BLUFFTON, Ohio – The Franklin College football team looked to get back in the win column on Saturday (Mar. 27) afternoon, heading east for a league matchup with the Bluffton Beavers.

Franklin (3-1, 3-1 HCAC) never trailed in the game, scoring early and frustrating the Beaver (3-2, 2-2 HCAC) offense all afternoon. The Grizzlies racked up 409 yards of offense and forced three Bluffton turnovers to take a 26-21 win.    

How it Happened
Franklin took advantage of a shanked punt to set up their first score, with Carter Brown knocking home a 31-yard field goal to make it 3-0 with 10:27 to go in the first quarter. The Grizzlies found the end zone for the first time on their next possession with Cam Johnson capping a nine-play, 75-yard drive with a nine-yard rushing touchdown that made it 10-0 late in the period.

A Franklin interception gave Bluffton a short field early in the second quarter, but Kody Wilkerson forced a fumble on first-and-goal that Evan Stambaugh fell on to squash Bluffton's first real scoring chance of the day. Bluffton found the end zone midway though the quarter, but Franklin answered with a 13-play drive that concluded with a Derek Thompson touchdown with 24 seconds left in the first half that put the Griz up 17-7 at the break.

Brown capped the first drive of the second half with a 24-yard field goal to extend the lead and the Beavers found the end zone on their first drive of the half to cut the lead to 20-14. Bluffton was on the move early in the fourth quarter but had a drive stuffed by an Aaron Black interception that gave Franklin the ball back with 10:18 to play.

On the ensuing drive, Dane Andrews connected with Orrin Schmidt from 15 yards out for a score that restored a two-score lead. A late Bluffton touchdown proved to be moot, as Franklin fell on the onside kick that followed and took a knee to seal the win.

Inside the Box Score
-Franklin finished with 409 yards of offense with 272 yards coming through the air. Andrews finished 17-for-25 for 231 yards and a score and Spencer Wright went a perfect 4-for-4 through the air.
-Jarrett Gibson hauled in 11 passes for 155 yards, setting a new career-high for catches in a game and recording his second career 100-yard game.
-Wilkerson set a new career-high with 12 tackles, adding 0.5 sacks and forcing his first fumble of the year. Stambaugh recovered both Bluffton fumbles.
-Franklin now leads the conference with 13 turnovers caused after entering the game tied with Bluffton for the conference lead.
-Cam Levers set a career-high with seven tackles from the cornerback spot.
-Shay McRath finished with a pair of sacks, leading the Grizzly defense that had six sacks on the afternoon.
-Sophomore punter Dylan Boswell uncorked a program-record 81 yard punt in the middle of the third quarter, flipping field position and starting a Bluffton drive that led to a turnover. He finished the day with 165 yards on four punts. 
-Franklin has won the last eight matchups in the all-time series, including the last five games on Bluffton's home turf. 

Up Next
The Grizzlies play their final road game of the spring next Saturday (Apr. 3), taking on the Rose-Hulman Engineers. Kick-off from Terre Haute is set for 1:30 p.m.