Very in-depth report from the
F&M Website:
THIS WEEK'S GAME: This week's game marks the 91st meeting between Gettysburg and Franklin & Marshall since the series began in 1890. F&M holds a 42-41-7 lead as the Diplomats have won the last three meetings in the series, including a 38-20 victory on November 13, 2004 in Gettysburg to clinch a share of the Centennial Conference title. Gettysburg’s last victory against F&M was a 24-16 decision in 2001 in Lancaster.
CO-CHAMPIONS AGAIN?: The Centennial Conference could end up with more than one champion again this year as the Bullets and Diplomats enter this week’s game tied for second place in the Centennial Conference standings with 3-2 records. Whomever wins the game has a shot at tying Hopkins for the crown if the Blue Jays lose at McDaniel. The NCAA automatic bid has already been awarded, however, as Hopkins holds victories over both Gettysburg and F&M this year. The only way the Blue Jays could have lost the automatic bid was if Ursinus defeated F&M last week and the Blue Jays lost to McDaniel.
SHOOTING BLANKS: Gettysburg has struggled in Lancaster against the Diplomats over the last 50 years as the Bullets have not won back-to-back games in Lancaster since 1956 and 1958, and have won once (24-16 W in 2001) in Lancaster since 1982.
MAKE IT A DOUBLE: Gettysburg’s 17-7 win over Dickinson last week marked the first time the Bullets had won back-to-back Centennial Conference games since Gettysburg upended McDaniel (28-21 W) and Swarthmore (35-15 W) in 1996. The week prior to the Dickinson game, Gettysburg defeated Muhelnberg 10-3 for the Bullets first win over the Mules since 1999. Historically, Gettysburg has not won three CC games in a row since 1994 when the Bullets handled McDaniel (35-14 W), Swarthmore (30-10 W), Johns Hopkins (27-24 W), Ursinus (52-21 W), Muhlenberg (63-14 W) before falling to Dickinson (48-21 L). Gettysburg concluded the season with a 52-20 win at home over Franklin & Marshall.
FINAL TIME: This week’s game marks the final regular season contest for F&M seniors Ryan Sychterz (Sr., Sinking Spring, PA/Holy Name), TJ Scanlon (Sr., Avon, NJ/Red Bank Catholic), Jeff Harner (Sr., Mohrsville, PA/Schuylkill Valley), Chris Stepien (Sr., Fairfield, NJ/West Essex), JB Webr (Sr., Harrison, NY/Rye Country Day), ack Duncan (Sr., Nottingham, PA/Valley Forge Military Academy), Joe LoCastro (Sr., Cherry Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic), Jeff Gunn (Sr., Tunkhannock, PA/Tunkhannock), Rory Regan (Sr., Waretown, NJ/Southern Regional), Jeff Pawlikowski (Sr., Sinking Spring, PA/Conrad Weiser), Marc DeSimone (Sr., Wilton, CT/Wilton) and Akil Lester (Sr., Ashton, MD/Good Counsel).
THE CENTENNIAL CONFERENCE: 2005 also marks the 23rd season of Centennial Conference football. The Centennial Conference, celebrating its 12th anniversary of sponsoring championships for men and women in 23 varsity sports, evolved from the Centennial Football Conference (CFC). Founded in 1981, the CFC began play in 1983 as a football-only affiliation, including F&M, Dickinson, Gettysburg, Johns Hopkins, Muhlenberg, Swarthmore, Ursinus and McDaniel. F&M's first Centennial Conference win was a 19-0 shutout of the Dickinson Red Devils at Sponaugle-Williamson Field.
THE SPIRIT OF 76: F&M has scored and allowed 76 points in Centennial Conference games this year for the fourth fewest points allowed and scored in CC play this year.
OTHER CENTENNIAL CONFERENCE GAMES: In other games involving Centennial Conference schools this week, Johns Hopkins (7-2, 4-1 CC) visits McDaniel (5-4, 2-3 CC) and Dickinson (3-6, 2-3 CC) hosts Ursinus (4-5, 2-3 CC), while Muhlenberg (3-6, 2-4 CC) wraps up its regular season with the annual “Lehigh Valley” gridiron brawl versus Moravian.
TOUGH ROAD AHEAD: Only three times in CC history has a team lost two Conference games and gained a share of the Centennial Conference title – 1983 (Gettysburg, Muhlenberg, Swarthmore), 1993 (Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall) and 2004 (F&M, McDaniel, Dickinson, Muhlenberg, Johns Hopkins). In 1983 and 1993, the Conference had eight teams and the champion shared the trophy with 5-2 records.
LITTLE THREE: Franklin & Marshall and Gettysburg will both battle for bragging rights, a win and a possible push in the Little Three Conference (Gettysburg, Dickinson, F&M). One of the oldest “challenges” in NCAA history, the only sports that the three schools recognize for a Little Three Championship are cross country and track. However, back in the early 1900’s up until the 1960’s, the schools competed for the “Little Three Championship” in all sports. In 2003, the Diplomats won the football “Little Three” title by downing Dickinson (20-14 W OT) and Gettysburg (14-13 W) in Lancaster. Last year, Dickinson knocked off both F&M (17-14 L) and Gettysburg (27-6 L). Gettysburg can win the right to call themselves “Little Three Champions” in football this year as the Bullets gunned down Dickinson 17-7 last week. If F&M wins, the title is a push as Dickinson downed F&M (19-16 L) on October 22 in Carlisle and Gettysburg handled Dickinson.
AGAINST THE CHAMPS: Franklin & Marshall wrapped up its slate against the other last week 2004 Centennial Conference Champions as F&M, Muhlenberg, Johns Hopkins, McDaniel and Dickinson all tied for the crown last year. The Diplomats defeated Muhlenberg 15-9 in Lancaster on October 1 in the College's Homecoming game and knocked off McDaniel 17-14 last week in the Green Terror's Homecoming game, but fell 19-7 in Baltimore on October 8 versus Johns Hopkins University and 19-16 versus Dickinson College in Carlisle on October 22 as F&M finished up 2-2 against the other champs. So, how rare was the Centennial Conference's five-way tie for a conference football crown? It only happened twice in the history of college football prior to last season. In 1976, the Twin Rivers Conference (now known as the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference) had five champions - Concordia-St. Paul, Loras, Maranatha Baptist, Northwestern (Minn.) and Northwestern (Tenn.). In 1991, the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference had a five-way tie for the championship with Alabama A&M, Clark Atlanta, Morehouse, Fort Valley State and Tuskegee.
