FRANKLIN – Prior to the start of the 2024 season, Franklin College senior running back Garrett Cora was in pursuit of three of the program's most prestigious individual records.
 
After breaking the career rushing touchdowns record earlier this season, Cora completed the hat trick with a dominant showing on Saturday afternoon, capturing the career rushing yards and total touchdowns record as part of a 35-14 Grizzly win over Anderson.
 
After a slow first half on the ground, Cora erupted in the second half to finish with 211 rushing yards and he accounted for all five of Franklin's (3-5, 2-2 HCAC) touchdowns as the Grizzlies pulled away from the Ravens (1-7, 0-4 HCAC) in the final quarter.
 
With his totals for the day, Cora moved past Rick Etienne's previous record of 3,952 rushing yards that had stood since 1996. Those five scores gives the Lizton, Ind.-native 56 for his career, surpassing former All-American wideout Kyle Linville's 53 touchdowns that had stood since 2014. Earlier this year, Cora broke Ron Doyle's career rushing touchdown record of 32 that had stood since 1973.
 
How it Happened
Things got off to a rocky start for the home side, as Cora fumbled on the Grizzlies' first play from scrimmage and the Ravens turned it into a touchdown for a 7-0 lead just 41 seconds into the game. Franklin responded with a seven-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Cora punching it in from two yards out to tie the game.
 
That would be all the scoring for the first half, with Franklin's defense doing an exceptional job of keeping the Ravens off the board despite several possessions that started with great field position.
 
On their second drive of the second half, Franklin took their first lead of the day with Cora capping a 12-yard drive by hauling in a three-yard pass from Kai Ross. Midway through the fourth quarter, Cora punched in the record-breaking score from six yards out to make it 21-7, but Anderson would run the ensuing kick-off back 91 yards to get back within a score with 5:27 to play.
 
Franklin recovered the following onside kick and Cora took the first play of the drive 47 yards to the house to restore a two-score lead. Cora put the exclamation point on the win late in the fourth, trucking through the Anderson defense for a 14-yard score with under two minutes to play.
 
Inside the Box Score
-Cora recorded four rushing scores for the third time in his career, matching the program record for most rushing touchdowns in a game. Only one other Grizzly has rushed for four scores in a game, with Jacob Earl doing so back in 2018.
-Ross went 16-for-26 for 158 yards through the air with a score with two interceptions.
-Cora led all players with five catches, with Malachi Joy's 53 receiving yards tops among all Grizzlies.
-Total yard were 433-197 in the Grizzlies' favor, with Franklin limiting Anderson to 33 yards on the ground.
-Junior Devonte Brown was a menace to the Anderson offense all afternoon, as he racked up a career-high 11 tackles and had 3.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss with two forced fumbles and one hurry.
-Haidyn Bulmer had seven tackles and picked off his first pass of the year.
-Jake Jones recorded two sacks and recovered a fumble.
-Haden Durnil recorded an interception and broke up one pass.
 
Up Next
Franklin hits the road for the final time this season next Saturday (Nov. 9), heading to Ohio to take on the Bluffton Beavers. Kick-off is set for 1:30 p.m.