BETHLEHEM, Pa. – It was a tale of two halves Saturday as the Franklin & Marshall football team shut out Moravian during the second half and got a pair of touchdown runs from Jermaine Conyers to come away with a 14-10 win on the road. The Greyhounds were celebrating Senior Day on Saturday and controlled the ball for much of the opening half, but the Diplomats were able to spoil the festivities behind the second half rally and a strong defensive effort throughout.

First quarter (Moravian 7, F&M 0)

The Greyhounds controlled the tempo during the first half. They missed a 39-yard field goal attempt on the opening drive of the game, but went 64 yards for a touchdown on their second drive for the early lead. That first touchdown came on a 26-yard touchdown reception as Trevor Cunningham hauled in the pass from Christopher Mills.

Second quarter (Moravian 10, F&M 0)

Moravian was in F&M territory at the start of the second quarter before a combined sack from Peyton Snopek and Calvin Krippner forced the Greyhounds into a punting situation. However, that ensuing punt bounced off the helmet of the F&M coverage and was recovered by Moravian. Nevertheless, the defense limited the damage, holding the hosts to a field goal after the new drive started at the F&M 14. The Diplomats' most promising drive of the first half was stopped at the Moravian goal line. A pair of completions from Logan Clouse to Jack O'Hearen and Drew Benfatti, before a 21-yard scamper from Conyers put F&M on the doorstep. In the end, the Diplomats were denied on four straight chances to force a turnover on downs as they went into the half trailing 10-0.

Third quarter (Moravian 10, F&M 7)

Similar to Moravian's start in the first half, the Diplomats received the second half kick and missed a field goal on that opening drive. The defense was able to quickly get the ball back though with a three-and-out. The Diplomats crossed midfield on a 13-yard scamper from Clouse. The ball was ultimately pushed into the end zone following five consecutive carries from Conyers for a total of 38 yards. F&M's first score of the afternoon came on a 17-yard rushing effort. That brought the Diplomats to within a single possession as 4:31 remained in the third quarter.

Fourth quarter (F&M 14, Moravian 10)

The Diplomats embarked on the eventual game-winning drive after Moravian had an 11-play drive that looked to be initially stopped on an interception, but a pass interference call retained possession for the Greyhounds. Despite the extended drive, Moravian never crossed midfield and eventually punted it away. The Diplomats were initially stopped, but had a fumble recovery of their own on a punt return as Nick Rios was in position to gather the possession just one yard from the end zone. On the second play at that drive, Conyers plunged in for the touchdown to give the Diplomats their first lead of the afternoon. That lead came with just 5:13 remaining in regulation.

The Greyhounds had three more possessions during that remaining time, but the Diplomats defense came up with a pair of fourth down stops, including a strip sack from Kevonte Beard that was recovered by a Snopek. Moravian took over for the last time with 1:08 on the game clock, but Thomas Downs ended any final thoughts of a comeback with an interception on the second play of that desperation drive before F&M could finally move into the victory formation.

Notable F&M Performances

Conyers' two touchdowns on Saturday marked the first such performance of the first-year's career with the Diplomats. He now has four rushing touchdowns on the season. He carried 18 times for a total of 83 yards. Keshon Farmer also had two carries for 30 yards. In total, F&M accounted for 125 of its 226 yards of offense on the ground.

Drew Benfatti continued to be Clouse's weapon of choice in the passing game as he caught eight balls for 63 yards. His 63 receiving yards were a season-high for the senior. The only other scoring on offense outside of Conyers came from Laurence Miller as he made both of his extra point attempts. Also on special teams, Jack Rodenberger helped F&M tremendously with field position as he pinned Moravian inside its own 20 on four of his six attempts.

Defensively, Calvin Krippner was all over the field with a team-high 14 tackles, including 1.5 sacks. That eclipsed his career bests in both of those categories. In addition to his game-sealing interception that he returned 44 yards, Downs made a career-high 11 tackles. Isaiah Chery also had an interception for the F&M defense which held Moravian to just 4-of-15 on third down attempts. The defense stood tall all afternoon despite having to be on the field 15 more plays than its counterparts as F&M did not win the time of possession battle for just the second time this season.

Up Next

Franklin & Marshall closes the regular season next Saturday with Senior Day against Gettysburg. Kick off against the Bullets is scheduled for 1 p.m. inside Shadek Stadium. The Senior Day festivities for the F&M Class of 2021 will get underway 25 minutes prior to the start of that contest as the team recognizes the 30 members of its senior class. The Diplomats can get back to .500 for the year and finish the Centennial Conference schedule with a winning record if they can make it four wins in five games since coming out of the bye week.