THE EAGLES (& GREYHOUNDS) HAVE LANDED: The Centennial Conference added two members last week as Juniata College and Moravian College have accepted invitations to join the Conference as associate members in the sport of football. The addition of Juniata and Moravian gives the Conference nine members that sponsor the sport of football - Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg, Johns Hopkins, McDaniel, Muhlenberg, and Ursinus. Both institutions have a long and storied tradition of excellence on the gridiron. Juniata played in the Tangerine Bowl (now known as the Capital One Bowl) in 1956 and played for the national championship in 1973 against Wittenberg in the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl. Chuck Knox, the former NFL head coach for the Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks, is a 1954 graduate of Juniata. The Eagles have had three consensus first-team All-Americans since 1983, while also producing two first-team Academic All-Americans and an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient. The Greyhounds were in the NCAA tournament in 1988 and 1993 and have produced one consensus first-team All-American, two first-team Academic All-Americans and one NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient. Moravian head coach Scot Dapp is the president of the American Football Coaches Association - just the fifth Division III coach to head the organization. He will serve as an assistant coach for the East team at the 2006 Hula Bowl. Dapp has led Moravian to 14 winning seasons out of his 18 years at the helm. The two schools will begin round-robin play in the Centennial Conference beginning with the 2007 season.
BEARS TO BULLETS: The last time F&M played Ursinus and Gettysburg back-to-back to end the season prior to the last two seasons was 1925 as the Bullets tallied a 3-0 win following a 30-0 F&M victory over the Bears. From 1914-1925 (with the exception of the three game 1918 season), the Diplomats met the Bears then Bullets on the final two weeks. During that stretch, F&M went 4-5 against the Bullets with scoreless ties in 1920 and 1921. When F&M beats Ursinus the week before, the Diplomats are 2-3-2 against the Bullets. In 1920 and 1921 F&M knocked off the Bears 9-7 and 41-0, but ended up in scoreless ties with Gettysburg. The last two years F&M has been perfect against Ursinus and Gettysburg defeating the Bears 37-17 in Collegeville and the Bullets 14-13 in Lancaster during the 2003 season, and dropping Ursinus 28-21 in Lancaster and Gettysburg 38-20 on the road last year.
BACK IN BLOCKS: Defensive back Chris Santaniello (Jr., Somers Point, NJ/Mainland) could make history this year as he recorded three blocked kicks with two field goals and an extra point to tie John Schropp for the F&M single season record in 2003. Currently, he is on pace to reset the school career record of eight blocked kicks held by Schropp as he blocked an extra point by Bethany's Joe Ford to up his mark to four blocks with two field goals and a pair of extra points. Last season, he finished 23rd in the nation in forced fumbles with four in 11 games (0.36 per game) as he recorded 50 tackles, two interceptions and six breakups. For his career, he has 121 tackles, three interceptions for 30 yards, 15 pass breakups and four fumbles forced.
WHY IS F&M CALLED THE DIPLOMATS?: Franklin & Marshall College's nickname of Diplomats comes from New York Times sportswriter Arthur Daley who coined the name after watching Fordham come back in the fourth quarter behind NFL Hall-of-Famers Vince Lombardi and Alex Wojciechowicz to defeat F&M 14-7 at the Polo Grounds in the season-opening game of the 1935 season. Prior to the game, F&M teams were known as either "Nevonians" or "Big Blue". The name "Diplomats" was derived from the fact that F&M was five minutes late coming out of the locker-room to begin the second half, tardiness, according to Daley, "customary in the diplomatic services of both hemispheres."
GOOD MAN: Linebacker Christopher Stepien (Sr., Fairfield, NJ/West Essex) is one of 11 Division I-AA, II, III and NAIA football players who have been named to the 2005 American Football Coaches Association's (AFCA) Good Works Team. Two 11-man teams, a Division I-A Team and a combined Division I-AA, II, III and NAIA Team, were selected. Stepien is the first Diplomat to be named to the team since its inception in 1992. Nominations for the Good Works Team were submitted to the AFCA, which in turn selected the two 11-man teams. Nominees must be actively involved and committed to working with a charitable organization, service group, or involved in other community service activities, as athletic ability is not a criterion. Paramount among Stepien's community service efforts has been the Fulton Mentoring Program, which he has been in charge of since his sophomore year. The program is comprised of 30 students (both athletes and non-athletes) that visit Fulton Elementary School each Friday for an hour to tutor third and fourth grade students. Sponsored by the College, he volunteered as a Public Service Summer Intern during the summers of 2004 and 2005. He worked as a Manheim Mentor for eight hours a day, four days a week during the 10-week program. He also did many other one-day service activities, including gathering community needs repots for United Way, picking up litter with at-risk children and working for Habitat for Humanity. Stepien has also volunteered with Keep Lancaster Beautiful, an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful that focuses on litter prevention, beautification, and environmental education. Working with the rest of the football team since his freshman year, he picked up litter and did yard work for the College's elderly and handicap neighbors during the Department of Athletics & Recreation's annual TeamWork community service day. He has been active with the football team in the College's annual Haunted Hallways Trick-or-Treat program in which Franklin & Marshall invites children into the College's Alumni Sports and Fitness Center where athletic teams and student clubs distribute candy and other items to children in a safe, family-friendly environment. Further, he has been active in community service through Sigma Pi fraternity organizing litter pick up crews and performing other activities to aid the Lancaster community. A three-year letter winner and a 2005 team captain, Stepien was named the 2004 Al Brooks Defensive Most Valuable Player as he complied 54 tackles (27 solo, 27 assisted), including nine tackles-for-loss of 31 yards and 0.5 sacks for nine yards, with two passes defended, one fumble recovery and a forced fumble last season in leading the Diplomats to the 2004 Centennial Conference and Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Southwest Championships. A biology major, Stepien is a native of Fairfield, NJ and a 2002 graduate of West Essex High School.
CURSE OF 14: F&M is 6-42 in its last 48 games dating back to the beginning 1996 season in which the Diplomats have scored 14 or fewer points. Of the five wins, one came this year (6-0 W over Carnegie Mellon in Lancaster), one came in 2003 (14-13 W over Gettysburg in Lancaster), two came in the first two games of the 2002 season (13-6 wins over Oberlin in Lancaster and Catholic in Washington D.C.), one came in 1997 (14-10 W over Muhlenberg) and one came in 1996 (14-12 W at Dickinson).
HARNER CC PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Franklin & Marshall College quarterback Jeff Harner (Sr., Mohrsville, PA/Schuylkill Valley) was named the Centennial Conference Preseason Player of the Year in the online D3football.com Kickoff 2005 Magazine. A 2003 second and 2004 first team All-Centennial Conference selection, Harner completed 99-of-207 attempts with seven interceptions and 13 touchdowns for an average of 151.5 passing yards per game last year. Further, he carried 48 times for 211 net yards with three rushing touchdowns as he led the team with 1,878 yards of net offense (170.7 ypg) while leading the team to an 8-3 record, 4-2 in the Centennial Conference as the Diplomats earned a share of the Centennial Conference title and claimed the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Southwest Bowl championship. Overall, eight of his touchdown passes last year were for 49 or more yards as he completed long touchdown passes against Oberlin (59, 98, 52), Johns Hopkins (79, 55), Hobart (49), Dickinson (80) and Gettysburg (49). For his career, Harner has completed 325 of 703 passing attempts for 4,151 yards with 25 touchdowns and 27 interceptions since transferring from Division II West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Further, he has carried 215 times for 554 yards with nine touchdowns.
