Game Notes

Franklin & Marshall Last Time Out...

The Diplomats closed the regular season with a 55-19 win at rival Gettysburg. F&M scored 20 points in the opening quarter and 21 more in the third quarter to pace its Centennial Conference victory. F&M racked up 557 yards of total offense for the fourth-highest single-game total in program history. That was the team's highest yardage output since going for 580 yards against Juniata during the 2017 season. The 9.1 yards per play was the team's second-highest in program history, trailing on the 1975 team who put up 697 yards over the course of 61 plays versus Swarthmore.

The offense threw for 386 yards, which was the eighth-most in program history, but only the second-highest total this season after going for 422 yards in the air against Ursinus. Ty Tremba threw for all but three of those yards as he completed 20 of his 25 passes for 383 yards and four touchdowns. Jake Fant also threw a touchdown pass to Brady Aselton, who caught three passes in the end zone. Tremba's 383 yards passing was the seventh-best single-game performance in program history. Aselton's three touchdowns marked the 21st time in program history a player has caught three TDs. Nevertheless, the team's leading receiver was Jack O'Hearen who caught seven passes for 184 yards and one touchdown, the 10th most receiving yards in a single game. That performance also solidified his spot on the top receiver in the Centennial Conference for the regular season. Gary Lewis added 129 receiving yards and one touchdown.

With a record-breaking day on offense, the Diplomats finished the regular season finale with a 557-238 advantage in total yards. In addition to numerous receivers having career days, Rascoe finished with 94 yards rushing on 20 attempts. F&M finished the game averaging 4.9 yards per carry and held the ball for exactly 33 minutes despite several big plays on offense. Connor Hille led the defense with eight tackles, including one stop behind the line of scrimmage. Quincy Long had a pair of sacks, while Brendan Knopp added one before Reese Bole and Owen Banghart combined to bring down the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage. Jeff Decker was another highlight of the defense with his blocked kick on a Gettysburg PAT attempt.

Franklin & Marshall All-Conference Selections (announced this week for the 2024 season

Jack O'Hearen (first-team WR / Senior)

• First career all-conference honors

• First F&M player since George Eager  in 2009 to lead the conference in receiving yards

• 57 receptions for 1,002 yards and seven touchdowns

• Seventh player in program history to go over 1,000 yards in a season

• 100-plus yards receiving during six different games, including a season-high 184 yards vs. Gettysburg

Jeff Decker (first-team DL / Senior)

• Third consecutive All-CC season

• Also first-team in 2023 and second-team in 2022

• 45 tackles, including 15.5 tackles for loss

• 15.5 tackles for loss ranked third in the Centennial Conference

• 7.5 sacks to rank fourth in the conference

• Top 10 sack producers in program history (19.0 in his career)

Matt Scully (first-team LB / Senior)

• Three-time All-CC performer

• Second-team LB last season and honorable mention kick returner in 2021

• 40 tackles (24 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, one sack, and nine pass break ups.

• Multiple tackles during all but one game

• Season-high seven tackles vs. Dickinson, in addition to a blocked kick against the Red Devils

Gary Lewis (second-team WR / Junior)

• Two-time All-CC performer

• Earned first-team All-Centennial Conference honors following 2023 season

• 40 receptions for 521 yards and two touchdowns despite being limited to seven games

• Touchdowns against Kean and Gettysburg

• Season-best 132 receiving yards vs. Ursinus

• Already ranked in the top five in program history for both receptions per game (4.92) and receiving touchdowns (22) during his career

Aidan Toomey (second-team OL / Sophomore)

• First All-Centennial Conference honors of his career

• Splitting time between the starting center and guard positions

• Helped offense finish third in the conference in scoring

• Has started 20 games in his career, helping to protect one of the top passing games in the conference

Quincy Long (second-team DL / Junior)

• First All-Centennial Conference honors of his career

• Made 41 tackles, with 14.5 tackles for loss

• Led the team with nine sacks - ranking third in the Centennial Conference

• 14.5 tackles for loss was the fourth-best total in the conference

• Recorded at least one tackle for loss during every game of the regular season, including a two-sack performance against Johns Hopkins

Jacob Hille (second-team LB / Senior)

