FRANKLIN, Ind. – Franklin College's homecoming weekend ended in the best way possible – with the Grizzly football team collecting a decisive victory on Saturday (Oct. 16) afternoon against Bluffton.

The Grizzlies (3-3, 1-2 HCAC) dominated on both sides of the ball, rolling to a 45-6 win over the Beavers (2-4, 1-2 HCAC). Franklin's offense racked up a season-high 253 yards in the ground game while the defense held the Beavers to just 153 total yards and forced four Bluffton turnovers in the win.

How it Happened
Derek Baldin put Franklin in front with a 37-yard field goal on the home team's first drive of the day. That score held until early in the second quarter when Spencer Wright and Dylan McKinney connected on a 26-yard score for Franklin's first touchdown of the day.

From that point, the rout was on as Franklin added two more touchdowns before the end of the half. Garrett Cora capped Franklin's next drive with a 14-yard touchdown to make it 17-0. Late in the half, with Bluffton holding the ball, Jireh Ojata knocked the ball loose on a sack that Tanner Swindle scooped up and barreled 53 yards to the end zone.

Special teams got in on the fun on the second half kickoff, with Michael Heading forcing a Bluffton fumble that Marcel Campbell fell on. Four plays later, Dane Andrews found Cora on a screen pass and the freshman running back rolled 38 yards to the house to make it 31-0. Cora found the end zone for the third time later in the third quarter, as did Cameron Johnson.

Inside the Box Score
-Franklin's offense racked up 445 yards overall. Cora had 99 yards on the ground on just 12 carries and led the team with 138 all-purpose yards.
-McKinney had a game-high five grabs for 77 yards. Andrews and Wright both recorded a touchdown pass and freshman Kai Ross completed a career-best four passes on six attempts.
-The entire FC defense got in on the fun, with 27 different players recording a tackle. Shay McRath, Royce Lofton, Jason Pigg and Swindle tied for the team lead with four stops each.
-Ojata added to his team lead with his seventh sack of the year, moving into the league lead in the process. Ojata added a fumble recovery later in the game.
-Nick Winders picked off his second career pass, returning it 40 yards to set up a Franklin touchdown.'

Up Next
Franklin starts a two-game road swing next Saturday (Oct. 23) afternoon, traveling north to face the Anderson Ravens. Kick-off is set for 1:30 p.m.