Game Notes
Franklin, Ind. - The Franklin College football team will host Ohio Northern University in a first-round NCAA Division III playoff game on Saturday, November 19, at noon from Faught Stadium.
The Grizzlies are playing in the postseason for the sixth consecutive season and eighth time in the past nine years. This will be the fifth home playoff game in program history, with victories coming in the last two outings – 17-10 over Washington University-St. Louis in 2013 and 24-21 over Thomas More College in 2011.
Tickets for Saturday's postseason game are on sale at the Franklin College Business Office through noon on Friday, November 20. Fans can purchase tickets on Saturday at the Faught Stadium ticket office starting at 10 a.m. Gates will open at 10:30 a.m. for the noon kickoff.
Franklin won the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) title to earn an automatic bid to the 32-team playoff field. The team stands 8-2 on the season after winning its last eight contests, including a 53-13 victory over Hanover College in last Saturday's Victory Bell Classic.
Ohio Northern received an at-large bid to the playoff after posting an 8-2 record and tying for second place in the Ohio Athletic Conference. The Polar Bears lost to No. 1 ranked Mount Union University 51-7 on November 10 and to Baldwin Wallace University 28-27 on September 19 to open conference play. The team has won its last five games, outscoring opponents by a 50-18 point margin, including a 42-10 triumph against Otterbein last Saturday.
Saturday's contest will be the first ever meeting between the two teams.
Franklin sophomore quarterback Chase Burton (Corydon, Ind./Corydon Central) was named the HCAC's 2015 Offensive Most Valuable Player. He ranks in the top five statistically among NCAA Division III players in six categories: passing yards, second, 3,560 yards; passing yards per game, second, 356 yards; total offense, third, 368.8 yards per game; points responsible per game, fourth, 25.4 points; passing touchdowns, fourth, 34; and completions per game, fifth, 26.3 completions.
Franklin's offensive attack ranks second nationally among NCAA Division III teams, averaging 374.2 passing yards per game. The team's 545.2 yards per game stand fifth-best nationally. The Grizzlies also rank eighth for first downs (266) and completion percentage (67.5 percent).
Sophomore wingback Lee Wroblewski (Salem, Ind./Paoli) leads the receivers with 52 catches for 812 yards and 11 touchdowns. He earned first team All-HCAC honors this fall. Senior split end Mason Deal (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian), another All-HCAC first-team selection, had 50 receptions for 751 yards and eight scores during the regular season. Senior wingback Kendal Butler (Toledo, Ill./Cumberland) has caught 47 passes for 636 yards and four touchdowns.
Junior running back Ty'Ronte Files (Ocala, Fla./Vanguard) is tops on the team with 676 rushing yards. He is averaging 6.8 yards per carry and has scored six touchdowns. He earned first team all-conference honors in 2015.
Another offensive weapon is Kole Stogner (Greenwood, Ind./Greenwood), a junior running back who has gained 412 yards and scored five touchdowns. He caught 18 passes and scored three touchdowns out of the backfield.
Defensively, senior linebacker Jeremiah Windell (Corydon, Ind./Corydon Central) leads the team with 74 tackles. Junior linebacker Austin Day (Indianapolis, Ind./Decatur Central) and senior linebacker Lucas Windell (Corydon, Ind./Corydon Central) have each made 46 tackles on the season.
Senior defensive lineman Nate Bryan (Greencastle, Ind./North Putnam) is tops on the team with 13.5 tackles for loss and has been named to the D3football.com Team of the Week three times this fall.
Junior defensive backs Taylor Christensen (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) and Ryan Conner (Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville) have each recorded three interceptions.
Live video and statistics of Saturday's playoff game will be available. In-game updates will also be available on Twitter (@FCAthletics). Like the Grizzlies on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinCollegeAthletics), and on Instagram (@fcgrizzlies).