• Two-time second-team All-CC selection

• Also earned second-team All-CC linebacker status following the 2022 season

• Made 52 tackles, including 27 solo stops

• Recorded 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and one interception

• Had at least four tackles during every Centennial Conference contest, totaling a season-best eight tackles during three different games

Aaron Rascoe (honorable mention RB / Senior)

• Two-time All-CC running back

• Previously earned first-team All-CC honors following 2022 season

• Rushed 109 times for 541 yards and five touchdowns

• Caught nine passes for 57 yards

• Averaged 5.0 yards per carry to rank among the top 10 players in the Centennial Conference,

• Ranked fourth in the league at 67.6 yards rushing per game

• Currently ranked seventh in school history with 19 career rushing touchdowns

Brady Aselton (honorable mention tight end / Senior)

• First All-Centennial Conference honors of his career

• Had eight touchdown receptions among his 23 catches

• Finished with 234 yards receiving

• Second among all CC players with eight receiving touchdowns, leading all tight ends

• Caught a touchdown during six different games

• Career-high three touchdown receptions vs. Gettysburg

• Thirteen of his 38 career receptions have gone for touchdowns

Connor Hille (honorable mention linebacker / Sophomore)

• First all-conference honors of his career

• Recorded 58 tackles (32 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and four forced fumbles

• The four forced fumbles were the second-best mark in the conference and the fourth-best single-season performance in F&M history

• Ranked among the top 10 tacklers in the Centennial Conference

• Season-best eight tackles during four different games, including CC matchups against Ursinus, Johns Hopkins, and Gettysburg

Matt Wertz (honorable mention defensive back / Junior)

• Second time receiving All-CC recognition during his career

• Also named second-team All-Centennial Conference last season

• Registered 37 tackles as a safety

• Had two interceptions, three pass break ups, and one fumble recovery in the secondary

• Season-best seven tackles against Muhlenberg

• One of 11 CC players with multiple interceptions, picking off passes against Lebanon Valley and TCNJ

Logan Clouse (All-Sportsmanship Team / Senior)

• Honor given to just one player on every team in the conference

• Elected a team captain and has filled multiple roles for the Diplomats

• Has seen time at quarterback, wide receiver, and special teams during his career

• Appeared in three games this year, catching a pass during the win against McDaniel

F&M in Bowl Games

• 16 Bowl Appearances (7 in Centennial-MAC Bowl Series)

• 10-6 overall record (5-1 in Centennial-MAC Bowl Series)

• 6-2 at home (3-0 in Centennial-MAC Bowl Series)

• 3-4 on road (2-1 in Centennial-MAC Bowl Series)

• 0-1 Neutral

All-Time Bowl Results

• 2023: Franklin & Marshall 30, King's (Pa.) 7 (Centennial-MAC Bowl Series (Away))

• 2021: Franklin & Marshall 42, Stevenson 28 (Centennial-MAC Bowl Series (Home))

• 2019: Franklin & Marshall 31, Misericordia 13 (Centennial-MAC Bowl Series (Away))

• 2018: Franklin & Marshall 21, Lycoming 20 (Centennial-MAC Bowl Series (Home))

• 2017: Franklin & Marshall 21, Widener 7 (Centennial-MAC Bowl Series (Home))

• 2016: Albright 28, Franklin & Marshall 23 (Centennial-MAC Bowl Series (Away))

• 2013: Franklin & Marshall 38, Delaware Valley 14 (ECAC Southeast Championship (Away))

• 2012: Albright 38, Franklin & Marshall 34 (ECAC Southeast Championship (Away))

• 2010: Washington & Jefferson 54, Franklin & Marshall 41 (ECAC Southwest Championship (Away))

• 2009: Franklin & Marshall 29, Wilkes 24 (ECAC South Atlantic Championship (Home))

• 2005: Salisbury 27, Franklin & Marshall 23 (ECAC South Championship (Away))

• 2004: Franklin & Marshall 37, Moravian 20 (ECAC South Championship (Home))

• 1996: Merchant Marine 20, Franklin & Marshall 20 (ECAC South Championship (Neutral))

• 1989: Franklin & Marshall 31, St. John's (N.Y.) 18 (ECAC Southwest Championship (Away))

• 1987: Franklin & Marshall 21, Kean 0 (ECAC Southern Championship (Home))

• 1986: Wagner 40, Franklin & Marshall 28 (ECAC Southern Championship (Home))

Last time we met ... 