ARMED & DANGEROUS: Quarterback Jeff Harner (Sr., Mohrsville, PA/Schuylkill Valley) completed 13-of-36 passing attempts for 123 yards with an interception against Ursinus as he raised his career totals to 325-of-703 passing attempts for 4,151 yards with 25 touchdowns and 27 interceptions since transferring from Division II West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Historically, his passing performance against Ursinus moved him to 17th on the Centennial Conference passing yards list as he surpassed former Diplomat Gino Pagnozzi ’90 (4,117 yards) and moved to within 73 yards of moving past former Diplomat Beau Eckert ’98 (4,223) for 16th place.
WATCH OUT FOR THE HITMAN: Linebacker Joe LoCastro (Sr., Cherry Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic) tacked on five tackles, including four solo stops, with two tackles-for-loss of 10 yards, a pass breakup and a nine yard sack against Ursinus as he finishes with 28 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss of 31 yards and five passes defended in four games against the Bears.
HIT ME ONE MORE TIME: Joe LoCastro (Sr., Cherry Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic) has been deadly in Centennial Conference games this year as he has 39 tackles with 22 solo hits, seven tackles-for-loss of 20 yards, two sacks for 11 yards and four pass breakups. Linebacker Chris Stepien (Sr., Fairfield, NJ/West Essex) is right behind him with 38 tackles, four tackles-for-loss of 14 yards, two sacks for 13 yards, three interceptions for 31 yards, three pass breakups and a fumble forced.
GETTING DEFENSIVE: Franklin & Marshall College linebacker Chris Stepien (Sr., Fairfield, NJ/West Essex) was named the November 6 Centennial Conference Football Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in a 19-17 win at Ursinus College on November 5. Against the Bears, he recorded seven tackles, a forced fumble and two interceptions for 31 yards as the Diplomats rallied from a 17-7 halftime deficit to win 19-17. For the season, he leads the Diplomats in tackles with 74 (37 solo, 37 assist), tackles-for-loss (14-for-44 yards) and interceptions (three-for-31 yards), while ranking among the leaders in sacks (second, 3.5-for-20 yards), pass breakups (fourth, four), fumble recoveries (third, one) and fumbles forced (third, one). In the latest Centennial Conference statistics, he ranks fifth in tackles (74), sixth in tackles per game (8.2 tpg) and fourth in tackles-for-loss per game (1.28 tflpg). For his career, he has 146 tackles (78 solo, 68 assist), 23 tackles-for-loss of 75 yards, 4.5 sacks-for-29 yards, three interceptions for 31 yards, eight passes defended, two fumbles forced and two fumbles recovered.
WE MUST PROTECT THIS HOUSE: It may be UnderArmour’s advertising slogan, but it seems to be the Diplomats’ defensive motto in Lancaster this year as F&M is allowing opponents 8.6 points per game at home on Williamson Field, while the Diplomats are scoring 10.3 as the Diplomats have downed Carnegie Mellon (6-0 W), Muhlenberg (15-9 W) and fell to #24 nationally ranked Union (14-10 L).
KICKING IT: If the game gets down to crunch time, watch for place kicker Brandon Kline (Fr., Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin) to be the man the Diplomats go to as he has won back-to-back games for the blue and white on the road. Last week, he made four field goals on five attempts in the second half, including a career long 42-yard field goal with 1:38 left on the game clock, as Franklin & Marshall College rallied from a 17-7 halftime deficit o defeat Ursinus College 19-17. Overall, his four field goals tied Mark Slevin ’86 for the school single game field goal record as Slevin connected on four field goals in a 20-19 loss at Muhlenberg College in 1984. In addition, Kline converted an extra point to account for 13 o the Diplomats 19 points. Further, his game-winnig kick marked the longest field goal hit by an F&M player since All-America punter Dan Eggertsson ’05 made a 45-yard field goal on September 11, 2004 in a 41-21 win at Oberlin College. The week prior, he converted on a 25-yard field goal attempt in overtime on October 29 at McDaniel College to lead the Diplomats to a 17-14 victory.
KICKING IT II: The November 6 Centennial Conference Special Teams Player of the Week, Brandon Kline (Fr., Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin) may have a bright future in an F&M uniform as he has made seven-of-nine field goals this year in just four games. Over a 10 game season, he would make 18 field goals at that pace. The mark would obliterate the single season record set by Ross Sachs ’83 in 1982 as Sachs converted 11-of-14 attempts. Kline is over a third of the way to the College’s career record as well as Sachs (20-of-31) and Sean Boardman ’89 (20-of-32) share the record. In addition, Kline leads the team in scoring with 26 points off seven field goals and five extra points. Quarterback Jeff Harner (Sr., Mohrsville, PA/Schuylkill Valley) is second with 24 points off four touchdown runs and one-of-two on extra points.
PASS PROTECTION: The Franklin & Marshall College offensive line has dominated opponents this year allowing a Centennial Conference low 13 for 70 yards, six sacks and 61 yards better than runner-up Johns Hopkins University. Gettysburg is fourth in the ranking with 22 sacks for 121 yards.
LACK OF SACK ATTACK: Don’t look for Gettysburg to consistently drop Harner in the backfield as the Bullets rank last in the Centennial Conference in sacks with 18-for-123 yards. F&M is tied for fourth in the rankings with Muhlenberg (20-for-115) and Dickinson (20-for-129) as the Diplomats have recorded 20 sacks for 125 yards.
FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET: Look for Gettysburg to run, run, run, run, run against the Diplomats as the Bullets rank first in rushing offense (160.1 ypg) with 386 attempts for 1,441 yards and 13 touchdowns, while F&M is seventh in rushing defense with 180.7 yards allowed per game. Further, Gettysburg leads the Centennial Conference in total offense (309.0 ypg), kick returns (24.2 ypr), punt returns (11.0 ypr) and first downs (158).
FOURTH DOWN: The Diplomats and Bullets are tied a top the Conference in fourth down conversions at 45.8% as both Gettysburg and F&M have converted 14-of-25 attempts.
ON A ROLL: Franklin & Marshall College quarterback Jeff Harner (Sr., Mohrsville, PA/Schuylkill Valley) has been named to the November 6 Centennial Conference Football Offensive Honor Roll for his performance in a 19-17 win at Ursinus College on November 5. Against the Bears, he finished the game with a team high 68 rushing yards on six carries with the Diplomats only touchdown, while completing 13-of-36 passing attempts for 123 yards with an interception. In the second half, he led the team down the field to set up four field goals by place kicker Brandon Kline (Fr., Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin) to lead the Diplomats out of a 17-7 halftime deficit and to a 19-17 win. On the Diplomats final drive, it was all Harner as he scrambled 13 yards on fourth-and-10 to the Ursinus 31 for a first down to keep F&M’s victory hopes alive. Following an incomplete pass on first down, he sliced through the line for a one yard pickup before firing a pass to wide receiver Rob Donofrio (Jr., Sea Girt, NJ/Wall Township) for a five yard gain down to the Ursinus 25 to bring up fourth-and-four and set up a 42 yard field goal by Kline. For his career, Harner has completed 325 of 703 passing attempts for 4,151 yards with 25 touchdowns and 27 interceptions since transferring from Division II West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Further, he has carried 215 times for 554 yards with nine touchdowns.
