BALTIMORE, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall football went toe-to-toe with No. 22 Johns Hopkins on Saturday before falling by a 13-6 final. The Diplomats (3-3, 1-2 CC) held their nationally-ranked opponents to just 214 yards of offense and 10 first downs, but the Blue Jays' defense was equally up the task as the Diplomats kicked just one field goal during each half for its only points of the day.
First Quarter (Franklin & Marshall 0, Johns Hopkins 0)
Franklin & Marshall's defense was up to the test from the very first play as Sam Keenan intercepted James Rinello on the first offensive snap of the game and returned the ball into JHU territory. The Diplomats had their best scoring chance of the quarter when they got the ball to the 21, but the Blue Jays' defense came up with a strip sack on third down to deny that early chance at the lead.
Second Quarter (Johns Hopkins 7, Franklin & Marshall 3)
The Diplomats did claim the lead during the second quarter as they capped off a nine-play, 73-yard drive with Laurence Miller converting a 22-yard field goal. That scoring drive got going when Ty Tremba took off for a 19-yard run to get the ball back into Blue Jays' territory. A pass interference call moved the ball into the red zone, but JHU was able to force the Diplomats into a field goal by stopping the drive at the six. F&M's defense came up with a huge stop on fourth down during the ensuing drive, but the visitors could not turn that into points as JHU had an interception before taking the lead on an 11-play, 82-yard drive which accounted for over one-third of the Blue Jay's offensive yards. However, that was enough for the hosts to be leading 7-3 at the break. F&M had a chance to make it a one score game right before halftime, but missed a field goal on the final play of the second quarter.
Third Quarter (Johns Hopkins 10, Franklin & Marshall 6)
Another huge defensive play set up Franklin & Marshall's second scoring drive of the afternoon as Nico Medlar came up with the team's second interception of the day. Taking over just shy of midfield, F&M eventually got a 43-yard field goal from Laurence Miller to make the score 7-6, but Johns Hopkins answered that with a 33-yard field goal of its own to make the score 10-6 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter (Johns Hopkins 13, Franklin & Marshall 6)
The Blue Jays pinned F&M back deep and were rewarded with a short field to work with after a punt. Despite JHU taking over in Diplomats' territory, the defense held the Blue Jays to just a 33-yard field goal to keep the game within a single possession. Looking for the game-tying score, Tremba found Brady Aselton for 17 yards and Michael Poruban for 25 on the drive. A face mask call on Johns Hopkins moved the ball into the red zone, but the home defense stood tall as an incompletion in the end zone resulted in a turnover on downs. F&M's defense got one more three-and-out and the Diplomats had the ball to the JHU 41 before an interception ended the Diplomats' final offensive possession of the game with 1:40 left in regulation.
Key Stats
Jeff Decker was one of many stars on the defense as he led the team with nine tackles, including three for loss. Connor Hille added added eight more tackles, while Quincy Long registered a pair of sacks to finish his day with six tackles. LT Kelley also had a sack during the strong defensive showing. As a team, F&M made seven stops behind the line of scrimmage in addition to its two interceptions. The Blue Jays' offense averaged just 2.4 yards per rush with 71 total rushing yards on 30 carries.
Tremba threw for 229 yards on 21-of-33 passing. Gary Lewis led the team at 61 yards receiving, with Poruban's 57 yards ranking second. Aidan Hutchison finished with 51 all-purpose yards as he had 21 yards on the ground and another 30 through the air on four catches.
Up Next
Following a bye week and back-to-back road games, Franklin & Marshall returns home next Saturday, October 26 to host McDaniel inside Shadek Stadium. Kickoff for that Centennial Conference contest against the Green Terror is set for 1 p.m.