Franklin & Marshall and Delaware Valley first met in the postseason when they competed for the 2013 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Southeast Bowl Game. The Diplomats won that contest by a 38-14 final as E.J. Schneider and Frank Strumolo combined for five touchdowns. Schneider completed 22-of-25 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns and added another 67 on 12 rushes to earn Most Valuable Player honors. He also became the new king in the Centennial Conference (CC), breaking Hewitt Tomlin's total offensive yards in a season record.Jordan Zackery had a game-high 11 catches for 57 yards while Koehler led all receivers with 90 reception yards. Tim Muller finished with 56 on six grabs. The Aggies came into the game averaging 441 yards and 32 points per game and the F&M defense limited them to just 269 yards on offense and 14 points.

Scouting Delaware Valley

The Aggies were well-represented in the All-Middle Atlantic Conference Team as they had 16 All-MAC selections. That group was highlighted by MAC Defensive Player of the Year Jaquez Mabin who was the sixth consecutive Delaware Valley player to earn that award. A returning All-American, Mabin recorded 17 solo tackles for loss and 10 solo sacks. He led the Middle Atlantic Conference with six forced fumbles and registered a season-best five sacks versus FDU-Florham. His 21.5 tackles for loss ranks fourth in all of Division III, while his 11 sacks rank 11th nationally.

Other All-MAC Players for the Aggies

• Nahsir Morgan (first-team WR): led the MAC with 11 receiving touchdowns and 694 yards

• A.J. Snowden (first-team OL): helped the unit allow just 18 sacks for 82 yards, the second-fewest yard total in the MAC

• Shaun Balkcom (first-team DL): second on the team in tackles for loss (11.5) and sacks (8.5), ranking 4th in the conference in the latter category

• Matt Studsrud (first-team DB): posted 23 solo tackles and 31 total tackles

• Jack Fallon (second-team RB): finished second in the MAC in rushing yards (857), scoring nine touchdowns

• Alvaro Lora (second-team WR): 26 receptions for 530 yards and seven touchdowns

• Xavier Mourey (second-team OL): switched for defense to offense, appearing in all 10 games at right tackle

• Sebastian Montlouis (second-team DL): 16 tackles, including multiple tackles in five games

• Darius Nichols (second-team LB):  eight tackles for loss

• Jeremiah Clark (Jeremiah Clark LB): co-led the team with 40 solo tackles and recorded a team-best 83 total tackles

• Rafael Torres (second-team DB): two interceptions and four pass break-ups

• Barry Turner (second-team DB): 42 tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery

• Honorable Mention picks: Dillon Shamanow (special teams), Jovan Tyrell (DB), Dante Vernieri (LB)

Centennial Conference Leaders for Franklin & Marshall

Rushing Yards
4. Aaron Rascoe (67.6 per game)

Passing Yards
2. Ty Tremba (255.2 per game)

Receiving Yards
1. Jack O'Hearen (100.2 per game)
3. Gary Lewis (74.4 per game)

Scoring
5. Laurence Miller (5.7 ppg)

Kick Returns
6. Matt Hanna (16.9 per return)

Total Offense
3. Ty Tremba (267.4 yards per game)

All-Purpose Yards
4. Jack O'Hearen (100.2 yards per game)
10. Gary Lewis (79.4 yards per game)

Punting
2. Laurence Miller (38.1 yard average)

Field Goals
1. Laurence Miller (11)

Tackles
10. Connor Hille (58)

Tackles for Loss
3. Jeff Decker (15.5)
4. Quincy Long (14.5)

Sacks
3. Jeff Decker (9.0)
4. Quincy Long (7.5)

Passes Defended
5. Matt Scully (9)
10. Nico Medlar (6)
10. Rafe Carner (6)

Interceptions
5. Matt Wertz (2)
5. Nico Medlar (2)
5. Daniel Shakal (2)

Fumble Recoveries
4. Rafe Carner (1)
4. Matt Wertz (1)
4. Quincy Long (1)
4. Jeff Decker (1)

Forced Fumbles
2. Connor Hille (4)
9. Chris Albero (1)