F&M COACH SHAWN HALLORAN: A member of the Boston College football team from 1982-1986 where he served two years as the back-up quarterback to Doug Flutie, before earning the starting job in 1985, Halloran is among a litany of superb passers in B.C. history, he ranks fourth behind Flutie (10.579), Glenn Foley (10,039) and Brian St. Pierre (5,837) in Boston College's all-time passing yardage statistics, with 5,252 yards. Both Flutie and Foley exceeded the 10,000-yard mark, but each had almost a full four years of play to accomplish the feat. Three times Halloran threw for more than 400 yards in a game, and three times he tossed four touchdown passes in a single contest. He ranks fifth all-time in touchdown passes with 30, second to Mike Kruczek in completion percentage (57.5%) and third in career completions with 416, his individual season and game marks include most attempts (423), and completions (234) in a season; and a tie with Red Harris for most attempts in a game (57). A 1986 graduate of Boston College with a bachelor of arts in speech communications, he Boston College to eight consecutive wins at the end of his senior season, including a Hall of Fame Bowl victory over Georgia to earn the game's Most Valuable Player award, and claimed the O'Melia Award as the outstanding player in the BC-Holy Cross game. The ABC Television Network Comeback Player of the Year in 1986 and a three-time winner of the New England Sportswriters' Gold Helmet Award, he also won the Jerry Nason Award for senior achievement in 1986 and was inducted into the B.C. Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002. The recipient of the Boston College Coach's Award in 1986, he was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals. He stayed until the final cut, then came back and played three games during the National Football League players' strike. The next season he signed with the Miami Dolphins as a free agent in preseason camp. A former assistant coach at Yale University, Georgetown University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, he received his coaching start in 1991 as a graduate assistant coach under Tom Coughlin at Boston College. The 38th head football coach in Franklin & Marshall history, Halloran took over the program in the winter of 2003 and has compiled a 16-14 record in the last two plus seasons. Last season, he guided F&M to an 8-3 mark as the team won the Centennial Conference and Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Southwest Championships.
2004 TURNAROUND: The Franklin & Marshall College football team was listed among the Top 20 Turnarounds of the 2004 season in the July edition of American Monthly Football magazine. The Diplomats improved by four games last season as the 2004 squad won the Centennial Conference and Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Southwest titles as the Diplomats finished with an 8-3 record, 4-2 in Centennial Conference play following a 4-6, 3-3 Centennial Conference, record in 2003. The turnaround was historic for the Diplomats as F&M finished with eight wins in a season for the first time since 1996 (9-2), won their first Centennial Conference title since 1995 (7-3) and advanced to the postseason for the first time since 1996 as F&M previously went 0-10 (2000), 1-9 (2001), 4-6 (2002) and 4-6 (2003) over the last four seasons.
10th ANNIVERSARY OF 1995 FOOTBALL TEAM: The 2005 season marks the 10th anniversary of the 1995 football team which finished 7-3 (6-1 Centennial Conference) to win the program's fifth Centennial Conference Championship led by Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Year Beau Eckert '97. Overall, the team recorded wins over Randolph Macon (28-27 W), Ursinus (14-0 W), Muhlenberg (38-10 W), McDaniel (24-7 W), Swarthmore (42-22 W), Johns Hopkins (27-22 W) and Gettysburg (14-10 W) and suffered losses to Carnegie Mellon (27-8 L), Dickinson (28-21 L) and Georgetown (31-7 L).
LAST GAME – GETTYSBURG 17, DICKINSON 7: Tom Sturges ran for 140 yards and one touchdown, and the Bullets’ defense allowed only one scoring drive in a 17-7 win over Dickinson as the win marked Gettysburg’s first in its last 12 meetings with the Red Devils. The win gave the Bullets possession of The Bucket – presented to the annual game’s winning team since 1938 – and kept alive their shot at the program’s first CC title in 20 years. Sturges topped the 100-yard mark for the fifth time this season and became the first Bullet since 1999 to rush for 1,000 yards in a single campaign, finishing the day with 1,072.
Jesse Jeffers scored Gettysburg’s other touchdown on an 18-yard run and
Josh Huson McLean booted a 31-yard field goal to help the hosts build a 17-0 halftime lead. Dickinson’s Matt Torchia completed 18 of 33 passes for 255 yards and a 47-yard scoring strike to Arwin Gbolie, who finished with a team-high five catches for 110 yards. Leading rusher Dwight Phyall was held to 36 of the Red Devils’ 62 yards on the ground. Fueled by a quick start and a defense allowing fewer than 12 points per game in conference play, the Bullets ended a decade of frustration to their rivals from Carlisle. Gettysburg went ahead to stay on its first possession, driving 42 yards on 11 plays before Huson knocked home a 31-yard field goal from the left hash to make it 3-0 with only 6 minutes, 19 seconds gone in the game. After Dickinson went three-and-out on its next possession, the Bullets struck again. Starting quarterback
Hunter McMillan was sacked for an eight-yard loss to start the series, but
Jerry Jones ripped off a 10-yard run and Matthew Welsh made a sliding 11-yard catch to dig out of the second-and-18 hole. Gettysburg set up for another field goal after the drive stalled at the Red Devil 18, but holder
Mark Campo executed the fake by flipping a pass to
Joe Fricchione for a first down at the nine. On the next play, Sturges scampered for his sixth touchdown of the year for a 10-0 lead. The Bullets made it 17-0 with a five-play, 59-yard drive early in the second quarter. Under center in place of McMillan, Campo found
Spencer Davidson for 11 yards to the Red Devil 47. Jeffers then ripped off a 12-yard run, Sturges carried for 17 more and Jeffers finished the march with an 18-yard scoring run around right end with 10:20 left in the first half. Dickinson’s only points of the day came on its first drive of the second half, taking only two plays. Torchia fired an 18-yard strike to Gbolie for a first down in Gettysburg territory, then found his favorite target again for a 47-yard catch-and-run that pulled the visitors within 17-7. The Red Devils had a number of chances to cut the deficit further, but the Bullet defense answered every challenge.
Nathan Smith led a host of defenders that swarmed Torchia on a failed fourth-and-one attempt at the Gettysburg 22 with 28 seconds left in the third quarter. Dickinson marched for a first-and-10 on the Bullet 25 on its next possession, but a one-yard loss and three incomplete passes ended the threat. The Red Devils’ final drive ended with Smith knocking away a pass from Ryan Stearrett on fourth-and-one from the Gettysburg 21. Sturges carried eight times to help the Bullets run out the clock and seal the win. Smith finished with a team-high eight tackles and also broke up a pair of passes.
Harold Barton chipped in with seven stops and one of Gettysburg’s four sacks. The tandem of McMillan and Campo finished 10-of-17 for 117 yards. Dickinson’s Andrew Ackley led all players with 16 tackles while Victor Johnson recorded two sacks among his eight stops.
