COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – A fourth quarter comeback bid came up just short as the Franklin & Marshall football team dropped a 23-17 Centennial Conference contest at Ursinus. The Diplomats (3-2, 1-1 CC) scored a touchdown with 3:41 to play in regulation and forced a three-and-out on defense before getting the ball down to the Ursinus red zone. Facing fourth-and-15, the Diplomats got nine on a scramble before the Bears (5-0, 2-0 CC) were finally able to end the rally inside of their own end zone. That thrilling finish capped a fourth quarter in which the teams combined for 20 of the game's 40 points during the final period.

First Quarter (Ursinus 7, Franklin & Marshall 0)

The only points of the opening quarter came on Ursinus' first drive as the Bears after a 41-yard kickoff return. The Bears got two big pass plays to start the drive before Cody House caught a nine-yard touchdown pass to put his team up 7-0.

Big plays from both defenses kept the score that way after 15 minutes. Franklin & Marshall got the ball down to the Ursinus 25 before a strip sack turned the Diplomats over. F&M answered that with Daniel Shakal picking off the Bears' quarterback in the defensive red zone. The Diplomats again took the ball deep into Ursinus territory, but a blocked field goal denied that scoring bid.

Second Quarter (Ursinus 10, Franklin & Marshall 3)

A pair of field goals for both sides made the game a 10-3 affair at the half. Laurence Miller provided his Centennial Conference-leading fifth field goal of the season from 29 yards out to get the Diplomats on the board. F&M looked to have a chance to make a further dent in that deficit just before the break as Jacob Hille came up with an interception that he returned to the Ursinus 12 before the Bears were able to force a second turnover on that play via a fumble to keep their seven-point lead at the break.

Third Quarter (Franklin & Marshall 10, Ursinus 10)

Franklin & Marshall tied the game at 10-all with 4:41 to play in third quarter after going 80 yards over the course of 10 plays. Ty Tremba found the Centennial Conference's leading receiver, Jack O'Hearen, for a 10-yard touchdown pass to conclude that scoring drive.

Fourth Quarter (Ursinus 23, Franklin & Marshall 17)

Ursinus looked to be taking control of the game early in the fourth quarter as it converted a field goal and returned an interception 53 yards for a touchdown. The Bears added to their lead with another field after the Diplomats' fumbled a punt return with just over nine minutes left in regulation to make the score 23-10.

Nevertheless, the Diplomats were not going to go away quietly as it took them just four plays to go 72 yards and bring the game within a single score at 23-17. The big play of that drive came when Tremba and Gary Lewis connected for a 42-yard reception before Tremba then found Michael Poruban for a 12-yard touchdown reception on the following play. The F&M defense got a much-needed three-and-out on the ensuing drive and the offense took over on its own 11 with 3:14 left in regulation time. Tremba found O'Hearen for catches of 35 and 30 yards on that final drive to get the ball into the red zone. A pair of passes into the end zone went incomplete before Ursinus got its fifth sack of the day on third down. Tremba again was forced to scramble on the Diplomats' final offense play and ran the ball down the 16 before attempting a lateral to get the first down which ultimately ended up in the Bears' possession.

Key Stats

Despite facing heavy pressure all afternoon, Tremba threw for 417 yards and two touchdowns. Lewis caught seven passes for 132 yards, while O'Hearen added 129 yards on six receptions. Poruban finished his day with 77 yards in addition to his touchdown, with Jack Harrison catching four balls for 60 yards.

Franklin & Marshall's defense was able to hold the vaunted Ursinus offense in check as the Diplomats finished with a 463-268 advantage in total yards. F&M also had 21 first downs, compared to just 13 for the Bears. Ursinus' rushing attack was limited to just 66 yards despite numerous attempts to get the ground game going with 33 rushing attempts. Kyle Evancho, Jacob Hille, and Connor Hille all tied for the team lead with eight tackles on the afternoon. A great team defensive effort resulted in seven F&M players registering at least five tackles.

Up Next

The challenging Centennial Conference schedule continues next weekend when the Diplomats travel to Baltimore for a showdown with No. 22 Johns Hopkins. Kickoff with the Blue Jays is set for 1 p.m. on October 19.