By Nick Forbes Asst. sports editor
The Susquehanna football team earned a 20-10 home win against Franklin & Marshall on Oct. 29 and pushed their overall record back to .500 on the season at 4-4.
From the beginning of the game, the River Hawks offense began dismantling the Diplomats’ defense through the air. Sophomore quarterback Nick Crusco threw for 393 yards and a touchdown in the win.
On the receiving end of most of Crusco’s passes was freshman wide receiver Robert Marks, who hauled in five passes for 175 yards and a touchdown. With junior wide receiver Diamente Holloway out for the game and senior wide receiver Chris Beals injured late in the second quarter, Marks stepped into the leading receiver role and gave Crusco open deep looks for most of the game.
“[Crusco] trusted me. He knows how hard I work at practice and knows I have the talent and he gave me a chance,” Marks said.
Marks’ combination of size and speed coupled with solid hands made him a matchup nightmare for Franklin & Marshall.
The River Hawks drew first blood in the game when freshman running back Torey Brown found the end zone on a one-yard plunge. Despite a miserable day on the ground, where the River Hawks only netted three rushing yards, Brown was able to find the end zone twice, adding another goal-line touchdown late in the fourth quarter to seal the game.
With a large freshman recruiting class this year, it is no surprise that many of the playmakers this season for Susquehanna are just starting their collegiate careers. The freshmen at Susquehanna not only provide a wealth of talent to the team but also a competitive edge.
“With the talent in the young guys we have it just makes everyone want to work harder. Everyone wants that [position]; it’s just a matter of who’s going to take it,” Marks said.
After Franklin & Marshall added a field goal as the lone score in the second quarter, Susquehanna entered the half holding a four-point lead.
In the second half, Susquehanna’s defense locked down, forcing costly Diplomat turnovers. On the first drive of the half, Franklin & Marshall drove the ball down to the River Hawks’ 24-yard line and were in position to score and regain the lead until freshman corner back Brandon Tinson jarred the ball loose and scooped it up to give Susquehanna possession.
On the ensuing drive, Crusco wasted no time, firing the ball to Marks who hauled in the 69-yard bomb for the only passing touchdown of the day. The touchdown gave the River Hawks a 14-3 lead.
The Diplomats responded with a drive that culminated in an 8-yard rushing touchdown from junior running back Taalib Gerald, putting them back within striking distance.
With 12:52 remaining in the game, Brown’s second touchdown of the day put Susquehanna up 20-10.
Despite the Diplomats’ best efforts, the Susquehanna secondary locked down, forcing three interceptions in the final quarter, the last of which came from freshman linebacker Cole Dixon, who picked off Franklin & Marshall junior quarterback Zachary Bradley with 1:50 remaining to seal the Susquehanna victory.
Dixon added eight tackles on top of his interception. Freshman linebacker David Simpson led the team with nine tackles. Tinson had eight tackles to go along with his forced fumble and recovery. He also had one of the four interceptions on the day for the River Hawks. Freshman cornerback Danial Shelton recorded the other two picks.
Susquehanna will take on McDaniel on Nov. 5 in a matchup that pits two 4-4 teams against each other.
