LANCASTER, Pa. – Jack Sutton caught a 12-yard touchdown pass with just one second on the clock to give the Franklin & Marshall football team a thrilling 20-16 win against Ursinus in front of the home fans on Saturday afternoon. That touchdown capped a 12-play drive that went 64 yards, including the game-winning touchdown.
Although the final seconds provided the ultimate thrill, the entire fourth quarter was filled with captivating moments as the two teams battled for their first Centennial Conference victory of the season. F&M originally tied the game with 7:15 to play in the fourth quarter when Ty Tremba found Will Higson for an 11-yard touchdown that capped a 69-yard drive. That touchdown tied the game at 13, but the visiting Bears marched the ball 43 yards before a 41-yard field goal from Jordan Carr gave Ursinus a 16-13 lead with just 1:30 remaining in regulation.
A nice return from Matt Hanna helped to put the Diplomats' final drive in action as he returned the kickoff 27 yards, bringing the ball out to the F&M 36 to begin the eventual game-winning possession. The Diplomats, who remained perfect on the year for fourth-down conversions, converted two of those opportunities on the final drive. Gary Lewis initially kept the drive alive when he caught a seven-yard reception on a fourth-and-one with 54 seconds to play.
The hero of the game, Sutton, converted a fourth-and-16 with a 17-yard reception after the Ursinus defense originally appeared to have the drive stalled with a sack and two incomplete passes. On second-and-10, Tremba found Sutton again for a 25-yard reception which led to a spike to stop the clock before the thrilling final play of the game. Franklin & Marshall elected for the squib kick on with just one second left in regulation and Daniel Shakal came up with a stop at the Ursinus 24 to end any hopes of the Bears' last-ditch attempt to score.
First Quarter (Franklin & Marshall 6, Ursinus 3)
The Diplomats scored their first of three touchdowns during the second possession. Another nice return from Albero on the punt return got the ball deep inside Ursinus territory to the 24 yard line. Just two plays later, Mitch Wagner took the ball off left tackle for a 24-yard touchdown run to the end zone. Ursinus answered on its next possession with a 42-yard field goal from Jordan Carr. The Bears had the ball first-and-10 at the F&M 20, but a huge sack from Daniel Shakal helped to force the field goal attempt and keep the Diplomats in the lead.
Second Quarter (Ursinus 10, Franklin & Marshall 6)
Ursinus took its first lead of the day when the Bears' defense forced a fumble and took possession at midfield. That short drive was capped by a 12-yard reception from Tony Holden to give the visitors a 10-6 lead heading into the half.
Third Quarter (Ursinus 10, Franklin & Marshall 6)
The defenses held the upper hand out of the halftime break as the longest drive of the third quarter went for just 29 yards before it was stopped. Matt Wertz came up with an interception to set up the Diplomats inside Ursinus territory during that period, but the Ursinus defense prevailed with a three-and-out just inside of midfield.
Fourth Quarter (Franklin & Marshall 20, Ursinus 16)
The Bears increased their advantage to seven when Jordan Carr converted his second field goal of the day from 35 yards. That set the score at 13-6 with 12:47 to play in regulation before the thrilling ending of regulation which saw three straight consecutive scoring drives, including the touchdown receptions from Higson and Sutton which gave F&M the final say during the back-and-forth contest.
Key Players
Franklin & Marshall held a strong Ursinus rushing game to an average of just 2.1 yards per carry. That allowed the Diplomats to get after the quarterback on numerous occasions. Taking advantage of those chances, Owen Walsh, Shakal, and Kevonte Beard all had sacks on the day, with Beard and Matt Scully combining for another. Walsh led the defense with nine tackles, while Shakal and Beard each registered eight stops. Beard totaled 2.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. In addition to his interception, Wertz was a constant nuisance to the passing game with four other breakups in coverage.
Tremba completed 12 passes for 154 yards and the two fourth quarter touchdowns. The Diplomats' sophomore signal caller accounted for 96 of those yards through the air during the fourth quarter rally. In addition to his game-winning touchdown, Sutton caught four passes for a team-high 80 yards. Lewis, Higson, and Ben Moir also had multiple receptions throughout the afternoon.
Up Next
With its first Centennial Conference record of the season under its belt, F&M will next welcome nationally-ranked Johns Hopkins to Shadek Stadium this coming Saturday, October 14 for a 1 p.m. kickoff. The Blue Jays have already completed their non-conference portion of the Centennial-NJAC scheduling agreement and will bring a 5-0 record into next weekend's match, sporting a 1-0 mark in CC play.
