After executing the two-minute offense to score a potential game-tying touchdown in the final minute, the Muhlenberg football team elected to go for two points and the win rather than the PAT and likely overtime.

The conversion pass fell incomplete, however, and Franklin & Marshall recovered the ensuing onside kick to seal a 28-27 win and hand the Mules their first loss of the season.

Muhlenberg came back from deficits of 7-0 in the first half and 21-14 in the second, tying the game at 21-all on a 24-yard touchdown pass from senior Dante Mahaffey to senior Aidan Mack 48 seconds into the fourth quarter.

The Diplomats (4-1, 2-0) came right back to score a touchdown on their next possession, taking a 28-21 lead with 11:03 to play.

The next three possessions resulted in punts, and the Diplomats took over with 5:58 remaining still ahead by seven. They drove down to the Mule 17, taking more than three minutes off the clock, but the defense held and a field-goal try doinked off the right upright. 

Muhlenberg then drove 80 yards in 10 plays, with Mahaffey scrambling for first downs twice and hitting freshman Caleb Pasols for a 30-yard gain to the 11. On third down from the 5, Mahaffey connected with junior Wes Hack in the end zone to bring the Mules (4-1, 1-1) to within a point with 38 ticks on the clock. 

On the two-point attempt, Mahaffey rolled right under pressure and his pass sailed out of bounds.

Mahaffey threw for a career-high 227 yards and four touchdowns, throwing scoring passes to senior John Runfolo to cap a 12-play, 97-yard drive in the first half and to senior Caden Reph to give Muhlenberg its lone lead, 14-7 early in the second half. Mahaffey also rushed for a game-high 59 yards.

Pasols finished with eight catches for 102 yards, recording the second 100-yard game of his young career. Sophomores Chris Holland, Logan Nordeck, and JR Walley all caught their first career passes. 

Sophomore Thomas Cerruti (pictured above) led the defense with 19 tackles - the most by a Muhlenberg player since 1999. Junior Aaron Sylvester picked off his third pass of the season, and freshman Leo Dauberman broke up a pair of passes.

It was the third straight game between the two teams that was decided in overtime or the final minute of regulation; last year the Mules won 24-23 on a field goal as time expired. Muhlenberg hadn't played one-point games against the same team in back-to-back years since 1980 and 1981, when the opponent was Moravian.