Franklin Collegeճ Beau Hess, right, makes a diving tackle on Olivet’s Thomas Faust during Saturday’s game.
Rob Baker | For the Daily Journal
Olivet ran six fewer offensive plays than Franklin College on Saturday afternoon at Faught Stadium.
When you average nearly 9 yards per snap, quibbling over such a discrepancy seems a waste of energy.
Olivet big-played their way to a 35-32 victory, spoiling the Grizzlies’ season opener.
The Comets’ five touchdowns covered between 42 and 78 yards, the shortest being the game-winner with 2:14 remaining in the fourth quarter when sophomore quarterback Thomas Foust found 6-foot-4 receiver SirQuarius Ball for the winning points.
Foust, a thorn in the Grizzlies’ collective side all afternoon, rushed for 235 yards and two scores. He hurt FC with his arm as well, completing 10 of 17 passes for 214 yards and another pair of touchdowns.
“The name of the game in winning college football games is turnovers, turnover margin and explosive plays. The explosive plays are what came back to haunt us today,” Franklin College coach Alan Hensell said.
“For that team to hit those, that’s a credit to them. We’ve got to learn from those mistakes and move on to next week.”
Olivet held a slim 14-13 lead at the half, setting the table for a wild final two periods.
The competition was almost hoops-esque, with there being six lead changes while momentum hot-potatoed from one team to the other and then back again.
Franklin College went ahead late, junior quarterback Kai Ross completing a 64-yard scoring pass to his old Tri-West teammate, junior running back Garrett Cora, who broke numerous tackles on his way down the sideline with 3:52 left in the fourth.
It was short-lived, however.
Taking over at its own 40 with 3:39 remaining, Olivet initially went backwards as Foust was sacked for a 13-yard loss. He took off for a 31-yard run on the next play, the football now at the FC 42.
On first and 10, Foust located Ball downfield to make it a 35-32 score.
The Grizzlies took over at their own 26 with 33.4 seconds to play, but on third down, Ross tossed his fourth interception of the game, this one to Olivet junior defensive back Jeromey King.
The visitors wasted no time establishing momentum at the game’s beginning, exhausting only three plays on the game’s opening series to make it to the end zone on a 72-yard run around the left side by Foust.
The FC offense failed to capitalize despite making it as far as the Comets’ 26 on the ensuing drive. Facing fourth and 2, Ross’s pass down the left sideline fell incomplete at the Olivet 3.
With 1:51 remaining in the first, sophomore back Dontal Wright took a pitch from Foust, found a crease along the right side and was gone for a 77-yard TD run for a 14-0 lead.
Franklin College got on the board on the following series, Ross connecting with receiver Malachi Joy from 51 yards. Olivet blocked Gabe Crutchfield’s point-after attempt.
The second Grizzlies touchdown came courtesy of Ross throwing to Cora in the left flat. The junior broke a tackle before motoring 54 yards to the end zone with 2:28 left before halftime.
Junior linebacker Beau Hess led the Grizzlies’ defense with 11 tackles; another junior, punter Adam Guth, averaged 47.7 yards on his six attempts.
“The guys really played hard,” Hensell said of his team. “The effort was tremendous, the want-to was there. We just have to clean up execution, situational football, and if we clean those things up in all three phases — offense, defense and special teams — I feel we can keep taking the next steps to where we need to get to.”
The Grizzlies are home again next Saturday when they host 20th-ranked Aurora.
