Oct. 28, 2006

LANCASTER - Franklin & Marshall's football squad needed a win and they got one in a big way Saturday, rolling to a 31-7 Centennial Conference victory over McDaniel College in Lancaster.

The Diplomats (3-5, 2-2) wasted no time in setting the tempo as they drove 76 yards on 11 plays for a TD the first time they touched the ball. The drive was capped off by a five yard scoring run by Michael Holden.

It would remain 7-0 until the second quarter, when the Dips drove it 73 yards in eight plays. Curtis Varner ran it in from a yard out to give F&M a 14-0 lead that would stick until halftime.

Quarterback Kyle Turner, who was 29-of-50 for 354 yards, would up the lead to 21-0 in the third period when he threw to Paul Fix for a 10-yard scoring strike.

Kicker Paul Sousa later booted a 30-yard field goal to put the home team up 24-0 at the end of the quarter.

Franklin & Marshall would score once more, this time on an eight play, 45-yard drive that ended when Turner hit Rick Dunlap for a 15-yard TD.

McDaniel, to their credit, avoided the shutout late in the game when Brad Baer burst through for a four-yard scoring run.

Besides Turner's heroics, receiver Paul Sousa had a big day, catching 11 passes for 142 yards. Defensively, James Gregory, George Farrell and Zach Romash led the team; Gregory had seven tackles while Farrell and Romash had six each.