Trailing 28-27, Franklin & Marshall scored the go-ahead touchdown and two-point conversion with 7:07 to play, and the defense held for a 35-28 win over Gettysburg in the Centennial Conference opener for both teams.
After Gettysburg drove the ball to the Franklin & Marshall 15 on the opening drive but turned it over on downs, the defense held the Diplomats to a three-and-out. Kevin Regula blocked the punt on fourth down and scooped it up for a five-yard scoop-and-score and 7-0 lead for the hosts with 8:39 on the clock. F&M needed just five plays, hitting four long pass plays for an 84-yard scoring drive to tie the game with 5:48 showing.
The Bullets countered with a methodical 14-play drive that consumed 7 minutes and 35 seconds. Landon Hunt capped the 76-yard drive with his first collegiate touchdown for a 14-7 lead with 13:06 to play in the second quarter. The Diplomats came back with a seven-yard touchdown toss to Gary Lewis with 8:48 showing after the visitors marched 63 yards in nine plays. After an interception, the next F&M possession needed just one play for Ty Tremba to hit Lewis streaking down the near sideline, and he took it 86 yards for a 21-14 lead with 5:09 to play in the opening half.
After stopping the Diplomats on a fourth-and-1 on their initial drive of the third quarter, Michael Zrelak broke through the line and took it 55 yards for the tying touchdown with 12:41 showing. Franklin & Marshall went back in front on a 37-yard Michael Fleming field goal with 8:00 remaining.
Fleming added a 42-yard field goal just 1:31 into the fourth quarter for a 27-21 lead. Gettysburg countered, however, with a four-play drive. Sean Clark found Wonsala for a 53-yard touchdown. The Isaac Parks-Gill PAT put the hosts in front, 28-27. The Diplomats started their next possession at their own 44 and needed just six plays before Tremba found Matt Eitner on a curl route at the goal line for a touchdown. After a delay-of-game penalty on the ensuing two-point conversion, Hudson Zawadzkas made a sliding grab in the middle of the end zone to make it a seven-point lead. Gettysburg took the next drive to the F&M 20 but were stopped on fourth down, and the Diplomats were able to seal the victory.
Zrelak led the Bullets with 26 rushes for a season-high 153 yards and a touchdown. Nick Wonsala added four catches for 89 yards and a touchdown.
Tremba led the Diplomats with 324 passing yards, completing 24 of 32 passes with four touchdowns. Gary Lewis caught four passes for 129 yards and two scores, while Hudson Zawadzkas had seven catches for 92 yards and a touchdown.
Gettysburg did not punt in a game for the first time since Oct. 5, 2013, at McDaniel. The Bullets did successfully convert two fourth-down plays on fake punts. Franklin & Marshall finished with a 411-409 edge in total offense but outgained the Bullets through the air, 324-167. Gettysburg had a 242-87 advantage on the ground.
The Bullets return to action at Dickinson on Saturday. Game time is 1 p.m.
This story first appeared on the Gettysburg College website.