LAST WEEK’S GAME – F&M 19, URSINUS 17: Kicker Brandon Kline (Fr., Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin) made four field goals on five attempts in the second half, including a career long 42-yard field goal with 1:38 left on the game clock, as Franklin & Marshall College (4-5, 3-2 Centennial Conference) rallied to defeat Ursinus College (4-5, 2-3 Centennial Conference) 19-17 in Centennial Conference football action at Patterson Field. Trailing 17-7 at halftime, the Diplomats rallied behind the feet and arm of quarterback Jeff Harner (Sr., Mohrsville, PA/Schuylkill Valley) and the foot of Kline as the freshman kicker connected on four field goals to fuel the Diplomats comeback. Following a three-and-out to open the third quarter, the Diplomats defense went to work against Ursinus as the Bears used four plays to drive from their own 28 to the F&M 33 and pick up a first down. Needing a stop to keep themselves in the game, the Diplomats responded as Barry Lovett (Fr., Brooklyn, NY/Poly Prep) broke up a pass attempt by Ursinus back-up quarterback Nicholas Dye, Dye connected with Penn State University transfer Josh Hannum for a six yard pickup to the F&M 27 before missing Hannum on a third-and-four passing attempt to bring up fourth down. Facing fourth-and-four from the F&M 27, the Bears attempted to run for the first down as Dye dove forward for three yards before being stopped by JC Capote (Jr., Ridgefield Park, NJ/Ridgefield) at the F&M 24 to turn the ball over on downs. F&M capitalized on the turnover as Harner engineered a 16 play, 73 yard drive capped off by a 21 yard field goal by Kline to cut the Bears’ lead to 17-10 with 4:28 left in the third quarter. During the drive, Harner completed five-of-seven passes for 51 yards while tailback Marc Patricelli (Fr., Milmont Park, PA/Roman Catolic) carried seven times for 20 yards and running back John Weber (So., Harrison, NY/Rye Country Day) picked up two yards. However, Ursinus appeared poised to counter as Hannum returned the ensuing kickoff 23 yards to the Ursinus 33 to set the Bears up with solid field position. The Diplomats’ defense cut the drive to just one play as a rush by running back David Ashworth was stopped at the Ursinus 37 where free safety Tim Barry (Jr., Madison, NJ/Madison) stripped the ballloose and defensive lineman Andrew Rocks (Fr., afayette Hill, PA/LaSalle College) fell on the ball at the Ursinus 39 to give F&M the ball in Bears’ territory with a chance to take the lead. Following a rush by Harner down to the Ursinus 30 on first down, the Bears’ defense stiffened as fullback Rick Dunlap (Jr., Boothwyn, PA/Garnet Valley) was cut down at the line of scrimmage and Patricelli was stopped for a two-yard loss to bring up fourth-and-three. Needing a conversion, Harner hit Dunlap for a five-yard gain to pick up a first down at the Ursinus 27. However, Ursinus’ linebacker Brian Hrynczyszyn ended the drive as he clutched a batted ball at the line of scrimmage to pick off Harner at the Ursinus 25. The Bears’ drive was short, however, as Dye’s attempt for Randy Taylor fell incomplete before Dye attempted to run on second-and-10. Moving out to the 27 yard line, he was met by a group of Diplomats’ as linebacker Chris Stepien (Sr., Fairfield, NJ/West Essex) flew into the pile placing a hard hit on the Ursinus quarterback who fumbled the ball onto the ground and into the arms of defensive lineman Mickey Rehring (So., Harrison, TN/State College) at the Ursinus 28. Again, F&M capitalized on the turnover as Patricelli rushed for five yards, Weber picked up 10 yards on the ground and Patricelli moved the ball down to the Ursinus 10 yard line before the end of the third quarter. In the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, Harner attempted to find wide receivers Bobby Freiler (Jr., Orwigsburg, PA/Blue Mountain) and Marc DeSimone (Sr., Wilton, CT/Wilton) in the end zone, but both passes were broken up by defensive back Justin Edwards to bring up fourth-and-seven and bring on Kline. Needing points to cut the lead to under a touchdown, Kline drilled a 27-yard field goal with 14:46 left on the game clock to pull his team to within 17-13. The Diplomats defense responded on the Bears next drive as Ursinus used four plays to move the ball out to the Ursinus 46 before a five yard false start penalty backed the ball back to the 46 to bring up second-and-16. On the next play, Rocks drilled Dye at the Ursinus 49 forcing a fumble which strong safety Paul Fields (So., Bergenfield, NJ/Bergenfield) recovered at the F&M 48 to give the Diplomats another chance to chip away at the lead. Harner and the Diplomats’ offense went back to work as Weber ran for five yards, Harner found wide receiver Rob Donofrio (Jr., Sea Girt, NJ/Wall Township) for an 11 yard gain, Patricelli plowed through the line for a one yard gain, Harner connected with wide out Paul Sousa (Fr., Chester, NJ/West Morris Mendham) for a 12 yard pickup and ran for a 13 yard gain to bring up first-and-goal from the Ursinus 10 yard line. The Bears’ defense stiffened, however, as Patricelli was stopped for a two-yard loss and back-to-back pass attempts by Harner fell incomplete to bring up fourth-and-goal and bring on Kline. Facing a tenacious rush, he connected on a 29-yard field goal to pull F&M to within 17-16 with 8:13 left on the clock. Ursinus came out on fire as Ashworth picked up five yards on the ground and Dye connected with Mike Weyraush for an 18-yard pickup to the F&M 48 for a first down. The Bears then put the ball in the arms of Ashworth who broke through the line for a two-yard pickup after a one-yard loss to bring up third-and-nine from the F&M 47. On third-and-nine, Stepien stopped the drive as he picked off Dye at the F&M 38 and rumbled 31 yards down to the Ursinus 31 before a late hit personal foul penalty moved the ball another 15 yards to the Ursinus 16 yard line. Primed to go ahead for the first time since the first quarter, the Diplomats could not convert as three consecutive pass attempts by Harner fell incomplete to bring Kline back onto the field with a chance to put F&M in front 19-17 with 4:42 left on the game clock. Facing a 33-yard field goal attempt, Kline kicked a line drive into the arms of Jeff Milligan who batted down the ball, as the Bears appeared ready to run out the clock and take the win. Requiring a quick stop to regain the ball and have a chance at winning the game, Franklin & Marshall’s defense saved the game as linebacker Joe LoCastro (Sr., Cherry Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic) wrestled Ashworth to the ground at the line of scrimmage on first down and came across the field to drop the running back at the Ursinus 28 after an eight