Game Notes

The Franklin & Marshall football team (1-1, 0-1 CC) prepares to travel for a Centennial Conference road game versus McDaniel (1-1, 1-0 CC) on Saturday. Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m.

Last Week

In the previous game, F&M faced a tough Susquehanna team that was ranked 25th in the nation. The Red Hawks led 32-7 going into the halftime break. F&M made a quarterback change at halftime by putting in Logan Clouse for the injured starter Jake Fant. From that point, the Diplomats began chipping away at the Susquehanna lead with a 70-yard opening drive that was capped with a six-yard touchdown pass to Jack Sutton .

After Susquehanna returned the following kickoff for a touchdown, the Red Hawks defense forced a Diplomat punt on the ensuing drive. The punt downed SU at their own 12 yard line. On the second play of the drive, Justin Gerhart had his first of three interceptions in the game. Gerhart was able to take the SU pass back for a F&M touchdown and make the score 39-20.

A field goal from Laurence Miller and a touchdown run from Mitch Wagner made it a 39-29 game with two minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Diplomats got the ball back when Jacob Hille forced a fumble and recovered it with 1:50 left in regulation. F&M took it down the field and scored on a 19-yard touchdown pass for Sutton's second score of the game to make the score 39-36. The Diplomats tried to get the ball back on an onside kick, but the attempt was unsuccessful. The River Hawks ran out the clock to hold onto the win.

Justin Gerhart's three interceptions tied the school record for most in a single game.

F&M outgained Susquehanna 260-38 in second half yardage, totaling 341-264 yard advantage in total offense for the game. Read the recap here.

Last Time

In the 2021 matchup, F&M shutout the Green Terror 35-0 for its first win of the fall season. Logan Clouse threw for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Jack O'Hearen finished with eight receptions for 109 yards and two touchdowns, including a 36-yard touchdown catch on a trick play that was thrown by wide receiver Danny Solecki '21. Franklin & Marshall tallied 354 yards on offense and had a time of possession of 35:10. Read the recap here.

Tallying Turnovers

The F&M defense has played a huge factor in the beginning of the 2022 season, forcing seven turnovers in two games. Justin Gerhart is currently tied for the most interceptions in Division III with four so far this year. Owen Walsh and Dante Medlar also have one interception each. Jacob Hille's forced fumble and recovery against Susquehanna was the first forced fumble of the season for F&M.

Running the Rock

Aaron Rascoe has been handling the majority of carries for the Diplomats after he ran for 88 yards on 12 carries in the season opener against Lebanon Valley. Rascoe had a big 41-yard run in the season opener that set himself up to score a one-yard touchdown right before the halftime break. The score was the second of the game. The junior running back also carried for 63 yards on 22 touches against Susquehanna.

Righting the Ship

The last time the Diplomats started a season 1-1 was in 2016, defeating LVC in the season opener and falling to Muhlenberg in the second game of the fall. F&M then went on a five-game winning streak, defeating Ursinus, Juniata, Dickinson, McDaniel, and Moravian. The Diplomats finished the season with a 7-4 record and played in the Centennial-MAC Bowl game, falling to Albright 28-23.

McDaniel Team Preview

The Green Terror begin the 2022 fall campaign with a 1-1 record. After dropping its season opener to Catholic 37-27, McDaniel bounced back with a 35-19 road win at Juniata. In the win, the Green Terror displayed a strong passing attack, throwing for 410 yards and one touchdown. McDaniel outgained Juniata in total yardage 528-352 during the victory. Quarterback Eric Grinwis displays a 66.7 completion percentage, throwing for 476 yards and one touchdown so far this year. Wide receiver Hunter Sigler tallied nine catches for 152 yards so far this season. The Green Terror defense has allowed an average of 130 rushing yards per game and 225 passing yards per contest.