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The Opening Kick
The Franklin College football team heads back out on the road for the first of two straight games away from Faught Stadium. First up for the Grizzlies is a trip to Richmond, Ind. for a meeting with the Earlham College Quakers as Franklin looks to run their winning streak to four straight games.
Last Time Out
The Grizzlies closed out the month of September in style, powering past the Manchester Spartans, 69-19, to move to a perfect 3-0 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) play.
Franklin came out firing, scoring on each of their first four drives to take a 27-0 lead after one quarter. From there, the offense kept it going to the tune of 707 total yards of offense. Meanwhile, the Franklin defense set a season-best with just 19 points allowed while forcing five turnovers on the day.
Chase Burton went 30-for-40 for 417 yards, five touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown. Jacob Earl carried the ball a season-high 19 times for a career-best 90 yards and a touchdown while Jordan Brown had 12 carries for 77 yards and a score.
It was a big day for the Franklin receiving corps as 12 different Grizzlies hauled in at least one pass. Lee Wroblewski's six catches for 125 yards and a score led the team while Deontez Alexander caught a pair of touchdowns to extend his team lead to eight scoring catches.
A complete recap is available on page 12 of the game notes.
About Earlham
Nick Johnson is in his third year at the helm of the Quakers' program. The 2015 HCAC Coach of the Year has been with the program since 1998, starting out as a player before joining the coaching staff.
Offensively, the Quakers are led by senior quarterback Wes Hundley. The former HCAC Offensive Player of the Week has accounted for 87 percent of the Quakers' yards, leading the team with 434 rushing yards while throwing for 696 yards on the year. Hundley has thrown for seven scores and rushed for another four touchdowns total.
Hundley's top target has been senior wideout Marcus Cooper, who enters Saturday's game with 27 grabs for 307 yards and four scores. Elijah Bilal checks in at second on the team with 13 grabs and a pair of touchdowns.
Defensively, the Quakers trot out a young lineup that features just one starting upper-classmen in senior nose tackle Dakota Fields. Sophomore linebacker Kobe Walker leads the Quakers with 35 tackles, making a team-leading 25 solo stops on the year. Sophomore lineman R.J. Scott tops the squad with a pair of sacks while junior Joe Enwright's two forced fumbles leads all defenders.
Grizzlies and Quakers All-Time
The Grizzlies are 7-0 all-time against the Quakers since Earlham joined the HCAC back in 2010. Last year, the Grizzlies hosted the Quakers on homecoming and came away with a 40-7 win.
The Class of the Conference
Franklin resumes league play on Saturday and looks to continue their dominance within in the league. Picked as the pre-season favorites by HCAC coaches, the Grizzlies have held court in league play over the last seven years, winning 59 of their last 61 conference games dating back to 2009.
Goin' Deep
The Grizzlies have shown a knack for big plays in the first five games of the year, with 14 of the team's 23 touchdown passes encompassing 25 yards or more. Franklin has five TD passes going for at least 50 yards, with the longest a 91-yard hook-up between Braden Smith and Tahjon McKinney-Cole against Defiance back in week three. Deontez Alexander has been the team's go-to deep threat, hauling in six of his eight scores from beyond 25 yards out.
Spreading the Wealth
The always potent Franklin passing attack has kept opponents off-balance all year. Franklin quarterbacks Burton and Smith have found 14 different players at least once this year and the result has been an aerial attack averaging nearly 400 yards per game through the air and a team passing efficiency rating of 186.6, the top marks in the HCAC in each category. Last week, 12 different Grizzlies hauled in at least one pass, the most by the FC receiving corps in a game this year.
Twin Magic
Over the last three years, receivers Lee and Tanner Wroblewski have made life tough for opposing defensive backs during their time at Franklin. The brothers have not only teamed with Alexander to form one of the nation's most dangerous receiving trios, but they have each scored a touchdown each in seven games dating back to 2015. The Grizzlies are unbeaten this year when it happens and 6-1 all-time.
The Hoosier State's Best
The Franklin football program was recently named the top team in the state of Indiana by HeroSports.com. Teams from all four NCAA divisions were considered for the award and based on the Grizzlies' recent run of success under Mike Leonard, the Grizzlies claimed the top spot in the second installment of the award.
Around the HCAC
The Grizzlies hit the halfway mark in conference play this week as they get set to head into their bye week next week. Additionally, three other contests around the league are taking place this weekend. Manchester travels to Defiance, Anderson heads to Bluffton and Mt. St. Joseph hits the road to face Rose-Hulman. Hanover is on a bye this week.
Follow the Action Live
Grizzly fans will be able to follow the action live two different ways on Saturday. Live video and stats will be provided by the host institution and links to each can be found at the top of the page. Follow the Grizzlies on Twitter @FCGrizAthletics for in-game updates and post-game coverage.
