CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Franklin College football team hit the road for the first time in conference play on Saturday (Oct. 9), heading to Ohio for a meeting with the Mount St. Joseph Lions.

Franklin (2-3, 0-2 HCAC) fell behind by two scores early but rallied back to tie things up before the half. But the Grizzlies struggled to get the go-ahead score and the Lions (3-2, 2-0 HCAC) used two second half scores to take a 28-14 win.

How it Happened
Down by two touchdowns after a quarter of play, Franklin broke through early in the second when Garrett Cora capped a nine-play drive with a two-yard rushing touchdown. After the defense forced two straight Lion punts, the Grizzlies clawed back to even when Derek Thompson barreled in from three yards out to finish off a six-play, 93-yard drive.

Franklin had a look at the lead on their first drive of the second half but a 42-yard field goal from Derek Baldin missed the mark. The Lions capitalized on the miss, scoring on each of their next two drives to cap the scoring.

Inside the Box Score
-Sophomore Spencer Wright saw the bulk of the snaps under center, going 8-for-15 for 150 yards passing and carrying the ball 14 times for 77 yards. Cora had 60 yards on 11 attempts and his 5.5 yards per carry led all FC ball carriers.
-Jarrett Gibson led the Grizzlies with eight grabs for 67 yards. Senior Devon Mueller set a career-long with a 67-yard grab in the second quarter.
-Evan Stambaugh paced the defense with 10 tackles with Jason Pigg right behind him after making nine stops.
-Jireh Ojata recorded two sacks on the afternoon, giving him 4.5 over the last two weeks and moving him into a tie for the league lead with six total. 

Up Next
Franklin looks to get back in the win column next Saturday (Oct. 16), when they welcome the Bluffton Beavers to Faught Stadium for homecoming weekend. Kick-off is set for 1:30 p.m.