yard gain to bring up third-and-two as Dye’s pass attempt for Ashworth fell incomplete to force the Bears’ to punt. Bears’ punter James Sproule lofted the ball to the F&M 33, but Donofrio returned the kick 23 yards to the Ursinus 44 to give F&M the ball inside the 50 with 3:24 left on the game clock. Harner took over the game from there scrambling 13 yards on fourth-and-10 to the Ursinus 31 for a first down to keep F&M’s victory hopes alive. Following an incomplete pass on first down, he shimmied his way through the line for a one yard pickup before firing a pass to Donofrio for a five yard gain down to the Ursinus 25 to bring up fourth-and-four. Facing the dilemma of going for it or letting Kline attempt a career long field goal, F&M head coach Shawn Halloran elected to go with the leg of Kline who split the uprights with 1:38 to play to put F&M in front 19-17. Ursinus had a chance to win the game in the closing minutes as Dye drove the Bears from the 31-yard line to the F&M 48 before the Diplomats’ defense constricted his passing lanes. After firing an incomplete pass on first down, Dye rushed for a four-yard gain to the F&M 44 to bring up third-and-six. Rehring corralled Dye in the backfield and dropped him for a four yard loss before Dye’s desperation heave for Hannum fell incomplete to give Harner and the offense the ball with 13 seconds left on the clock and the Diplomats their fourth victory of the season. The key to the game was the leg of Kline as he made four-of-five attempts in the second half to tie Mark Slevin ’86 for the school single game field goal record as Slevin connected on four field goals in a 20-19 loss at Muhlenberg College in 1984. His game-winning kick marked the longest field goal kicked by an F&M player since All-America punter Dan Eggertsson’ 05 made a 45-yard field goal on September 11, 2004 in a 41-21 win at Oberlin College. Further, it was his second game-winning field goal in as many weeks as he made a 25-yard field goal in overtime on October 29 at McDaniel College to lead the Diplomats to a 17-14 overtime victory. The game did not appear destined to be decided by Kline as Stepien intercepted a trick play passing attempt by wide receiver Randy Taylor on the second play of the game at the F&M 45 to give the Diplomats the ball. Harner and the Diplomats used the field position to their advantage as the senior quarterback sprinted 29 yards into the end zone to cap an eight play, 55 yard drive on the Diplomats’ opening drive of the game for a touchdown with 9:59 left in the first quarter. Ursinus and starting quarterback Vince Gallagher were unable to move the ball against F&M in the first quarter before Gallagher and Ashworth ran for four and five yard gains to close out the period and set the Bears’ up at the F&M 48 yard line to open the second quarter. The Bears finished their drive in the opening minutes of the second quarter as place-kicker Matt Baney hit a 23-yard field goal to pull Ursinus to within 7-3 with 10:34 left in the first half. Ursinus added to the lead as F&M went three-and-out on the next drive before punter Barry connected on an 11 yard punt to the F&M 37 to give the Bears the ball in F&M territory. Gallagher used the field position to his advantage hitting Taylor and Justin Ziegler for 12 and eight-yard gains to put the ball on the F&M 17 yard line. Ashworth carried for back-to-back two yard gains down to the one yard line before Gallagher broke the goal line with a one yard dive to put Ursinus in front 10-7 with 5:30 left in the half following an extra point by Baney. Franklin & Marshall could not respond on its next possession as Barry hit a 33 yard punt to the Ursinus 27 after a six play, 18 yard drive sputtered out to give Ursinus the ball with 3:02 left in the half. The turning point of the game occurred on the Bears drive as Gallagher rushed for an 18 yard pickup on first down, but was hit hard in his throwing shoulder by Barry and Capote. Following a seven yard reception to Randy Taylor to move the ball out to the F&M 48, Gallagher left the game and entered the locker room leaving Dye as the Bears’ quarterback. Dye finished the drive for Ursinus methodically moving the ball down the field before connecting with Ashworth for a four-yard touchdown pass with 35 seconds left in the half. Baney added the extra point for a 17-7 lead at the break to set up Harner and Kline’s heroics in the second half. Harner finished the game with a team high 68 rushing yards on six carries while completing 13-of-36 passing attempts for 123 yards with an interception as he raised his career totals to 325-of-703 passing attempts for 4,151 yards with 25 touchdowns and 25 interceptions since transferring from Division II West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Further, he has carried 230 times for 663 yards with nine touchdowns. Historically, his passing performance against Ursinus moved him to 17th on the Centennial Conference passing yards list as he surpassed former Diplomat Gino Pagnozzi ’90 (4,117 yards) and moved to within 73 yards of moving past former Diplomat Beau Eckert ’98 (4,223) for 16th place. On the ground, Patricelli carried 20 times for 55 yards, while Weber picked up 17 yards on three carries and Dunlap rushed five times for 14 yards as F&M racked up 155 rushing yards on 37 attempts. Donofrio led the Diplomats receivers with five catches for 39 yards, while Dunlap grabbed three balls for 26 yards and Patricelli snared two passes for 28 yards as F&M tallied 14 receptions for 132 passing yards. On defense, Barry and Rehring each recorded a game high 10 tackles, while Barry added a pass breakup and a forced fumble and Rehring chipped in a tackle-for-loss of four yards and a fumble recovery. Stepien added seven tackles, a forced fumble and two interceptions for 31 yards, while LoCastro tacked on five tackles, including four solo stops, with two tackles-for-loss of 10 yards, a pass breakup and a nine yard sack. For his career, LoCastro finishes with 28 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss of 31 yards and five passes defended in four games against the Bears. Gallagher led the Ursinus offense rushing 11 times for 54 yards with a touchdown and completing nine-of-14 attempts for 56 yards in first half action. Dye added eight carries for 52 yards and completed 10-of-21 passing attempts for 122 yards with a touchdown and interception. On the ground, Ashworth chipped in 17 carries for 53 yards and caught three passes for 17 yards with a touchdown as the Bears ran up 171 rushing yards on 40 attempts and caught 19 passes for 178 yards. Linebackers Stephen Ordog and Kiernan Cavanagh led the Bears on defense as the duo each recorded seven tackles.
