WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Franklin & Marshall football team (3-0) completed a perfect non-conference portion of its schedule with a 31-17 victory at Catholic on Saturday. The Diplomats jumped out to a 24-0 lead in the first half. The Cardinals (0-3) made things interesting during the fourth quarter as they trimmed the lead down to 24-17 before a Thomas Jeanes touchdown with 3:35 remaining put the game out of reach.
That touchdown pass was one of three on the day for quarterback Jadon Prinzivalli who connected with Jack Harrison twice in the opening half as part of the early lead. Harrison finished with seven catches for 92 yards, accounting for over half of the Diplomats' offense through the air. Anthony Valdez had the other rushing touchdown for the Diplomats and finished with a team-high 70 yards on the ground. Franklin & Marshall held the Cardinals to minus-six rushing yards thanks in large part to five sacks, but starting quarterback Brady McBride attempted the comeback bid through the air and finished with 302 passing yards while playing from behind for the entire game.
First Quarter (Franklin & Marshall 7, Catholic 0)
A special teams miscue helped the Diplomats get onto the scoreboard first. F&M successfully forced a turnover on downs at its own 30 on the first drive on the game. The Diplomats forced a three-and-out on the next possession and a shanked punt allowed F&M to start just nine yards away from the opening score. It would take just one play to cover that distance as Prinzivalli found Harrison to cap a seven-second scoring drive.
Second Quarter (Franklin & Marshall 24, Catholic 3)
The second quarter saw the Diplomats score on their first two possessions behind an opportunistic defense. Reigning Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week Nick Aravides forced a fumble on third down that Nathan Schultz recovered at Catholic's 32. F&M doubled its offensive totals during that scoring drive, but ultimately finished it the same way as Harrison caught a touchdown pass from Prinzivalli – this one for 21 yards – as the Diplomats went up 14-0. Connor Hille was the next defender to make a game changing play as he got a strip sack and recovered the ball back at the Catholic 27. After knocking in both of his PATs, Michael Fleming made it 17-0 with his 44-yard field goal. The Cardinals got their only points of the half with a field goal after making their only trip to the red zone of the opening 30 minutes.
Third Quarter (Franklin & Marshall 24, Catholic 10)
Following a field goal as time expired on the first half, Catholic opened up the scoring in the second half as the hosts took their second drive 50 yards for a touchdown in what was the only points of the quarter. Still up by two touchdowns, the Diplomats got the ball back on Catholic's side of the 50 during their longest drive of the quarter, but were unable to come away with points.
Fourth Quarter (Franklin & Marshall 31, Catholic 17)
The Cardinals' longest drive of the game carried over from the third quarter and made the game a one-possession difference for the first time since the opening 15 minutes. The 15-play, 80-yard scoring drive featured 12 passes, capped by a three-yard touchdown reception, to make the score 24-17. Catholic got the ball back down just seven after stopping the Diplomats on a third-and-one. However, the Diplomats countered that as Mikey Sands and Anthony Addis teamed up for a huge fourth-and-one stop just past midfield. F&M's offense put some cushion on the lead with a 51-yard drive that finished with Jeanes hauling in a 23-yard touchdown pass with 3:35 to play in the game. The Cardinals continued to battle as McBride completed a pair of passes to start the next drive, but a sack from Austin Hadley helped put the clamps on the Cardinals' final drive.
Key Players/Stats
The Diplomats certainly took advantage of great field position throughout the day as they scored all three times they inherited the ball in Catholic territory during the first half. The game-clinching touchdown drive came when they took over just one yard shy of midfield.
McBride threw the ball 54 times for the Cardinals who finished with 332 passing yards. F&M allowed Catholic's top running back just 20 yards on seven rushing attempts to thwart the run game. Sands and Hadley accounted for two sacks each and tied for the team lead with eight tackles. Hadley finished the contest with 4.5 total tackles for loss. Hille's key strip sack helped the Diplomats finish with 11 total stops behind the line of scrimmage as a team, while he totaled seven tackles to her own personal ledger.
Up Next
With a perfect 3-0 record during the non-conference part of the schedule, Franklin & Marshall will now have a bye upcoming to conclude the month of September. When the Diplomats return to action, they will be at home during three of the first four weekends in October, starting with the Centennial Conference opener on Saturday, October 3 at 1 p.m. versus Gettysburg.
