Game Notes

Franklin & Marshall Last Time Out...

Franklin & Marshall never trailed and remained unbeaten at home with a 35-10 victory over Montclair State last Saturday. The Diplomats led by as much as 35-3 late in the fourth quarter before the Red Hawks had the final score in their first defeat of the regular season. The F&M offense put up 420 total yards in the win as Ty Tremba threw for 312 yards, with 132 of them going to Jack O'Hearen. Aidan Hutchison also had two rushing touchdowns on the afternoon to pace the ground attack.

Franklin & Marshall out gained the visitors by a 420-235 margin in yards. In addition to O'Hearen's nine catches for 132 yards, Jack Harrison caught seven passes for 95 yards and one touchdown. Hutchison gained 77 yards to lead the team in the ground as he carried 18 times for an average of 4.2 yards and his two scores. The Diplomats' defense held MSU quarterback Aidan McLaughlin just 17-of-31 for 178 yards while sacking him twice. Montclair State also averaged just 2.4 yards per carry on the ground. Daniel Shakal led the team with eight tackles as six different F&M players registered at least five tackles during the victory. Matt Scully and LT Kelley each registered one sack during the victory.

Franklin & Marshall Returning Honorees

• Laurence Miller - Fourth team All-American kicker, first-team All-CC in 2023

• Jeff Decker - first team All-CC defensive end (second team in 2022)

• Gary Lewis - first-team All-CC wide receiver in 2023

• Matt Scully - second-team All-CC linebacker in 2023, honorable mention returner in 2021

• Matt Wertz - second-team All-CC defensive back in 2023

• Aaron Rascoe - first-team All-CC running back in 2022

• Jacob Hille - second-team All-CC linebacker in 2022

Last time we met ... 

Playing in Carlisle during the 2023 season, Franklin & Marshall was stunned on the final play of regulation as a two-yard touchdown from Dickinson's Diante Ball as time expired gave the Red Devils a 19-17 win during the battle for The Conestoga Wagon. Owen Walsh came up with a huge stop on the previous play as the Diplomats appeared to have held on for the win, but the referees signaled that Dickinson's sideline had indeed called timeout with just eight-tenths of a second remaining, allowing the game-winning play to take place with that extra snap.

It took the Red Devils the entire 60 minutes to score an offensive touchdown, but they would do so on that final drive that went 21 plays and 98 yards while running the final 8:40 of time off the clock. That final play capped a back-and-forth wave of emotions for both sidelines as the Red Devils thought they had a go-ahead touchdown earlier that drive, only to have it waved off when the Dickinson receiver was called for offensive pass interference. Just a few plays later, F&M thought it had forced a fourth down with Dickinson 10 yards away before the Diplomats were whistled for a pass interference call that ultimately gave the Red Devils their much-needed two additional chances from the two-yard line. It was certainly a heart-breaking way to lose the Wagon after the Diplomats' defense had held the Red Devils to just 238 yards of total offense on the night prior to that final drive.

Diante Ball scored the game-winning touchdown for the Red Devils after carrying it 30 times for 145 yards during the rivalry showdown. As a team, Dickinson rushed for 206 yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry on the night. The F&M defense was able to keep the passing game in check as it allowed just 147 yards through the air. Ty Tremba threw for 191 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Gary Lewis as the sophomore caught eight passes for 141 yards. Franklin & Marshall's running game averaged 4.4 yards per carry, with Dante Wilson and Mitch Wagner splitting the load with respective totals of 66 and 42 rushing yards.

Scully led the F&M defense with eight tackles on the night, including a pair of sacks. As a unit, the F&M defense came away with six tackles for loss. Owen Walsh, Kevonte Beard, and Jeff Decker each had one solo stop behind the line of scrimmage. Tom Papa tied with Scully for the team lead at eight tackles. Justin Gerhart and Walsh both added six stops on the night. With a number of extended drives throughout the contest, Franklin & Marshall's offense had just seven drives while the Red Devils had six (three in each half). That final eight-plus minute drive allowed Dickinson to finish with 32:10 of possession time, compared to 27:50 for the Diplomats.

