Week 1: Franklin Rallies Late to Defeat No. 11 Thomas More

Week 1: Franklin Rallies Late to Defeat No. 11 Thomas More
Sep 06, 2016

GREENWOOD, Ind. – Franklin College opened the season with a 43-39 come-from-behind win over No. 11 Thomas More College Saturday evening at Faught Stadium.  The Grizzlies (1-0, 0-0 HCAC) scored two touchdowns in the final 5:15 to earn the season opening win.

Junior Chase Burton (Corydon, Ind. / Corydon Central) finished 51-for-67 through the air for 514 yards with five touchdowns to lead the offensive attack. 

Senior Ty'Ronte Files (Ocala, Fla. / Vanguard) balanced the attack with 55 rushing yards and one touchdown.

Junior Deontez Alexander (Indianapolis, Ind. / Manual) hauled in 12 catches for 164 yards and one touchdown, while junior Darrell Crenshaw (Trotwood, Ohio / Trotwood-Madison) had 104 yards and one touchdown reception on 13 catches. 

Defensively, senior defensive lineman Devante Ash (Indianapolis, Ind. / Perry Meridian) led the Grizzlies defense with 10 tackles, five solo tackles, and 2 tackles for loss.

Rose-Hulman will travel to Butler University for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday evening.

In other action...

Anderson University (0-1, 0-0 HCAC) dropped its season opener against rival North Park, falling 1-13.  Senior quarterback Garret Miller (Waynesfield, Ohio / Waynesfield-Goshen) led the Ravens offense, completing 22 of his 37 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown.  Anderson will host Centre College on Saturday at 6 p.m.

 

Bluffton University (1-0, 0-0 HCAC) kicked off the 2016 season by beating Wilmington College, 49-20, on Saturday. On the offensive side, Bluffton's quarterbacks passed for a total of 193 yards for five touchdowns. The Beavers divided the number of pass attempts between Colby Speice (Paulding, Ohio / Wayne Trace), Conner Sheehan (Monroeville, Ind. / Heritage), and Brandon Koch (West Harrison, Ind. / East Central).  Micah Roberson (Ada, Ohio / Ada) led the team with six catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns. Bluffton will travel to face Trine University at 6 p.m. Saturday.

Defiance College (0-1, 0-0 HCAC) came out on the wrong end of a 42-0 decision against Baldwin Wallace University in the season opener last Thursday.  The Yellow Jackets fell behind 14-0 in the first half.  Baldwin Wallace totaled 324 yards of offense in the win as Defiance managed only 183 yards of total offense.  Defiance will host Hope College (Mich.) Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.

Earlham College (0-1, 0-0 HCAC) opened the season with a 28-18 loss to Southern Virginia University on Saturday.  Junior wide receiver Marcaus Cooper (Palm Coast, Fla. / Matanzas) caught five passes for 115 yards to lead the Quakers offensively.  As a team, Earlham tallied 209 total yards of offense while Southern Virginia finished with 375. Earlham will travel to Gallaudet for a 2 p.m. kickoff Saturday afternoon.

Hanover College (0-1, 0-0 HCAC) dropped its season-opener to Centre College, 35-13, under the lights Saturday night. Hanover finished with 206 yards of offense versus Centre's 356 yards of total offense. Junior quarterback Adam Gutermuth (Whiteland, ind. / Whiteland) completed 23-of-46 passes for 184 yards and three interceptions. The Panthers will host Maryville (Tenn.) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon at Alumni Stadium.
Manchester University (0-1, 0-0 HCAC) opened the season on Thursday night, falling 23-9 at home against Trine University.  Junior running back Hunter Hardee (Fishers, Ind. / Hamilton Southeastern) registered a total of 174 yards on 27 carries and one touchdown to lead the Spartans offensive attack.  The Spartans will return to action at home against Alma College on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Mount St. Joseph University (0-1, 0-0 HCAC) fell at home against Augustana College Saturday, dropping a 21-10 decision to the Vikings.  Sophomore quarterback Quinn Farrell (Fort Myers, Fla. / Bishop Verot) completed 17 of his 28 attempts for 169 yards, while sophomore wide receiver Garrett Weaver (Cincinnati, Ohio / Amelia) rushed eight times for 115 yards in the loss. The Lions will return to action on Saturday at DePauw at 1 p.m. 

The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (0-1, 0-0 HCAC) football team lost its 2016 season opener 13-14 to Illinois College on Saturday at Cook Stadium under the lights. Senior quarterback Austin Swenson (Corydon, Ind./Corydon Central) completed 27-of-46 passes and threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Fightin' Engineers offense.  Despite the loss, Rose-Hulman totaled 402 yards of offense versus Illinois College's 293 yards. RHIT returns to action on Saturday at Millikin at 1 p.m. CT.