LAST MEETING – F&M 38, GETTYSBURG 20: Quarterback Jeff Harner (Sr., Mohrsville, PA/Schuylkill Valley) threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third to lead Franklin & Marshall College past host Gettysburg College 38-20 in Centennial Conference (CC) football action in the final regular season game of the 2004 season. Harner connected with Derek Boyce ’05 and Robert Donofrio (Jr., Sea Girt, NJ/Wall Township) through the air and also found the end zone on a 14-yard keeper to help the Diplomats earn a share of the 2004 CC championship. No fewer than five teams (Muhlenberg, McDaniel, Franklin & Marshall, Dickinson and Johns Hopkins) in the seven-team league tied for the championship with identical conference records of 4-2. Tailback Scott Stephen ’05 added 162 rushing yards and a 24-yard touchdown run in the win, the Diplomats’ third straight over the Bullets. Donofrio finished with a team-best four receptions for 92 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown catch to give the Diplomats a 24-7 lead midway through the third quarter. Overall, the title marked the sixth (1986, 1987, 1988, 1993, 1995) Centennial Conference crown in Franklin & Marshall football history and was the 13th Conference title following Middle Atlantic Conference championships in 1964, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1976. For Gettysburg,
Joe Fricchione,
Mike Schwalband Joe Gossweiler contributed rushing touchdowns as Gettysburg matched a single-season program record with nine losses. The Diplomats, who never trailed in the game, broke the game open in the third quarter with a pair of touchdowns after Dan Eggertsson ’05 hit a 26-yard field goal in the second quarter for a 10-7 lead at halftime. F&M took the ball on the second half kickoff and marched down the field on the legs of Stephen who carried seven times for 61 yards, including a 24 yard scamper on second-and-eight into the Bullets’ end zone to cap an eight play 63 yard drive for a 17-7 lead with 11:14 left in the quarter. The Gettysburg offense could not muster much against the Diplomats starting at their own 34 yard line as Franklin & Marshall held the Bullets to five yards on three plays before
Tom Pettit punted 24 yards to the F&M 37 where the kick was downed. F&M took advantage of the field position as Stephen carried for gains of two and four yards before Harner hit fullback Rick Dunlap (Jr., Boothwyn, PA/Garnet Valley) for an eight-yard gain and a first down at the Bullets’ 49-yard line. On the next snap, Harner went to Donofrio for a 49 yard TD for a 27-7 lead with 8:08 left in the quarter to cap a four play, 63-yard drive. Gettysburg attempted to rally as Bullets’ quarterback
Joe Gossweiler led the team 35 yards on 13 plays down to the F&M 35 yard line. However, F&M’s defense held as Gossweiler’s pass attempt to
Bill Corarulo on fourth-and-12 fell incomplete to give the Diplomats the ball on their own 35-yard line with 1:58 left in the quarter. Stephen closed out the half picking up gains of seven, 14, and eight yards before Dunlap broke through the lien for a four-yard gain to the Gettysburg 32. On first-and-10 with seconds left on the clock, Harner hit Donofrio for an 18-yard gain down to the Gettysburg 14 as the clock expired in the quarter. Harner completed the eight play, 65 yard drive on the first snap of the fourth quarter as he sliced through the Bullets’ defense for a 14-yard touchdown run and a 31-7 lead with 14:53 left in the game, The teams exchanged drives as Gettysburg went three and out before punting to the F&M 11 yard line, and the Diplomats engineered a six play, 13 yard drive before Eggertsson punted to the Gettysburg 39 yard line with 9:24 left on the clock. The Bullets used the field position as Gossweiler completed three passes for 25 yards and rushed for four yards, while Olufemi Adetiba scampered for two yards to set Gettysburg up at the F&M 16. Following back-to-back incomplete passes, Gossweiler rushed 16 yards on a keeper for a touchdown to cut the Diplomats lead to 31-13 with 7:27 remaining. Needing points to cut into F&M’s lead and have a chance at victory, Gettysburg attempted a two-point conversion that was ruled incomplete as the Bullets were called for illegal touching. Gettysburg next attempted an onside kick which F&M recovered at the Bullets’ 49 to set the Diplomats up in good field position. Behind third-string quarterback Kyle Turner (So., Haddonfield, NJ/Haddonfield), the Diplomats moved 40 yards on 10 plays before Jake Gomolinski (So., Middletown, NY/Pine Bush Central) was stopped for a loss of one yard back to the Gettysburg nine yard line to hand the Bullets back the ball with 3:05 left on the game clock. Gossweiler rallied his team passing for 91 yards before Schwalb broke the plain of the goal on first and goal from the one yard line to pull to within 31-20 following the extra point with 1:21 left on the clock. The Bullets again attempted an onside kick, which they recovered at their own 46-yard line, but Gettysburg was called for kick interference negating the play. On the following kickoff from the 20-yard line, the Diplomats fell on the ball at the Gettysburg 34 with 1:16 showing on the clock. However,
Adam Fulmer picked off Turner on the first play from scrimmage at the Gettysburg six yard line as the Bullet returned the pick out to the 12 yard line, before a personal foul brought the ball back to the six. Gettysburg attempted to move the ball against the Diplomats, but three straight passes fell incomplete before Gossweiler connected for a 15 yard completion our to the Bullets’ 21 for a first down. On first-and-10, Gossweiler was sacked by John Warnick (Jr., Rockville, MD/Good Counsel) at the 16 yard line as the Gettysburg quarterback fumbled back to the Bullets’ nine where Tim Barry (Sr., Madison, NJ/Madison) recovered the loose ball with 30 seconds left in the game. F&M added to their lead on the first play from scrimmage as running back John Weber (So., Harrison, NY/Rye Country Day) went through the middle of the defensive line and into the end zone for a touchdown and the 38-20 final score. The Diplomats began to put the game away in the first half as linebacker Joe LoCastro (Sr., Cherry Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic) picked off a pass by Gossweiler at the Gettysburg 30 and returned it down to the 24-yard line to set up F&M’s offense with 9:22 left in the opening quarter. Dunlap rushed for a pickup of six yards, and Stephen leaned forward for a yard, before Harner hit Boyce for a 17-yard touchdown to cap a three play, 24-yard drive with 8:08 left in the quarter. Following a stop of the Diplomats on fourth-and-one at the F&M 43, the Bullets cashed in on their field position using three plays for 43 yards and a touchdown as Fricchione rushed 31 yards for a TD with 3:56 left in the quarter. Neither team could crack the scoring column until Eggertsson drilled a 26-yard field goal with 12:16 left in the second quarter drive following a fumble by the Bullets at the Gettysburg 32 to close out an eight play, 23 yard for a 10-7 lead at halftime. Harner completed 11-of-20 attempts for 141 yards, while Doug Hiltner ’05 connected on one-of-three attempts and Turner completed one-of-two as the Diplomats’ quarterbacks combined to complete 13-of-25 for 149 yards and two touchdowns. In receiving, Donofrio pulled in four balls for 92 yards, tight end Matt Mondonedo (Jr., Silver Spring, MD/James Hubert Blake) caught three passes for 16 yards, Boyce pulled in two passes for 10 yards and Dunlap caught two passes for 14 yards while John Mervin ‘05 and Stephen caught passes for five and three yards, respectively. On the ground, F&M racked up 264 rushing yards, including 37 on four carries by tailback Curtis Varner (Jr., State College, PA/State College), as the Diplomats totaled 413 yards of total offense. Defensively, linebacker George Farrell (So., Hatfield, PA/North Penn) had seven solo stops, a tackle-for-loss of four yards, one fumble forced and a sack for loss of four yards to lead the effort as the Diplomats held the Bullets to 129 rushing yards and 161 passing yards for 290 yards of total offense. F&M’s win over Gettysburg was part of NCAA history, as the Centennial Conference became only the third league to finish with five champions. The five champions mark the third time in the 22-year history of the Conference that more than two teams shared the title (1983, 2002) and the third time that teams have shared the trophy with two conference losses (1983, 1993). The odd finish began as Johns Hopkins knocked off McDaniel, 12-9. The Green Terror entered the day as the only team that controlled its destiny. The Blue Jays victory created a three-team tie among Johns Hopkins, McDaniel and Muhlenberg. The Mules defeated non-conference foe Moravian, 28-14, in a game that had playoff implications. Dickinson joined the fray when the Red Devils upended Ursinus, 10-7, to make it a four-team tie. Franklin & Marshall made it a five-team draw when the Diplomats defeated Gettysburg, 38-20. Although all five teams were recognized as co-champions, the Centennial Conference automatic bid to the NCAA Division III championship tournament went to Muhlenberg on strength of schedule.
