The Diplomats were all smiles after a memorable Homecoming win over a rival. Franklin and Marshall Athletics photo

By Andrew Lovell
D3sports.com

Perfection is virtually impossible for a football team to attain on the field, but Franklin and Marshall came pretty close this past Saturday.

Junior quarterback Tanner Erisman accounted for four total touchdowns and guided the Diplomats' offense to touchdowns on its first four possessions of the game. Senior running back Taalib Gerald turned his 16 carries into 96 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Junior wide receiver K.J. Pretty caught four passes for 100 yards. The defense, led by junior lineman Joe Granahan, held Dickinson to four first downs and only 11 yards of total offense. That is not a typo: 11 yards of total offense.

Freshman kicker Harley Wedholm converted all eight of his extra-point attempts. The lone time Franklin and Marshall punted, freshman Garrett Perschy dropped it inside Dickinson's 20-yard line. When the dust settled, the Diplomats had built up a staggering 49-0 halftime lead en route to a 56-0 win over a competitive rival with two wins this season against Centennial Conference opponents.

What exactly spurred this complete and utter domination of a conference foe? Franklin and Marshall's own lopsided defeat, a 45-7 loss at Johns Hopkins on Oct. 7.

"Losing is sometimes the best thing," head coach John Troxell said. "They always say, and I know it's cliche, 'What you learn from losses.' It really made the kids refocus and recommit."

Franklin and Marshall entered that mid-season showdown against Johns Hopkins with an unblemished 5-0 record and, after a string of confidence-building wins against McDaniel, Susquehanna, and Muhlenberg, a chance to put itself in the driver's seat of the Centennial Conference title race. Instead it was Johns Hopkins, which was coming off its first conference loss since 2012 the week prior, that came out with something to prove.

"They put it to us, they really did," Troxell said. "I don't think they're 45-7 better than us, but they were definitely better than us."

The loss sent the Diplomats into their bye week on a sour note, but the team emerged from the one-week hiatus rested, re-energized, and hungry for a strong finish to the season. The team's formula for winning -- emphasizing run defense, being steady on special teams, and limiting turnovers on offense -- manifested itself in a near-perfect way in the Conestoga Wagon Trophy win against Dickinson.

Franklin and Marshall held Dickinson, a team that averages 113.3 rushing yards per game, to minus-nine yards on the ground.

"We have decided we're not letting people run the football on us," Troxell said. "If you can stop the run in college football, it's hard for quarterbacks to just sit back there and make plays, especially if you've got good pass rushers."

The Diplomats' front seven is the strength of the defense, if not the entire team. For a team that graduated 22 seniors from last season's squad, there were question marks across the depth chart. Granahan, who ranks among the nation's leaders in sacks with 10, was not among those uncertainties, but breakout seasons from sophomores like Jackson Hale, Kevin Gault, and Frank McGlinchey have helped alleviate any lingering concerns.

Steady play from senior defensive backs Ben Okun and Vincett Moffett, along with junior linebacker Bobby McDevitt, has helped Franklin and Marshall hold four of its seven opponents this season to 14 points or less.

On offense, the trio of Erisman, Gerald, and Pretty continues to shine. Gerald, a four-year starter in the Diplomats' backfield, has battled injuries throughout his career, but still finds his name spread across the program's record book. With a strong finish to the 2017 season, he could wind up as the Diplomats' all-time leading rusher and all-time leader in rushing touchdowns.

Pretty has enjoyed a breakout season as a junior. He leads the Diplomats in receptions (39), receiving yards (715), and total touchdowns (eight). He's given Franklin and Marshall an explosive weapon and, according to Troxell, has emerged as one of the more dangerous weapons across the Division III landscape.

But the biggest factor in Franklin and Marshall's success this season has been the evolution of Erisman. After a disappointing sophomore season that led to his benching after three starts in favor of now-senior Zach Bradley, Erisman returned for his junior season a new player. The 6-foot-1, dual-threat quarterback not only added muscle, but Troxell said he displayed a greater understanding of how to command the team. The mental and emotional aspect of the game had finally caught up to the physical aspect, the latter of which had never been in doubt for Erisman.

The results have been profound. Through seven games, Erisman has passed for 1,519 yards, 18 touchdowns, and three interceptions with a 65.9 completion percentage, along with 266 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

"When I had to make the switch [to Bradley], he said, 'When I get my chance again, you can bet I'm never letting it go,'" Troxell said of Erisman.

"We've had some pretty good ones in the last bunch of years, but he can be the best of the group," Troxell added. "He's so explosive running the ball, he can make every throw on the field. He's really, really good."

