CARLISLE, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall football team was stunned on the final play of regulation as a two-yard touchdown from Dickinson's Diante Ball as time expired gave the Red Devils a 19-17 win during the battle for The Conestoga Wagon. Owen Walsh came up with a huge stop on the previous play as the Diplomats appeared to have held on for the win, but the referees signaled that Dickinson's sideline had indeed called timeout with just eight-tenths of a second remaining, allowing the game-winning play to take place with that extra snap.
It took the Red Devils the entire 60 minutes to score an offensive touchdown, but they would do so on that final drive that went 21 plays and 98 yards while running the final 8:40 of time off the clock. That final play capped a back-and-forth wave of emotions for both sidelines as the Red Devils thought they had a go-ahead touchdown earlier that drive, only to have it waved off when the Dickinson receiver was called for offensive pass interference.
Just a few plays later, F&M thought it had forced a fourth down with Dickinson 10 yards away before the Diplomats were whistled for a pass interference call that ultimately gave the Red Devils their much-needed two additional chances from the two-yard line. It was certainly a heart-breaking way to lose the Wagon after the Diplomats' defense had held the Red Devils to just 238 yards of total offense on the night prior to that final drive.
First Quarter (Franklin & Marshall 7, Dickinson 3)
The Red Devils struck first when they connected on a 36-yard field goal during their first possession of the game. However, that lead did not last for long as F&M answered on its ensuing possession. A 10-yard run from Mitch Wagner and an 18-yard carry from Dante Wilson on back-to-back plays got the ball into the red zone. Three plays later, Wilson broke off another big play as he took the ball to the nine before Ty Tremba found Gary Lewis for the nine-yard touchdown reception.
Second Quarter (Franklin & Marshall 10, Dickinson 10)
Dickinson's only other touchdown of the game came on special teams when the Red Devils backed up F&M deep in its own territory and blocked a punt after a three-and-out. That punt was subsequently recovered in the end zone for the 10-7 Dickinson advantage. However, F&M tied the game with its own score at the end of a half when Laurence Miller connected on a 19-yard field goal as time expired on the first 30 minutes.
Third Quarter (Franklin & Marshall 17, Dickinson 10)
Franklin & Marshall reclaimed the lead following its first drive of the second half. Taking the second half kickoff, the Red Devils initially drilled the upright on a 36-yard field goal attempt before the Diplomats marched the ball 80 yards in the opposite direction for the go-ahead touchdown. Runs from Tremba and Wilson were the big gainers on this drive before F&M's signal caller once again found Lewis in the end zone for a nine-yard score. Lewis has now scored seven touchdowns in his first three games played this season after catching two more on Friday night. He has now gone over 100 yards receiving during each of the last three weeks.
Fourth Quarter (Dickinson 19, Franklin & Marshall 17)
A pass interference call against the Diplomats also helped the Red Devils' first drive of the fourth quarter. Despite that call, Franklin & Marshall's defense stood tall and held the Red Devils to a 29-yard field goal. The Diplomats were still leading 17-13 with 11:28 left in the final quarter at the point and moved the ball into Red Devils territory when Tremba found Lewis for a 44-yard reception before that drive stalled just on the other side of midfield.
Nevertheless, Miller's was able to pin the Red Devils deep at their own two with some beautiful special teams play from Matt Scully, Daniel Shakal, and Ryan McArthur to keep the ball out of the end zone and prevent a touchback. However, the extra distance would not make a difference as the Diplomats' offense never saw the ball again with the Red Devils' methodical drive down that field that left no time for any answer.
Key Stats/Performers
Diante Ball scored the game-winning touchdown for the Red Devils after carrying it 30 times for 145 yards during the rivalry showdown. As a team, Dickinson rushed for 206 yards, averaging 4.8 yards per carry on the night. The F&M defense was able to keep the passing game in check as it allowed just 147 yards through the air. Tremba threw for 191 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Lewis as the sophomore caught eight passes for 141 yards. Franklin & Marshall's running game averaged 4.4 yards per carry, with Wilson and Wagner splitting the load with respective totals of 66 and 42 rushing yards.
Scully led the F&M defense with eight tackles on the night, including a pair of sacks. As a unit, the F&M defense came away with six tackles for loss. Owen Walsh, Kevonte Beard, and Jeff Decker each had one solo stop behind the line of scrimmage. Tom Papa tied with Scully for the team lead at eight tackles. Justin Gerhart and Walsh both added six stops on the night. With a number of extended drives throughout the contest, Franklin & Marshall's offense had just seven drives while the Red Devils had six (three in each half). That final eight-plus minute drive allowed Dickinson to finish with 32:10 of possession time, compared to 27:50 for the Diplomats.
Up Next
After tonight's Centennial Conference opener, the Diplomats will look to bounce back during their first Centennial Conference home game of the season when they take on Ursinus next Saturday, October 7 at 1 p.m. inside Shadek Stadium. Both of those squads will be hungry for their first conference victory in the early part of league play as Ursinus fell by a 28-20 score against nationally-ranked Muhlenberg to open its Centennial slate on Friday night.
