LANCASTER, Pa. – It was a Senior Day to remember for the Franklin & Marshall football team on Saturday afternoon as the Diplomats clinched a winning record in Centennial Conference action with a 42-14 victory against Gettysburg. The Diplomats raced out to a 21-0 lead in just five minutes and continued to build on that lead throughout the afternoon.

After honoring the team's 30 seniors during a pregame ceremony, several seniors left their marks in the program record book. Keshon Farmer tied the program's record for most rushing touchdowns in a career with his 30th during the opening quarter. Drew Benfatti also had a career day, tying the program record for receiving touchdowns in a single game with three from quarterback Logan Clouse.

First Quarter (F&M 21, Gettysburg 0)

The Diplomats wasted little time scoring as Matt Scully returned the opening kickoff of the game 95 yards for a touchdown for the team's first kickoff return touchdown of the season. After forcing the Bullets into a three-and-out, Jermaine Conyers carried twice for 30 yards before Clouse and Benfatti connected on a 20-yard strike to go up by two scores just over three minutes into Saturday's action.

Special teams set up the third touchdown of the afternoon as the Bullets fumbled a snap to the punter and F&M defense swarmed him for a tackle at the 16 yard line. That left just one play for Farmer to scamper 16 yards for his record-tying touchdown. In front of the charged up home crowd, the Diplomats held that 21-0 advantage just 4:35 into the game. Gettysburg's only threat of the opening quarter came late in the period before Amare Conley picked off the Bullets' quarterback to stop a drive in the red zone.

Second Quarter (F&M 28, Gettysburg 7)

That interception ultimately paved the way for an 84-yard touchdown drive during the opening minutes of the second quarter. Once again it was Clouse going back to his favorite target as he found Benfatti for a 24-yard touchdown to make the score 28-0 with 12:58 to play in the first half. Gettysburg's biggest play of the opening half was a 62-yard touchdown reception from Andrew Lusardi to make the score 28-7 heading into the half.

Third Quarter (F&M 35, Gettysburg 7)

That sizeable halftime lead was more than enough for the Diplomats' defense as they held the Bullets in check for the majority of the afternoon. Nevertheless, the offense was not done scoring as Clouse and Benfatti connected for a third time late in the third quarter. That 22-yard touchdown reception made the score 35-7 with just over a minute left in the quarter.

Fourth Quarter (F&M 42, Gettysburg 7)

The Bullets opened the fourth quarter with another quick strike as Logan Edmond found Max Shelling for a 55-yard touchdown, but F&M had the game well in hand. After the Diplomats recovered an onside kick attempt, Farmer ran it eight consecutive times looking for the record. Although he was swarmed under by the defense late in that drive, Clouse hit his other tight end Will Higson for a 16-yard touchdown in what was the final score for either team on the afternoon. After one more three-and-out from the F&M defense, the Diplomats took over at the Gettysburg 40 yard line. They got the ball down to the two yard before time expired on the drive.

F&M notable performances

There was plenty to celebrate on Saturday afternoon after the Diplomats racked up a 384-354 advantage in yards. Even with a season-high four touchdown passes through the air, the running game had the lion's share of the workload with 204 rushing yards on 39 attempts for an average of 5.2 yards per carry. Farmer ran for 136 yards on 26 carries, matching the team's average. Conyers ran it 12 times for 59 yards, averaging just under five yards per attempt.

Clouse had his finest performance of the year as he competed 10 of his 19 passes for 144 yards and the four touchdown passes. F&M also used some trickery as Ben Moir completed a 36-yard pass to Tim Walters. Benfatti continued to be the target of choice as he finished with six receptions for a season-high 106 yards and three touchdowns. Jack O'Hearen also caught three passes for a 22 yards. Laurence Miller handled the PAT kicking duties and was a perfect 6-for-6 in those attempts.

Defensively, Kevonte Beard was all over the field with 11 tackles, nine of which were solo efforts. Beard had a pair of sacks and finished with six tackles in the backfield in addition to a forced fumble. Seniors Thomas Downs and Dan DiBeneditto also had seven tackles on the day. DiBeneditto was also particulary effective in the punt return game as he averaged 18 yards on his three punt returns for a total of 54 yards. As a team, the Diplomats recorded 11 tackles for loss, including an additional sack from Jake Perloski.

Congratulations to the Seniors

Prior to the game, the Franklin & Marshall football team honored the 30 members of its senior class on the field as they were joined by family and friends. Those seniors were Keshon Farmer, Peyton Snopek, Drew Benfatti, Thomas Downs, Ben Wright, Mark Himmelsbach, Peter Orio, Danny Solecki, Dean DiPisa, Dan DiBeneditto, Luke Strauss, Colin Lavigne, Calvin Krippner, Zhymir Ball, Alec Grant, Isaiah Chery, Kyle Addis, Cole Heckaman, Matthew Dempsey, Derek Zewinski, Jake Logue, Gregg Johnson, Cliff Pierce, Sean Heckler, Austen Kasaczun, Nate Calderone, Marcellus Reid, Jack Gilroy, James Gilmartin, and Jake Perloski.

Up next

The Diplomats will now await a potential bid into the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series that would be played next Saturday. Franklin & Marshall finished the season in fifth place in the conference with its winning Centennial record. In order to play in the Bowl Series, the Diplomats would need an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament from the conference in addition to Muhlenberg as the automatic qualifier.