Football Forces Five Turnovers in 29-27 Victory Over Generals

The College Reporter
Franklin & Marshall College
Football Forces Five Turnovers in 29-27 Victory Over Generals
Lexington, VA
2009-09-07
Bryan Stabbe ‘13
Contributing Writer

Every undefeated season begins the same way, and in order to attain their goal of a Centennial Conference championship, the Franklin and Marshall Diplomats had to win on day one.

After Saturday’s game against Washington and Lee, the Diplomats set the tone for a successful season, and showed they had the ability to achieve their lofty goals.

The Diplomats came into their season opener against Washington and Lee with high hopes for a promising season, following last year’s 5-6 record.  In their last meeting against the W&L in the 2008 season opener, the Diplomats manhandled the Generals, shutting them out 24-0.  The team looked to repeat this result, with the additional experience of the return of quarterback John Harrison ’12, who has a season of experience under his belt.

Early in the game, the Diplomats showed that they came out to play, jumping out to an early lead, on a 12 play, 76 yard drive off a Washington and Lee punt resulting in a George Eager ’10 12 yard touchdown catch from quarterback John Harrison ‘12.  Much to the dismay of the Washington and Lee defense, this tandem was just heating up.

Throughout the first half, the Diplomats offense, at times seemed to completely confuse the Generals, running multiple sets out of the I-Formation.  Sometimes, the team would line up with as many as five receivers split out, other times, they would bring their formation in tight, forcing the Washington and Lee defense to respect the run.  The Diplomats wore down the defense running short screen plays, and picking up yards after the catch.

Defensively, the Diplomats came prepared for the Washington and Lee option based offense, and controlled the line of scrimmage, led by ILB Sam Massaro ’13 (8 total tackles, 1 INT) and DE Kyle Wengerter ‘12 (6 total tackles).

The pressure up front led Washington and Lee quarterback Charlie Westfal (8-20, 113 yards, 1 passing touchdown, 10 carries 24 yards, 2 touchdowns) to throw four interceptions to four different Diplomat defenders; Jeffrey Liberatore ‘10, Barry Lovett ‘10, Sam Massaro ‘13, and Ty Savastio ’12.  

Following an early second quarter drive that lead to a Devin Hunter ’13, 26 yard field goal, the first of his collegiate career, the Diplomats found themselves up with a comfortable 10-0 lead.  However, the team was not ready to rest on their laurels.  Following a Ty Savastio ’12 interception and 21 yard return, the Diplomats started with great field position, at the Washington and Lee 18 yard line.  Once again, Harrison utilized the screen pass to set up another Eager 9 yard touchdown catch, putting the team up 16-0.

But Washington and Lee was not ready to give up quite yet.

The Generals moved away from their option runs to the outside, and began grinding out yardage on the ground, feeding the ball between the tackles to running back Jonathan Clemo (22 rushes, 66 yards, 1 TD), who rumbled through the defense, scoring one touchdown, and setting up another for Westfal, cutting the Dips once dominant lead to two points, as the score stood 16-14.

However, going into halftime, the Franklin and Marshall offense mustered a comeback of their own, marching 45 yards down the field in eight plays to set up a third Harrison to Eager touchdown connection, their third of the day.  The score put the Diplomats up 23-14 going into the half.           

Coming out to start the second half, both teams suffered early miscues, as Franklin and Marshall surrendered a fumble and an interception in the second half, while Washington and Lee turned the ball over three times, with two interceptions and one fumble.  Though both teams suffered at times from sloppy play, the Diplomats won the turnover battle 5-3.          

The teams traded possessions throughout the third quarter, and the only score came on John Kaschak ‘ 12 8 play, 64 yard drive off of a costly interception.  The score gave the Diplomats a 29-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Washington and Lee, once again, refused to quit.  The Generals offense continued to run the ball inside with Clemo, setting up another Westfal 1 yard touchdown rush to bring the game back to within eight points, at 29-21.

The teams traded possessions, but with time running out, and only 2:38 remaining in the 4th quarter, the Generals attempted to muster one last comeback.  The team relied on the arm of Westfal, picking up four first downs, as they marched 82 yards, capped off by a Harrison Hudson touchdown catch with 1:17 left on the clock, bringing the team within two points.  The Generals lined up for the game tying two-point conversion, but the resilient Diplomat defense denied the attempt, stopping the Westfal rush short of the goal line.   The goal-line stand preserved the lead and gave the Diplomats (1-0) their first victory of the season 29-27.

The performance was highlighted by 402 yards of total offense, 300 of which came through the air.  There were receptions by seven different receivers, led by George Eager’s 13 catches for 104 yards and three touchdowns.  Additionally, the team rushed for 102 yards on the ground, led by John Kaschak’s 12 carries for 43 yards and a score of his own.

Defensively, the Diplomats held the Washington and Lee offense to only 229 yards, and forced five turnovers.  For his performance, Sam Massaro was named the Centennial Conference’s Defensive player of the week, in just his first game as a Diplomat.  Massaro recorded eight tackles and an interception.

Though it is early on in the season, the Diplomats showed that they have the skills on both sides of the ball to be a true contender in the Centennial Conference this season.