Playing its final road game of the spring, Franklin College put together a fourth-quarter rally but was unable to overcome its slow start in a 34-14 setback against Rose-Hulman on Saturday afternoon.
The Grizzlies (3-2) were in a scoreless deadlock after one quarter, but the host Engineers (3-1) took control of the affair with 24 unanswered points in the second and third periods.
Derek Thompson finally got Franklin on the board with a 2-yard touchdown run at the 13:24 mark of the fourth, and a 70-yard scoring toss from Dane Andrews to Ryan Poole got the Grizzlies as close as 27-14 with 7:21 left to play.
Franklin College got the ball back with an opportunity to make it a one-score game, but Rose-Hulman returned an interception for a touchdown to effectively end the comeback bid.
As was the case in a previous loss to Mount St. Joseph, the Grizzlies struggled on third downs, converting just five of 16 on the day. Franklin passers were also sacked four times and intercepted three times.
Poole totaled 112 yards on three receptions to pace the Grizzlies offensively. Evan Stambaugh had 11 tackles to lead the defense, with Wyatt Carmack intercepting a pass.
Franklin will finish out its season with a pair of home games against Hanover and Defiance.
