GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Franklin & Marshall football team closed the regular season with a 55-19 win at rival Gettysburg on Saturday afternoon. The Diplomats (6-4, 3-3 CC) scored 20 points in the opening quarter and 21 more in the third quarter to pace its Centennial Conference victory. F&M racked up 557 yards of total offense for the fourth-highest single-game total in program history. That was the team's highest yardage output since going for 580 yards against Juniata during the 2017 season. The 9.1 yards per play was the team's second-highest in program history, trailing on the 1975 team who put up 697 yards over the course of 61 plays versus Swarthmore.

The offense threw for 386 yards, which was the eighth-most in program history, but only the second-highest total this season after going for 422 yards in the air against Ursinus. Ty Tremba threw for all but three of those yards as he completed 20 of his 25 passes for 383 yards and four touchdowns. Jake Fant also threw a touchdown pass to Brady Aselton, who caught three passes in the end zone. Tremba's 383 yards passing was the seventh-best single-game performance in program history. Aselton's three touchdowns marked the 21st time in program history a player has caught three TDs. Nevertheless, the team's leading receiver was Jack O'Hearen who caught seven passes for 184 yards and one touchdown, the 10th most receiving yards in a single game. That performance also solidified his spot on the top receiver in the Centennial Conference for the regular season. Gary Lewis added 129 receiving yards and one touchdown.

First Quarter (F&M 20, Gettysburg 7)

Despite the final score, it was the host Bullets who got off to a quick start as they returned the opening kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown. However, the celebration on the Gettysburg sideline was short lived as the Diplomats scored touchdowns during each of their first four drives. The first of those touchdowns went to Lewis who hauled in the 34-yard reception to tie the score at seven. Brady Aselton made the score 14-7 with a 12-yard touchdown reception at the 7:39 mark of the first quarter, while Aaron Rascoe punched in the third touchdown of the day on a six-yard carry.

Second Quarter (F&M 27, Gettysburg 7)

Franklin & Marshall's longest scoring drive of the day gave the visitors a 27-7 lead as they went 65 yards over 14 plays midway through the second quarter. That scoring drive was capped by an eight-yard touchdown reception from Aselton, giving the Diplomats a lead they would carry into the locker room.

Third Quarter (F&M 48, Gettysburg 19)

Seemingly the only thing that could stop the Diplomats' offense was running out of time before the first half as F&M also scored during its first four times possessing the ball during the second half. Fant completed his touchdown to Aselton to open the second half scoring, while O'Hearen's 56 yard-reception set up a seven-yard rushing touchdown from Tremba. O'Hearen would get into the end zone on the next drive as his 60 yard-touchdown reception made the score 48-13.

Fourth Quarter (F&M 55, Gettysburg 19)

Gettysburg scored two of its three touchdowns during the third quarter, but the Diplomats punctuated their victory with senior Kenny Uchida scoring the first touchdown of his career on a five-yard run to make the score a 55-19 final.

Key Stats/Key Players

With a record-breaking day on offense, the Diplomats finished the regular season finale with a 557-238 advantage in total yards. In addition to numerous receivers having career days, Rascoe finished with 94 yards rushing on 20 attempts. F&M finished the game averaging 4.9 yards per carry and held the ball for exactly 33 minutes despite several big plays on offense.

Connor Hille led the defense with eight tackles, including one stop behind the line of scrimmage. Quincy Long had a pair of sacks, while Brendan Knopp added one before Reese Bole and Owen Banghart combined to bring down the quarterback behind the line of scrimmage. Jeff Decker was another highlight of the defense with his blocked kick on a Gettysburg PAT attempt.

Up Next

Franklin & Marshall finished fourth in the Centennial Conference regular season standings to earn its place in the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series which will take place next Saturday, November 23 on the road. The Diplomats will have to await the NCAA Division III Football Selection Show and the choices of automatic bids before finding out their opponent for the 2024 postseason.