Scouting Dickinson

The Red Devils played No. 10 Randolph-Macon to start the year, falling by a 47-21 score, but have since come back to defeat both William Paterson (W, 24-0) and Kean (W, 21-14). The Diplomats and Kean will meet during the final Centennial-NJAC crossover game on November 2. Running back Diante Ball has been limited to date this season with just 31 carries through the first three games, but had 100 yards combined between his rushing and receiving totals during the most recent win against Kean. Cedric Benning is leading the team with 156 yards rushing through the first three games. Presley Egbers is the only Red Devil to attempt a pass this season as he has thrown for an average of 255.3 yards per game with seven touchdowns against just two interceptions. His favorite target has been Bobby Markey who has 17 catches for 247 yards and two touchdowns during the first three weeks. Rocco DiRico has also caught 11 passes for 173 yards as he is averaging 57.7 yards receiving per game.

Brendan Walker in the team's leading tackler with 32 stopps on the season. The Diplomats will also have to keep an eye on Justin Rocha who has four tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Dickinson's defense has one interception and three forced fumbles through their first three games. In addition to his skills at receiver, Markey is also the team's top returner on special teams as he is averaging 29.7 yards per return on kickoffs.

Centennial Conference Leaders

Rushing Yards
10. Aidan Hutchison (127)

Passing Yards
2. Ty Tremba (850)

Receiving Yards
1. Jack O'Hearen (309)
6. Jack Harrison (188)

Points
7. Aidan Hutchison (18)
7. Laurence Miller (18) - second among kickers

Kick Returns
10. Matt Hanna (17.0)

Total Offense
3. Ty Tremba (911 yards)

All-Purpose Yards
7. Jack O'Hearen (309)

Punting
2. Laurence Miller (39.3 yard average)

Field Goals
1. Laurence Miller (3)

Tackles
7. Connor Hille (21)

Tackles for Loss
3. Jeff Decker (4.5)
5. Quincy Long (4.0)
8. Austin Hadley (3.0)

Sacks
3. Jeff Decker (3.5)
6. Quincy Long (2.0)

Passes Defended
3. Rafe Carner (3)
3. Matt Scully (3)
5. Nico Medlar (2)

Interceptions
1. Matt Wertz (2)
4.  Nico Medlar (1)

Fumble Recoveries
3. Rafe Carner (1)
3. Matt Wertz (1)
3. Quincy Long (1)

Forced Fumbles
1. Connor Hille (3)

The Conestoga Wagon 

Since 1963, the Diplomats and Red Devils have battled each other for a model of the wagon that transported the two teams to play each other in both meetings back in 1889. The trophy is a gift from former athletic directors Dave Eavenson (DC) and J. Shober Barr (F&M) and is meant to symbolize the gridiron rivalry between the two programs.

Conference Opener Notables

The Diplomats' Battle for the Wagon will be the Centennial Conference opener for both teams.

• F&M is 40-24-1 all-time in conference openers (22-18 overall in those games since joining the Centennial Conference)

• F&M is 19-13 when opening conference play on the road (12-9 in Centennial Conference)

• The Diplomats are 43-22 all-time in their first conference home games of the season (23-17 since joining Centennial Conference)

• F&M's most common conference opening opponent has been Ursinus, who the Diplomats have opened conference play against with 28 times in program history

• The Diplomats played their first-ever MAC game against Dickinson on September 27, 1958 and emerged with a 32-0 victory.

• F&M will be playing Dickinson in the conference opener for the sixth time in school history as the Diplomats did not play the Red Devils in their conference opener again until the 2007 season when they met in the first CC matchup for three straight seasons

• Dickinson won each of those Centennial Conference openers during the 2007 (28-21), 2008 (34-20), and 2009 (45-43) seasons