Franklin College erased one two-touchdown deficit on Saturday afternoon. A second was too much too overcome, and the Grizzlies’ first HCAC road trip of the season ended with a 28-14 defeat at Mount St. Joseph.
Trailing 14-0 after the first quarter, Franklin (2-3, 0-2) rallied to tie the game in the second behind Garrett Cora’s 2-yard touchdown run and a 3-yard TD from Derek Thompson.
The Grizzlies stalled after halftime, getting a missed field goal on its initial drive and nothing more. Two third-period touchdowns by the Lions in a 3:15 span created a hill that proved too difficult for the visitors to climb twice.
Franklin, which was outgained through the air by a 336-155 margin, hurt its cause by converting just three of its 13 third downs.
Spencer Wright passed for 150 yards and rushed for a team-high 72. Jarrett Gibson caught eight passes for 67 yards and Cora rushed for 60.
Defensively, Franklin College got 10 tackles and an interception from Evan Stambaugh, while Jason Pigg added nine tackles and two pass breakups. Jireh Ojata had a pair of quarterback sacks in defeat.
The Grizzlies will host Bluffton for its homecoming game this Saturday afternoon.
