Lancaster, Pa. – Senior Gary Lewis tied Dale Amos '90 for the most touchdown receptions in school history (35) on the Diplomats' opening drive of Saturday's 24-3 win against McDaniel. The Diplomats (7-1, 5-0 CC) - a team that is currently receiving votes in the national polls - remained undefeated in Centennial Conference action with that victory. A number of talented underclassman would later have their shining moments as first-year Oscar Marx had an 88-yard interception return for a touchdown during the second quarter, while fellow rookie Louis Paris capped F&M's scoring with a touchdown in the fourth.

First Quarter (Franklin & Marshall 7, McDaniel 0)

Although the first drive of the game ended with the dynamic senior connection of Ty Tremba and Lewis connecting through the air, it was seven straight running plays that accounted for 55 yards to set the tone. Anthony Valdez had the biggest of those runs as he carried for 24 yards to get his team just outside of the red zone. Two plays later, it was Lewis who hauled in an 18-yard touchdown reception for his 13th receiving touchdown this season and the 35th of his career.

Second Quarter (Franklin & Marshall 17, McDaniel 0)

Franklin & Marshall had another extended drive that lasted 14 plays and took over eight minutes off the clock to wind down the first quarter. The Green Terror then embarked on a 13 play drive that lasted over seven minutes. Just as the Green Terror had thoughts of tying the score, Marx picked off a pass in the red zone and returned it 88 yards for the touchdown. That interception was the fourth-longest interception return in program history and the furthest since K.J. Boston (90 yards) and Vincent Speranza (89 yards) had a pair of long interception returns during the 2017 season. F&M's defense settled in after that and got a pair of three-and-outs defensively before two-time reigning Centennial Conference Specials Teams Player of the Week Michael Fleming kicked a 24-yard field goal to put his team up 17-0 at the break.

Third Quarter (Franklin & Marshall 17, McDaniel 3)

The Green Terror had the only points of the third quarter as they took the opening drive of the second half into the red zone before before Braden Fritz connected on a 37-yard field goal.

Fourth Quarter (Franklin & Marshall 24, McDaniel 3)

Leading by 14 points already, the Diplomats came up with a big play on special teams as Matt Wertz forced a fumble with a big hit on a punt return that was recovered by Michael Ferranti at McDaniel's 18 early in the fourth quarter. Paris took the bulk of the carries all game long as he racked up 114 rushing yards on 28 carries with an average of over four yards per touch. He got the ultimate payoff as his next three runs covered the short field and put F&M up by the 24-3 final score.

Key Players/Stats

Those 24 points were more than enough for the Diplomats defense which allowed just 253 yards of total offense to McDaniel. That total marked the second time this season that the Diplomats' defense has held the opposition under 300 yards and ranks as the second-lowest opponent output this year, bested only by allowing just 174 yards during the victory against Catholic in September. The defensive numbers once again showed a complete team effort as Chris Albero and Wertz led F&M with six tackles. Kyle Evancho had a huge game in the secondary with four pass break ups, as he joined linebacker Kyle Checchio with a team-high 1.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

F&M possessed the ball for over 32 minutes as it racked up 189 yards on the ground just one week after churning out 202 rushing yards at Ursinus. Paris' 114 yards marked his second consecutive 100 yard game. Valdez was also strong on the ground as he carried 10 times for 67 yards to help F&M average just under four yards per running attempt. With all of the success on the ground, Tremba needed just 16 passes as he threw for 117 yards and the opening touchdown to Lewis. Lewis finished with four catches for 44 yards while five different Diplomats had a reception.

Up Next

With an unblemished Centennial Conference record heading into the final two weeks of the regular season, the Diplomats will make their final road trip of the regular season next Saturday, November 8 for a 12 p.m. kickoff at Carnegie Mellon. The Tartans joined the Centennial Conference as an associate member prior to this season, renewing a series that has been played 30 times previously. However, this coming week's matchup will be the first meeting between these squads since the 2006 season.