ANDERSON, Ind. – The Franklin College football team began a two-game road swing on Saturday (Oct. 23) afternoon, heading north to take on in-state rival Anderson.

The Grizzlies' (4-3, 2-2 HCAC) defense dictated play all afternoon, punishing the Ravens' (0-7, 0-4 HCAC) offense all afternoon. Franklin recorded their first shutout since 2019, blanking the Ravens 17-0 for their second straight victory.

How it Happened
Scoreless after one quarter, Franklin broke the draw midway through the second when freshman quarterback Kai Ross connected with fellow rookie Garrett Cora for a 63-yard touchdown, the first TD pass in Lizton, Ind.-native Ross' career. The Grizzlies added to their lead with three minutes to go in the first half, when Derek Baldin banged home a 34-yard field to give the Grizzlies a two-score lead they took into the locker room for halftime.

Ross used his legs to find the end zone late in the third quarter, calling his own number and racing in from 37 yards out to cap the scoring.

It proved to more than enough insurance for the FC defense, who made life difficult for Anderson's offense all afternoon. The Grizzlies held the Ravens to negative-11 yards net rushing and just 225 passing yards on 52 attempts. The Grizzlies sacked AU quarterback Tyson Harley five times and recorded a season-high 18 quarterback hurries.

Inside the Box Score
-After taking over for Dane Andrews in the second quarter, Ross threw for 106 yards on four completions.
-Franklin's run game racked up 189 yards on the ground, with Cora running for 106 on 16 attempts for his second career 100-yard game. Cora also led the team in receiving with 73 yards on three grabs.
-Aaron Black had a team-high 10 tackles, adding 1.5 tackles for loss and a pair of pass break-ups.
-Senior Tanner Swindle was in the Anderson backfield all afternoon, recording a team-leading six hurries and one tackle for loss.
-Sophomore Jireh Ojata added to his league-leading sack total with 1.5 sacks to go along with four hurries. The Carmel, Ind.-native has 8.5 for the year and is one shy of matching the most sacks in a season by a Grizzly since David O'Rourke's 9.5 back in 2011. 

Up Next
Franklin is on the road against next Saturday (Oct. 30), heading to Ohio to meet the Defiance Yellow Jackets. Kick-off is set for 1:30 p.m.