The resounding win against Dickinson came on Homecoming weekend in the first game played at the Diplomats' new Shadek Stadium. It opened an exciting new chapter for a program that's reached the postseason, be it ECAC or CC-MAC Bowls, in five of the last eight seasons. While Franklin and Marshall, like every other team in the Centennial, strives to catch Johns Hopkins, the goal also remains to reach the postseason.

The Diplomats (6-1, 5-1) are tied with the Blue Jays atop the Centennial standings and conclude the regular season with three winnable games against Moravian (1-6, 1-5), Ursinus (5-2, 4-2), and Gettysburg (2-5, 2-4).

"If we (reach a CC-MAC Bowl), that means we're one of the top three teams in our league," Troxell said. "If you take Hopkins out of it, that means you're one of the top two. That's a pretty darn good year. For our kids, they understand that getting to the postseason means that they've played a lot of good football and they've had success."

Guilford's win tightens ODAC race

De'Eric Bell rushed for 227 yards and two touchdowns, Eryk Brandon-Dean added a pair of rushing touchdowns, and Guilford's defense intercepted Division III's leading passer four times in a 45-20 victory over Shenandoah.

The Quakers held Shenandoah quarterback Hayden Bauserman to season lows in yards (290) and touchdowns (two) while forcing him into season-high four interceptions. The first of those interceptions was returned 43 yards by Vic Smith, Jr. for the game's first touchdown.

Guilford snapped a four-game losing skid and picked up its first conference win of the season, but it also did a favor to Randolph-Macon, Washington and Lee, and Hampden-Sydney, all of which trail Shenandoah by a half-game in the ODAC standings.

With three weeks left to figure this all out, expect things to get more muddled before we can gain clarity.

Southern Virginia to join ODAC in 2019

Southern Virginia, currently in its fourth year as an associate member of the NJAC, announced last week it will join the Old Dominion Athletic Conference as an associate member for the 2019 season.

The Knights transitioned to Division III in 2013 and began play in the NJAC a year later. Seventeen of the school's 20 varsity sports compete in the Capital Athletic Conference, which does not sponsor football. The move to the ODAC makes sense, geographically and competitively, for the Knights.

"The opportunity for our football program to compete in the ODAC is a great step forward as we strive to improve the student-athlete experience at Southern Virginia," Southern Virginia Vice President and Director of Athletics Jason Lamb said, according to the school's athletics website. "We look forward to sharing geographic proximity with our opponents and developing close, competitive rivalries in football as we open the fall 2019 season."

For more on Southern Virginia's move, check out D3football.com's previous coverage.

Quick count

Burke Estes tossed three touchdowns, including two to Deandre Gill, while JP Redmond, Justin DeLeon, Jordan Hall, Eric Hoy, and Marcus Bazala each rushed for a touchdown in Randolph-Macon's 63-14 win over Apprentice. ... Michael Hnatkowsky passed for 237 yards and four touchdowns, James Diggs rushed for 168 yards and a touchdown, and Nate Corvil intercepted a pair of passes as Muhlenberg defeated McDaniel 40-13. ... Peyton Haynes and Parker Lancaster returned interceptions for touchdowns, and David Apiag returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown in LaGrange's 59-10 win against Greensboro. ... David Tammaro tossed two touchdowns and Tyler Messinger rushed for a pair of TDs as Johns Hopkins out-gained Gettysburg 607-139 in total offense in a lopsided 52-0 win. ... Josh Breece rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown, and Collin Sherman ran for 118 yards and two TDs as Washington and Lee topped Hampden-Sydney 36-6 for its third straight win. ... Brian Mann rushed for 227 yards and two touchdowns, and Ferrum's defense staved off a late Brevard comeback attempt in a 27-24 victory. ... Cameron Ott rushed for 175 yards and two TDs to help Susquehanna defeat Ursinus 21-14. ... Ian Hubbs converted all five of his field-goal attempts, including two from 45 and 46 yards out, and Pierre Chadwick returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown in Maryville's 35-14 victory against Methodist. ... Dakoda Shrader caught six passes for 199 yards, including an 88-yard touchdown, and Raymond Goodman returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown as Bridgewater beat Emory and Henry 31-23. ... Adrian Minondo scored on a pair of rushing touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 2:45 left in regulation, to help N.C. Wesleyan secure a 21-15 win over Averett. ... Doug Erney passed for 257 yards and two touchdowns, and Jon Miller kicked the game-winning, 34-yard field goal with four seconds left in regulation as Moravian picked up its first win of the season by defeating Juniata 20-17.

Top 25: Johns Hopkins drops two spots

Despite a resounding win over Gettysburg, Johns Hopkins moved down two spots to No. 24 in this week's D3football.com Top 25 poll.

USA South leader Huntingdon received a pair of votes in this week's poll. No other Centennial, ODAC or USA South teams received votes.

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