ANNVILLE, Pa. – Keshon Farmer was a workhouse all afternoon for the Franklin & Marshall football team as he took 28 carries for 141 yards (5.0 avg.) and two touchdowns. Both of his touchdowns put F&M in the lead, but it was ultimately Lebanon Valley's final touchdown with 1:46 remaining in the fourth quarter that left the Diplomats on the wrong side of a 19-14 final in the season opener.

As a team, the Diplomats rushed for 201 yards and outgained LVC 354-219 in total yardage. Nevertheless, a short drive and defensive touchdown kept the Dutchmen in the game long enough for them to go 80 yards on the game-winning drive.

First Quarter: F&M 6, Lebanon Valley 0

Franklin & Marshall's defense was up to the challenge from the start as it forced three consecutive three-and-outs from LVC. F&M got its offense going after the Dutchmen's third drive went for minus-four yards and resulted in the Diplomats getting the ball at the opponent's 40 after the punt return from Trey Glass. In addition to returning five punts for 84 yards, Glass also caught a team-high six passes for 81 yards.

First-year quarterback Logan Clouse put the Diplomats inside the red zone as he found Drew Benfatti for 28 yards. From there, it was time to feed Farmer as he carried the ball on the next four plays before punching it in from six yards out.

Second Quarter: Lebanon Valley 7, F&M 6

Lebanon Valley did not make a first down until the second quarter. Even when the Dutchmen got the ball down to F&M's 22, the Diplomats had a tackle-for-loss that was followed by three straight incompletions to force a turnover on downs.

Unfortunately for the Diplomats, the short field and late scores also went against them late in the first half. After picking off a pass in F&M territory, the Dutchmen connected on a 30-yard touchdown pass with 1:03 remaining in the second quarter to carry a 7-6 lead into the locker room.

Third Quarter: Lebanon Valley 7, F&M 6

Defense dominated in the third quarter as the only time either team crossed midfield was during Lebanon Valley's drive which started at the 46 yard line. Even when the hosts did temporarily cross midfield, Peyton Snopek and Luke Strauss got into the backfield for a sack to force one of Lebanon Valley's eight three-and-outs on the afternoon.

Fourth Quarter: Lebanon Valley 19. F&M 14

Both offenses began to gain some traction during the fourth quarter. Getting the ball at its own 38, Clouse found Glass for 20 yards to get the ball across midfield. That was the first of four straight 10-plus yard plays as Clouse then ran for 15 more before 19 and 14-yard carries from Farmer took the drive down to the LVC 5. Two more carries from Farmer and the Diplomats were back in front by a 14-7 score after Clouse hit Tim Walters for the two-point conversion. That lead was trimmed when the Dutchmen ran an interception back 30 yards, but missed the PAT, as the Diplomats retained a 14-13 lead with 7:45 to play.

Franklin & Marshall looked to be in good position as two more big carries from Farmer appeared to have the ball down to LVC's 13 with time halfway gone in the fourth. However, a crucial holding penalty stopped that drive before LVC went on its final drive. That drive came out to nearly midfield after a roughing the passer penalty and was capped by a 30-yard touchdown pass with 1:46 remaining in regulation. F&M took over with 1:38 left in the fourth and got the ball down to its opponent's 35 before a costly holding penalty pushed them back 10 yards. The clock would eventually run out with the ball staying at that spot on the field after a couple incomplete passes.

F&M Leaders

In addition to Farmer's big day on the ground, Clouse threw for 153 yards and ran for 36 more. Jack Rodenberger was constantly pinning Lebanon Valley back deep as he averaged 43 yards per punt, featuring a long of 57, which put LVC inside their own 20 on two occasions in addition to a touchback.

Defensively, Dan DiBeneditto came up with an interception while Kevonte Beard and Tom Papa each had sacks. Ben Wright led the team with eight tackles, two of which came behind the line of scrimmage.

Up Next

The Diplomats will look to shrug off their non-conference defeat as Centennial Conference play begins in week two. The CC and home opener will come against Susquehanna, with kickout scheduled for 1 p.m. inside Shadek Stadium.