DOYLESTOWN, Pa. – Jacob Hille picked off a pass in the end zone with 13 seconds remaining in regulation time to secure the Franklin & Marshall football team's 7-0 win against Delaware Valley in its Centennial-MAC Bowl Series game on Saturday. That play capped a dominating defensive effort where the Diplomats improved to 6-1 all-time in this bowl series, having won the last six postseason contests they have played since the 2016 season.
The postseason appearance was F&M's 17th bowl game all-time as the team improved to 11-6 in those contests. Franklin & Marshall earned its way into the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series as the No. 2 seed after finishing fourth in the Centennial Conference's regular season standings. Delaware Valley was the top seed from the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) after finishing as that conference's runner-up during the regular season.
First Quarter (F&M 7, Delaware Valley 0)
The only points of the entire afternoon came on F&M's first drive of the game as it marched the ball 75 yards over 14 players before Brady Aselton caught a nine-yard touchdown pass from Ty Tremba. That reception was Aselton's team-leading ninth touchdown catch of the season and would be the only points that the F&M defense needed all afternoon. The drive certainly set the tempo as the visiting Diplomats used nearly nine minutes of the game clock to go up 7-0.
Second Quarter (F&M 7, Delaware Valley 0)
Franklin & Marshall once again got the ball deep into Aggies' territory during the second drive before coming up just shy on a fourth down attempt just outside of the red zone. The Diplomats were back at the DVU 25 during the next drive, but two sacks and holding penalty stalled that drive out. However, it would not matter to the defense as it forced a three-and-out during the only three series that it saw during the first half of action.
Third Quarter (F&M 7, Delaware Valley 0)
Delaware Valley's best drive of the third quarter saw the hosts get into F&M territory for the first time all afternoon, but the Diplomats came up with a fourth down stop of their own to prevent any points from going on the board.
Fourth Quarter (F&M 7, Delaware Valley 0)
Franklin & Marshall was in strong position to win the game when Daniel Shakal picked off the Aggies' quarterback with 2:18 left in regulation time. However, it was the Delaware Valley defense that stood tall and forced a three-and-out before the hosts had one last attempt to snatch the victory after being dominated all afternoon. That final drive proved to be DVU's most effective of the afternoon as it drove the ball all the way down to F&M's seven on the strength of five 10-plus yard plays. Nevertheless, Hille was in perfect position to lock the game down with that final interception before a kneel down cleared the remaining time off of the game clock.
Keys Stats/Players
Tremba finished the game by completing 14 of his 22 passes for 110 yards, including the nine-yard touchdown to Aselton on the game's opening drive. His favorite target was Jack O'Hearen who caught six passes for 29 yards to finish his senior season with 1,031 receiving yards. Aselton finished with three catches, as did Gary Lewis who recorded a team-high 43 receiving yards. F&M finished with over 36 minutes in time of possession thanks to tough running attack. Aaron Rascoe carried the ball 24 times for 75 yards in his final game, with Aidan Hutchison adding 43 yards on the ground while averaging 5.4 yards per touch.
Franklin & Marshall's defense held the Aggies without a first down during the opening half as the hosts had just 13 yards on 10 plays after 30 minutes of action. The Diplomats finished with 244 yards of offense while allowing just 154 to the opposition. Matt Scully, Jeff Decker (who was named the game MVP), and LT Kelley all recorded sacks. Quincy Long, Scully, and Hille all finished with a team-high four tackles as Delaware Valley ran just 45 plays from scrimmage.
Up Next
The Diplomats will graduate a talented senior class which led the team to a winning record during each of its four seasons with the program, culminating with a total of 27 wins over the past four years. F&M has now finished above .500 every year since the 2016 season and will look to carry that tradition of success into next year when it kicks off the 2025 campaign.
