Audio (Jim Zauzig on play-by-play)
LANCASTER, Pa.- The Juniata football team will look to make history this Saturday when the Eagles face Franklin and Marshall. Kickoff from Sponaugle-Williamson Field will be at 1 p.m.
The Blue and Gold are 1-2 (0-2 CC) and coming off a tough 30-25 loss to Gettysburg last week at Knox Field. The Eagles took a 25-24 lead with just over a minute remaining in the fourth quarter but the Bullets came back to score a touchdown with 19 seconds left to come out with the win. Offensively, quarterback Hank Coyne and wide receiver Kirby Breault both had career days. Coyne passed for 404 yards and three touchdowns with Breault catching all three scores. He finished the day with 13 receptions for 246 yards. He was named to the D3Football.com Team of The Week on Tuesday.
The Diplomats are undefeated at 3-0 overall (2-0 CC). They held off Ursinus last weekend 17-13. Matt Magarity completed 15-of-21 passes for 148 yards and one score and added another 48 on the ground for the Diplomats. Taalib Gerald racked up 122 yards on 28 carries with a score, and Dave Shellhammer added another 82 yards on 11 rushes. Bobby Keyes had a team-high 54 receiving yards and a touchdown, while Andrew Heird and Craig Hamilton finished with 25 and 23 yards respectively. Steve Elf led the way on defense with six tackles (five solo) while Vincent Moffett and Brendan Daly each totaled five tackles and forced a fumble in the game. Luke Foukas had a sack and four tackles, John Naji recorded four tackles, while A.J. Koikoi and Benjamin Okun each ended with four tackles each.
Saturday's game will be the 12th meeting between the two schools. The Diplomats hold a 10-1 advantage in the series. F&M has won the last eight games since Juniata joined the Centennial Conference in 2007. Juniata's lone victory occurred in 1986 in Huntingdon, 21-11. The Diplomats won last year at Knox Stadium, 35-33.
