat as NEC champs in 2016.
 
"I'm so proud of the effort, this was a great team win on the road against a very, very good football team that reached the playoffs last year," said head coach Brian Bohannon. "We had to come out in the second half and respond to some adversity. We minimized the mistakes in the second half, hit some big plays and that was the difference."
 
Blackmon's 57-yard interception return gave the Owls a 16-10 lead with 4:34 left in the first half, but a quick-strike touchdown drive by Duquesne gave the hosts the one-point edge at the break.
 
KSU stormed out of the locker room in the second half, and behind back-up QB Daniel David, regained the lead when he found Sumpter for a 67-yard TD strike just minutes in for a lead the visitors never relinquished.
 
Daniel replaced starting QB Chandler Burks, who was injured late in the first half and never returned.
 
"The coaches brought me in at halftime and said this is your time and go do what you do," said David. "The outcome was a win, so I'm happy with it. The coaches are always reminding me on the sidelines that I'm just one play, so I have to stay prepared."
 
The Dukes pulled to within 22-20 on a field goal midway through the third quarter, but a dazzling 28-yard touchdown run by Darnell Holland, as he tight-roped the sidelined, gave KSU a nine-point cushion early in the fourth.
 
The Owls put the game on ice after a Jace White interception deep in Duquesne territory gave KSU a short field. The Owls cashed in when David found Sumpter for a 15-yard TD pass with 6:44 left.
 
"Daniel did a great job out there keeping his composure," said Sumpter. "He went in there and just put the ball on the money, and the offensive line was doing a great job protecting him. It was all clicking for us."
 
Blackmon's first interception led to a field goal, the second he returned for a touchdown and his third halted a Duquesne drive in the third quarter that could have given the hosts the lead. The team's fourth interception from White set up the game-sealing score.
 
"We watched a lot of film, and really prepared," said Blackmon, who becomes just the 10^th player in Big South Conference history with three or more interceptions in a single game. Coach Newberry had a great game plan for us, and he set it out there and we just had to execute it."
 
David finished 7-of-10 passing for 172 yards and a pair of scores, and the redshirt freshman transfer from Appalachian State rushed six times for 22 yards.
 
In addition to Sumpter's work through the air, Holland caught three balls for 74 yards and rushed five times for 35 yards and a TD.
 
The Owls outgained the Dukes, 459-388, while limited Duquesne to just 93 yards rushing. Izzy Sam and Tonarius Portress led the way with 10 tackles each. Portress chipped in two tackles for loss and forced a fumble. Desmond Johnson recorded both of the Owls sacks.


 
POSTGAME #NESTNOTES

JUMPMAN 23
Senior DB Dante Blackmon totaled a career-high three interceptions, which set a program record. Blackmon became the 10th player in Big South history to record three or more picks in a single game, and the second Owl in program history with at least two INT in a game (Taylor Henkle had two versus Charleston Southern in 2015).
 
MORE JUMPMAN
Blackmon's career day was highlighted by a 57-yd interception return in the second quarter, marking a KSU record for the longest interception return in program history. It marked the fourth defensive TD in program history, as the Owls scored a defensive touchdown three times in 2015 season.
 
DEFENSE SWARMING
The Owls have been swarming all season long in the third quarter, holding ETSU to seven points and Point scoreless coming out of the half. Kennesaw State once again proved worthy in the third, holding Duquesne to just a field goal. In fact, the Owls held Duquesne to just 11 points in the second half, and now have held opponents to 18 points over the final 30 minutes of play, an average of 6.0 points in the second half. 
 
MORE D-FENCE
The Owls' D forced at least one turnover in nine of the 11 games in 2015, but just one through the first two games of the 2016 season. However, with the help of Blackmon's three interceptions and the first career pick from Jace White, Kennesaw State tied its program record for most turnovers in a single game (four). KSU also forced four turnovers against Edward Waters last season.
 
STOPPING THE RUN
Kennesaw State's ground defense was impressive once again, allowing just 93 rushing yards and no touchdowns against the Dukes as Duquesne became the fourth opponent in program history (and second straight) to fall short of 100 rushing yards in a game.
 
SUMP-MAN DOING IT AGAIN
Justin Sumpter sophomore season is off to an impressive start. The 6-foot-3 target from Sandy Creek High School racked up a career-high eight catches and 187 yards in the air and two more touchdowns on Saturday. It marked his second career 100-yard receiving game. The sophomore has caught 19 balls for 221 yards and five touchdowns through the season's first three games. He's averaging 99.6 yards per game and 16.6 yards per catch.
 
ROAD WARRIORS
With the 36-28 victory in Pittsburgh, Pa, the Owls snapped a four-game losing skid on the road. KSU's last road win was Sept. 3, 2015 against ETSU, 56-16.

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