LANCASTER, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall football team posted its first shutout since the 2021 season with a 24-0 blanking of McDaniel inside Shadek Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Diplomats allowed just 16 yards of total offense to the visitors during the first half and 53 for the game for their first shutout since a 35-0 blanking of the Green Terror in 2021. It was F&M's seventh all-time shutout against McDaniel and the 225th shutout in program history dating back to the program's first season.

The 53 yards allowed was an impressive showing from a defensive unit in which the Diplomats already hold the Centennial Conference record for fewest yards allowed in game when they held McDaniel to just nine yards during the 1984 victory. F&M held the Green Terror to negative 25 yards rushing for the best performance in the conference history since Muhlenberg posted a negative 32 yard rushing defensive performance against TCNJ in 2007.

Jeff Decker was one of many headliners on the defense as he had three sacks for a combined loss of 34 yards in addition to five other quarterback hurries. His sack total was the highest single-game mark since Peyton Snopek had four sacks against Stevneson during the 2021 Centennial-MAC Bowl Game. Jacob Hille, Daniel Shakal, Quincy Long, and Connor Hille also had sacks for the team's fourth-highest total (8) in program history, the most since a nine-sack team performance against Lycoming in 2018. Shakal joined Rafe Carner as one of two F&M players with an interception, with another secondary player – Kyle Evancho – leading the Diplomats with seven tackles.

First Quarter (F&M 7, McDaniel 0)

Highlighting the offensive efforts was a 107-yard rushing performance from Aaron Rascoe who carried the ball 18 times while averaging 5.9 yards per carry on the ground. F&M went to Rascoe early and often and those efforts were rewarded on the second drive when the senior Rascoe had a two-yard touchdown run to open the scoring just one play after the Green Terror were called for pass interference in the end zone.

Second Quarter (F&M 21, McDaniel 0)

Just under three minutes into the second quarter, F&M was up 14-0 after Ty Tremba found Jack O'Hearen – the Centennial Conference's leading receiving – for an eight-yard touchdown reception. The Diplomats allowed just nine yards on 15 players during the second quarter and went up 21-0 just before the break as Brady Aselton caught an 18-yard touchdown with 35 seconds left in the first half.

Third Quarter (F&M 24, McDaniel 0)

A constant presence in the McDaniel backfield, Decker recovered a fumble at the Green Terror's 36 to set up the final scoring drive of the afternoon. Laurence Miller – who already holds the school record for both field goals and PATs in a career – made his Centennial Conference leading eighth field goal of the year from 28 yards out to make the score 24-0.

Fourth Quarter (F&M 24, McDaniel)

The F&M defense allowed just 12 yards during the fourth quarter to complete its dominant showing. That included allowing just two fourth quarter first downs to the visitors who moved the chains just six times all afternoon.

More Key Stats

McDaniel's run game averaged a 1.1 yard loss per attempt thanks in large part to the eight sacks. The Green Terror also completed just nine of their 27 passes for 78 yards through the air. Getting McDaniel off the field early on basically every drive, F&M finished the conference clash with over 37 minutes in time of possession.

Rascoe's rushing efforts led a ground game that averaged 3.4 yards per carry, bolstered by Aidan Hutchison carrying six times for 31 yards (5.2 average). Tremba finished the contest with 116 yards in the passing game on nine completions before Jake Fant came in during the fourth quarter and went 4-for-5 for 40 yards to close out the victory. O'Hearen had another strong game for the receiving corps with 71 yards on four receptions, including his touchdown.

Up Next

With a perfect 4-0 record at home, the Diplomats now look to take today's momentum on the road when they travel to Kean next Saturday, November 2 for 1 p.m. kickoff in Union, New Jersey. That contest will be the final non-conference date on the Diplomats' schedule as they continue to push for a postseason bid.