BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The Franklin College football team hit the road for their first contest of the fall on Saturday (Sept. 4), where they would take on the Illinois Wesleyan Titans in the first meeting between the two since the 2015 season opener.

After getting off to a rough start, the Grizzlies (1-0) responded in impressive fashion and controlled the game over the final three quarters. Franklin out-scored the Titans (0-1) by four touchdowns over the final 50 minutes of game action to earn a 35-21 win, the program's first ever against Illinois Wesleyan.

How it Happened
Disaster struck early as the Titans forced two three-and-outs that led to a pair of touchdowns, putting Franklin in a 14-0 hole just eight minutes into the game. But Franklin would get the offense going after the second score after a five-play drive was capped off by a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jarrett Gibson that cut the Titan lead in half.

The FC defense would force two straight punts before another five-play drive capped by Garrett Cora's three-yard touchdown run that tied the game early in the second quarter. Franklin took the lead with 2:52 to go in the half on a 33-yard pitch-and-catch from Dane Andrews to Dylan McKinney, but the Titans would answer with a TD of their own to tie the game at 21 as the teams broke for halftime.

Midway through the third, the Grizzlies took the lead for good, taking advantage of a short field with Cora's second touchdown run of the day with just over five minutes left in the quarter. The ensuing possession saw Franklin recover an IWU fumble and followed by a 39-yard touchdown run for Derek Thompson that capped the scoring.

Inside the Box Score
-Andrews racked up 180 passing yards on just 11 completions with a pair of touchdowns. Gibson was his top target, recording 112 yards on just three grabs.
-Making his college debut, Cora led the Grizzlies with 123 yards rushing on 19 carries. Thompson racked up 77 yards on 17 touches with the two combining for three rushing scores.
-Carter Brown was perfect on five extra point attempts while Dylan Boswell averaged 45.4 yards per punt on eight attempts.
-On defense, junior Kody Wilkerson was all over the place, finishing with a career-high 15 tackles, one sack, 2.5 tackles for a loss and one forced fumble.
-Sophomore Cam Levers recorded his first career interception in the fourth quarter, stopping a Titan drive in its tracks. Sophomore Jacobi Shook recorded his first career turnover, falling on a fumble that set up a Franklin scoring drive. Tanner Swindle led all Grizzlies with three quarterback pressures.

Up Next
Franklin is at home for the first time this year next Saturday (Sept. 11) when they welcome Rhodes College to Faught Stadium. Kick-off is set for 1:30 p.m.