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Victory is the best analgesic.
Catholic University's defense brought the pain to quarterback John Harrison, giving Franklin & Marshall's sophomore signal caller a terrific battering.
But Harrison gave as good as he got, throwing five touchdown passes while dealing the Cardinals a 42-21 licking, Saturday at Sponaugle-Williamson Field.
"Right now, I feel pretty good," said Harrison, who tied the F&M record for TD passes in a game set by Wally Witmer against Johns Hopkins in 1951.
Harrison would've had the record to himself, had his tight end, Matt Deutch, wide open on a drag at the Catholic 20 — with nothing but green in front of him — not gotten his cleats caught in turf loosened by the week's rain.
The ball arrived as Deutch stutter-stepped, then it sailed harmlessly by.
Despite that, it was a good day for Deutch, who caught five balls for 61 yards and a 17-yard TD.
It was a really good day for Harrison, who completed 24 of 32 for 369 yards, finding George Eager (4-85) for 11- and 43-yard scores, John Kaschak (4-65) for a 31-yard TD and Alan Williams for a 14-yard strike.
This in the face of a Catholic defense determined to keep him from his task. A defense that sacked him three times.
"He did a good job of hanging in the pocket," observed Cardinals coach David Dunn. "They made the plays they needed to make to win the game."
"John was picking himself up a lot," said Diplomats coach John Troxell. "He stood in there delivering the ball [and got] rid of the ball pretty quick.
"We knew if they going to bring some pressure, we'd have to win some of those one-on-one matchups."
Going one-on-one against Eager, Deutch, Kaschak, Williams, Jay Ridinger (6-94) and Jarell Diggs (2-23), Catholics linebackers and secondary were all too often overmatched.
And out on an island.
"John pretty much knows, before the snap, where he's going with it and what's going to be there." Troxell said. "So there's never any indecision."
Harrison, in turn, deflected the praise to his receiving corps. "They do such a great job of getting open, I know if I hold it for one split second longer, I'll be able to put it right there for them," he said.
He put it right there, completing his first six passes — including Eager's first score and Williams' touch — as the Dips opened a 13-0 lead.
Catholic (0-2), which rotated Matt Cantafio and Dylan Knight at quarterback every second series, seemed to get a spark from Cantafio (20-35-1, 247 yards, 2 TDs), who led the Cardinals to a 14-13 lead with just under a minute left in the first half.
Then, taking over at the F&M 46, Harrison hit Ridinger and Diggs, each for 14 yards on out routes.
After a false-start penalty, Harrison zipped a 31-yard TD to Kaschak to regain the lead.
And the momentum.
"That's back-to-back weeks that our two-minute offense has worked very well," Troxell said. "Again, a lot of it is John, knowing where to go with the ball."
The Dips built on that momentum in the third quarter, scoring three times.
A 29-yard punt return by Diggs set up a one-play possession as Harrison connected with Eager for 43 yards, and the ensuing two-point PAT pass.
Next possession it was Deutch, on a post pattern, going 17 yards to pay dirt.
Then Barry Lovett intercepted a ball tipped by secondary mate Ty Savastio, returning it to the Catholic 32. Seven plays later Kaschak toted the ball from three yards out and it was 42-14, Diplomats.
Cue Springsteen on the locker room stereo?
"The first thing that came to my mind," Troxell would later share, "was a couple of years ago when it was 27-7 [F&M] and they came back and won in the last eight minutes."
So, that would be no then.
Catholic would convert a Diplomat turnover into a 6-yard TD pass from Cantafio to Mike Smith (11-92), with 13:10 to play, but there would be no miracle comeback this time.
And now F&M goes into Dickinson week — with possession of the Conestoga Wagon at stake at 1 p.m. Saturday at F&M — 2-0 for the first time in Troxell's tenure.
"It's good momentum to have," said Harrison. "We're not trying to right the ship. We're already sailing."
"The reality is we've played two teams who are very similar to us," said Troxell. "I think we're going to have our work cut out for us next week."
Dave Byrne is a Sunday News sports writer. E-mail him at dbyrne@lnpnews.com.
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