Game Notes

Franklin & Marshall Last Time Out...

The Diplomats went toe-to-toe with No. 22 Johns Hopkins last Saturday before falling by a 13-6 final. F&M held its nationally-ranked opponent to just 214 yards of offense and 10 first downs, but the Blue Jays' defense was equally up the task as the Diplomats kicked just one field goal during each half for its only points of the day. The Diplomats did claimed an early lead in the second quarter as they capped off a nine-play, 73-yard drive with Laurence Miller converting a 22-yard field goal.  Another huge defensive play set up Franklin & Marshall's second scoring drive of the afternoon as Nico Medlar came up with the team's second interception of the day. Taking over just shy of midfield, F&M eventually got a 43-yard field goal from Laurence Miller to make the score 7-6, but Johns Hopkins answered that with a 33-yard field goal of its own to make the score 10-6 heading into the fourth quarter.

Looking for the game-tying score in the fourth quarter, Tremba found Brady Aselton for 17 yards and Michael Poruban for 25 on that drive. A face mask call on Johns Hopkins moved the ball into the red zone, but the home defense stood tall as an incompletion in the end zone resulted in a turnover on downs. Jeff Decker was one of many stars on the defense as he led the team with nine tackles, including three for loss. Connor Hille added added eight more tackles, while Quincy Long registered a pair of sacks to finish his day with six tackles. LT Kelley also had a sack during the strong defensive showing. As a team, F&M made seven stops behind the line of scrimmage in addition to its two interceptions. The Blue Jays' offense averaged just 2.4 yards per rush with 71 total rushing yards on 30 carries.

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 ... 

Franklin & Marshall jumped out to a 10-0 lead last year in Westminster and never looked back during its 27-17 Centennial Conference victory versus the Green Terror. The Diplomats pushed their advantage to 20-10 before the half and were leading 27-10 early in the third quarter before closing out the road victory. Ty Tremba completed 12 of his 20 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for another. Matt Hanna and Jack Sutton caught the touchdown passes from Tremba. Mitch Wagner added 90 yards in the rushing game as the Diplomats pounded out 126 yards on the ground. Franklin & Marshall's defense held McDaniel to just 253 yards of total offense during the first three quarters before the Green Terror bolstered that during the final 15 minutes trying to chase down their deficit.

Thanks to two long fourth quarter drives, McDaniel ended with a 22-19 advantage in first downs and 365-335 edge in total yards. Five different Diplomats had at least 20 yards receiving. That group was led by four catches for 54 yards from Sutton. Despite the slight difference in yardage, F&M went the entire contest without having to punt. Matt Wertz had another big day on the secondary for the F&M defense with 14 tackles and two pass break ups. Nico Medlar was second on the team with eight tackles, while Matt Scully had a team-high three pass break ups in addition to his seven tackles. The Diplomats broke up 10 passes in total as a team.

Scouting McDaniel

The Green Terror won their season opener during a 7-3 defensive battle at home against Catholic in head coach Skyler Fultz's first game as head coach at his alma mater. Since starting 1-0, McDaniel has lost five straight. After a pair of hard-fought battles against nationally-ranked opponents on the road, F&M is searching for its first victory since defeating Dickinson by a 23-14 score to reclaim the Wagon. The Red Devils are the only common opponent these two teams currently share on the season as McDaniel enters the week off a 24-0 defeat at the hands of Dickinson.

McDaniel's run game is averaging just 1.7 yards per carry with quarterback Angel Granado, Jr. as the team's leading runner with 129 yards on 73 carries. The Green Terror signal caller made a name for himself last year with over 200 yards passing against F&M and has thrown for 394 yards this year through six games. Four different McDaniel receivers have over 100 yards receiving on the year, with a pair of touchdown receptions from both Kyle Silver and Wesley Nchinda. Bailey Himes is the team's leading tackler with 47 stops. McDaniel has eight sacks and six interceptions as a defensive unit. Alex Brown and Demontae Gifford have both gotten to the quarterback twice this fall, with Malachi Murphy also picking off a pair of passes.

Centennial Conference Leaders for Franklin & Marshall

Rushing Yards
9. Aaron Rascoe (39.3 per game)

Passing Yards
2. Ty Tremba (290.8 per game)

Receiving Yards
1. Jack O'Hearen (96.8 per game)
10. Jack Harrison (51.6 per game)

Scoring
6. Laurence Miller (5.7 ppg)

Kick Returns
6. Matt Hanna (16.9 per return)
7. Jackson Boothby (16.8 per return)

Total Offense
2. Ty Tremba (310.0 yards per game)

All-Purpose Yards
5. Jack O'Hearen (96.8 yards per game)

Punting
3. Laurence Miller (38.1 yard average)

Field Goals
1. Laurence Miller (7)

Tackles
10. Connor Hille (6.7 per game)

Tackles for Loss
3. Quincy Long (9.0)
4. Jeff Decker (8.5)

Sacks
3. Quincy Long (5.0)
4. Jeff Decker (3.5)

Passes Defended
8. Matt Scully (5)

Interceptions
2. Matt Wertz (2)
2.  Nico Medlar (2)
7. Kyle Evancho (1)
7. Jacob Hille (1)
7. Daniel Shakal (1)
7. Sam Keenan (1)

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

Forced Fumbles
1. Connor Hille (3)
6. Chris Albero (1)