LAST MEETING IN LANCASTER– F&M 14, GETTYSBURG 13: Franklin & Marshall College tailback Scott Stephen ‘05 ran for 141 yards and tossed two touchdowns to factor in all of the Diplomats' scoring as Franklin & Marshall closed out the 2003 football season with a 14-13 victory over Gettysburg College. Trailing 3-0 in the opening minutes of the second quarter, Stephen completed a one-yard pass to All-America wide receiver Justin Salton ‘03 on fourth-and-goal to put the Diplomats in front 7-3 with 13:06 left in the first half. He completed his second pass of the game with 10:36 left in the fourth quarter as he found tight end Dan Houseman ‘04 in the right corner of the end zone for a two-yard TD reception for all the Diplomats needed to record the win. Courtesy the win, the Diplomats clinched fourth place in the Centennial Conference and gave F&M three Conference wins for the first time since 1998 (4-3) and three home victories in a season for the first time since 1997. In 1997, the Diplomats knocked off Muhlenberg (14-10 W), Swarthmore (41-0 W) and Gettysburg (27-18 W) at Williamson Field. Salton finished the game with six catches for 46 yards to finish the season with a school and Centennial Conference record 84 catches for 968 yards. Overall, Franklin & Marshall held an advantage in first downs (18-to-17), rushing attempts (54-to-42), yards gained rushing (217-to-185), net yards rushing (187-to-164), total offensive plays (79-to-65) and time of possession (32:51-to-27:09), while Gettysburg held advantages in net passing yards (145-to-107), kickoff return yards (113-76) and net yards (309-to-294). The Bullets took an early lead as Franklin & Marshall quarterback Jeff Harner (Sr., Mohrsville, PA/Schuylkill Valley) fumbled on third-and-six at his own 23 on the opening drive of the game. Gettysburg's
Grant Acker recovered the loose ball to set the Bullets up deep in F&M territory with 13:07 left in the first quarter. However, the Diplomats recovered the ball two plays later as Gettysburg quarterback
Joe Gossweiler's first pass from scrimmage was picked off at the F&M 8 by Matt Pastore (Jr., Ridgewood, NJ/Peddie School), but the Diplomats moved the ball six yards before a 39 yard punt by Dan Eggertsson ‘05 gave Gettysburg the ball on the Bullets 47. The Bullets cashed in on the solid field position as
John Edgar split the uprights on a 32-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 6:30 left in the first quarter. Trailing 7-3 following Stephen's touchdown pass to Salton at 13:06 of the second quarter, Gettysburg's
Nate Smith returned Eggertsson's kickoff 60 yards to the F&M 29 to give the Bullets solid field position. Following back-to-back gains of four and one yard by fullback
Matt Cardillo, Gossweiler scampered six and 11 yards to move the ball to the F&M 18 and give the Bullets a first down.
Gentris Bryant rushed for two yards and Cardillo broke through the line for another yard before Gossweiler's third-and-goal attempt to
AJ Sutsko fell incomplete forcing Gettysburg to accept a 21 yard field goal by Edgar to move within a point of the Diplomats at 7-6 with 9:58 until halftime. The Bullets' pass offense exploded on Gettysburg's second drive of the third quarter as Gossweiler connected with
Nick Nocar on a 61-yard completion on first-and-goal from the Bullets' 34-yard line to move the ball to the F&M 5. Nocar turned the corner and broke the goal line on the next play for a 12-7 Bullets' lead. Gossweiler's two-point conversion attempt to Sutsko was successful, but an ineligible receiver down field moved the ball back to the F&M 8 where Edgar knocked through the extra point for a 13-7 Bullets' lead.Gettysburg had a chance to score on their next possession, but Edgar's field goal attempt from 37-yards fell well short with 6:31 left in the quarter to close an eight play, 66 yard drive. Franklin & Marshall went three-and-out on their next possession before punting to the Gettysburg 49-yard line. Possessing good field position, Gettysburg moved the ball to the F&M 30 where they faced fourth and five. Looking to move the chains, Gossweiler attempted to thread a pass to inside the 10-yard line, but Chris Smyth (Jr., West Chester, PA/Cardinal O'Hara) corralled the ball at the F&M seven with 2:56 left in the quarter for his second interception of the year to begin the Diplomats second scoring drive. Franklin & Marshall struggled early in the drive as the Diplomats were forced to punt on fourth-and-two at their own 15-yard line. However, a defensive offside penalty moved the ball to the F&M 20 and kept the drive alive. Harner ran for seven yards and completed a 15-yard pass to wideout Matt Wagaman ‘04 to move the ball to the F&M 38 before Stephen broke loose for a 26-yard gain to the Gettysburg 36. Fullback Nick Euculano ‘06 leaned forward for one yard and Stephen inched forward for three yards before Harner connected with Salton for an eight-yard gain to the Gettysburg 24 and a first down. Euculano gained three yards before the Bullets were called for pass interference on a second-and-seven attempt from Harner to Salton to move the ball to the Gettysburg six-yard line. On second-and-goal, Stephen ran for four yards before connecting with Houseman on third-and-goal for the go-ahead and game winning score to cap a 16 play, 93 yard drive which chewed up 5:52 from the game clock. The Bullets challenged for the remainder of the game as the Bullets went 44 yards on nine plays before turning the ball over on downs at the F&M 30 on their next drive. Again, the Diplomats could not move the ball as the team went 29 yards on eight plays before Eggertsson made the play of the game connecting on a 40-yard punt which bounced and went out-of-bounds at the Gettysburg one-yard line to force the Bullets to go 99 yards in 3:23. Overall, Eggertsson finished the game with five punts for an average of 38.4 yards per kick. The Bullets again fought back as Gossweiler connected with Nocar on a 13-yard completion for a first down at the Gettysburg 14. His next two passes were incomplete before he rushed three yards to the Gettysburg 17 where the Diplomats took a face mask penalty on the tackle which moved the ball to the Gettysburg 22. On third-and-goal from the 22, Gossweiler's pass fell incomplete but Franklin & Marshall College was called for pass interference which moved the ball to the Gettysburg 31. On first-and-10 from the 31 with 1:03 left on the game clock, Gossweiler was stripped of the ball by linebacker Andy Rehring ‘04 as the fumble was recovered by linebacker Chris White ‘05 at the Gettysburg 36 to finish off the game and the season as the Diplomats ran out the clock. Rehring led the Diplomats with 12 tackles, including one for loss of a yard, while linebacker Matt Capone ‘05 finished second with eight hits. For Gettysburg,
Michael Schmidt led all tacklers with 18 hits, with six solo hits, to pace four Bullets in double-digit tackles (
Nate Smith 14,
Grant Acker 13,
Chris Jordan 11). On offense for the Bullets, Gossweiler completed eight-of-23 for 145 yards with two interceptions and ran 13 times for 49 yards to pace the Bullets. On the ground,
Matt Cardillo finished with 66 yards on 16 carries as Gettysburg finished with 164 rushing yards.
