In a contest featuring plenty of offensive fireworks, host Olivet had a little bit too much pop at the end for Franklin College, dooming the Grizzlies to a season-opening 35-31 setback on Saturday afternoon in Michigan.
Sophomore quarterback Kai Ross passed for a career-best 373 yards and two touchdowns, and Franklin (0-1) took a 31-21 lead on Garrett Cora’s 11-yard touchdown run with 11:26 remaining in the contest. But the Comets (1-0) bounced back with two scores in the final 4:51, including the game-winning touchdown on a 15-yard pass from Thomas Foust to Jalen Broussard with 55 seconds left.
That TD was the final salvo in what had been a seesaw battle throughout, with four different lead changes. The Grizzlies trailed by seven early before getting on the board with a 26-yard Derek Baldin field goal and then a 1-yard run by Cameron Johnson late in the first quarter. The Comets pulled back in front on a 46-yard throw from Evan Ormsby to Broussard, but Franklin regained the upper hand on a 7-yard pass from Ross to Jarrett Gibson and then extended the margin to 24-14 when Ross connected with Dylan McKinney for a 62-yard score early in the third period.
After Deonte Higgins’ second touchdown run of the day got Olivet back within three, Cora’s scoring run gave the Grizzlies another double-digit cushion, but it didn’t hold up against the Comets’ late charge.
Ross, who completed 30 of 41 passes, wasn’t the only Franklin College player with a big statistical day. Cora rushed for 92 yards on just 13 carries, Spencer Wright had 10 catches for 143 yards and McKinney totaled 106 yards on four receptions. Defensively, T’Lijah Robinson had seven solo tackles and eight overall, while Darian Porter added seven total stops and Brock Thurman had a pair of quarterback sacks.
The Grizzlies will be on the road again this week, traveling to Illinois for a game at Aurora University.
