One adjustment was all it took for Franklin College receiver Ben Fleet to make.
And that little modification with 21 seconds left lifted the Grizzlies to a thrilling 42-39 win over Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference rival Rose-Hulman on Saturday afternoon at Faught Stadium.
On a fourth and 10, Fleet caught a 31-yard pass from quarterback Braden Smith. The throw hung in the air for what seemed like forever, but Fleet made a quick stop and jump to haul in the pass while getting knocked down by an Engineer defender.
“(Smith) threw it and I just adjusted to it,” said Fleet. “I don’t really know exactly the specifics of what happened; I just ended up with the ball and I’m grateful for it.”
Prior to the late heroics, this was a classic HCAC game between two of the conference favorites.
Rose-Hulman came in with a very deceiving 1-3 record, which included a 54-0 loss to No. 1-ranked Mount Union.
Also, just two years ago, Rose-Hulman came to Franklin and pulled off a stunning win over the Grizzlies, 23-22. As it happens, the winning score from the Engineers in that game also came with only 21 seconds left.
However, Franklin coach Mike Leonard insisted he nor his team was thinking about that bad memory, nor was revenge on their mind.
“Not really revenge, just incentive, and really we’ve forgotten about that game,” said Leonard. “It’s a new team and new season.
“I’m so happy to win.”
Rose-Hulman appeared unstoppable at first. The Engineers scored on their first two drives, sandwiched around a 1-yard touchdown run by Franklin’s Jacob Earl, and took a 21-7 lead.
It could have been more, as the Engineers were driving for another score, but David Masayile intercepted Rose-Hulman’s Andrew Dion to thwart the effort.
“Oh, that was big,” Leonard said of Masayile’s pickoff, one of two on the day by the senior.
Franklin then closed the gap before halftime when Earl rushed in from the 4 to make it 21-14.
Franklin scored twice in the third, with Smith hitting Brad Bonomini from 16 yards out and Austin Grunden running in from the 1.
Rose-Hulman then scored twice to take a 33-27 lead.
Fleet scored on a pass from Smith to retake the lead with 7:04 to play, but then the Engineers’ Derek Deimel ran in from the 2 with 1:58 left for what appeared to be the game-winner until Fleet’s tally.
The two teams combined for more than a thousand yards of offense, with Franklin getting 559. Smith hit on 26 of 47 passes for 438 yards and three touchdowns for the Grizzlies. Fleet had 235 yards receiving on 10 grabs, with Bonomini catching eight passes for 142 yards.
“It didn’t start off too well,” Leonard said. “I’m so proud of the way we persevered. And even if we would have lost, I was telling myself I was still going to be proud of this team. I like to battle back.”
Franklin (3-1, 2-0 HCAC) is in Ohio next week to take on Defiance.
