GAMEDAY CENTRAL - Defiance vs. Franklin - Game Four

DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Defiance College Yellow Jackets will look to highlight the 2008 Homecoming festivities on Saturday when they host the No. 28 Franklin College Grizzlies at Coressel Stadium. The meeting will be the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opener for both squads.

Today's Game - Saturday afternoon will mark the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opener for Defiance and Franklin. Each team will be looking for a fresh start after suffering disappointing losses in the non-conference portion of the schedule.

Scouting Defiance - DC will enter play on Saturday hoping to open its HCAC schedule with a strong showing against Franklin after struggling through its non-conference slate. The Yellow Jackets have lost games to Muskingum, Adrian and Trine and are off to their slowest start since dropping their first seven games of the 2004 campaign. Much of its troubles have come on the offensive side of the ball, where Defiance ranks 232 out of 235 in total offense among D-III teams. DC has averaged only 177.7 yards per game and has yet to dent the scoreboard in the first half of any of its three contests. The Jackets seemed to turn the corner a bit in their loss to Trine however, setting season highs with 93 rushing yards, 127 passing yards and 220 total yards of offense. Most of that production came after freshman Rick Powell was inserted into the quarterback position, and DC could be poised to take another step forward on Saturday with Powell scheduled to get his first collegiate start. Nick Wiedenhoft will also make his first collegiate start after making three catches for 32 yards in his first game against Trine and will help to open up the offense even further. Keith Snyder has been the staple for the Purple and Gold defense and leads the roster with 37 tackles. Rodney Donald and Dustin Supan have also made an impact, as Donald leads the team with four tackles for lost yardage and Supan tops the team with a pair of interceptions.

Scouting Franklin - The No. 28 ranked Grizzlies slipped 11 spots in the D3Football.com national rankings after suffering a 30-27 loss at Trine one week ago. Franklin had climbed as high as No. 17 after opening the season with impressive victories over Baldwin-Wallace and Butler. Franklin is led by a potent offensive attack guided by Chad Rupp. The 2007 HCAC Co-Offensive Most Valuable Player is averaging 335 passing yards per game from his quarterback position, and has racked up 10 touchdown completions in three games. Rupp has spread the ball all over the field, connecting with 14 different receivers already in 2008. Neil Craig has been the primary target for Rupp, hauling in 15 catches in all and averaging over 100 receiving yards per game. For as good as the FC offense has been, the defense has struggled to keep pace and has yielded at least 28 points in all three of its games. The Grizzly defensive unit has allowed nearly 300 yards passing and 140 yards rushing per game. Nick Cochran leads the squad with 31 tackles, while Roshawn Hill and Teddy Henkle are next in line with 23.

Last Meeting - Franklin dominated play during its 55-22 home victory over Defiance last season. The Grizzlies scored three touchdowns in each of the first two quarters and poured on 42 points before halftime. Both sides ran the ball at will, each topping the 230-yard plateau, but Franklin added 437 yards of passing offense and ended with 672 total yards of offense in the onslaught. Lewis Caralla netted 7.8 yards per carry en route to finishing with 109 yards on 14 touches to lead the Jackets. Keith Snyder had a career day, picking off Chad Rupp three times and returning one for a score. Snyder would later be named to D3Football.com's Team of the Week for his standout performance in the loss. Franklin was led by Rupp, who made up for his three interceptions by completing 27-of-38 passes for 437 yards and six touchdowns.

Series History - The all-time series between Defiance and Franklin only dates back nine games and has been split down the middle, with DC owning a 4-5 record against the Grizzlies. Franklin has taken the lead in the series due to its wins in the past two meetings and by winning three of the last four showdowns with the Purple and Gold.

Snyder Climbing The Ranks - Defiance's starting free safety, Keith Snyder, is on track to lead the Jackets in tackles for the third-straight season. Those hits are starting to add up and the senior is now just 26 assisted tackles away from setting a new school record. Snyder enters play against Franklin with 142 career assisted tackles and only needs to average 3.8 per game for the remainder of the 2008 campaign to break Donny Mutters' (1988-1991) all-time mark of 168.

Taylor's Tally - DC Head Coach Robert Taylor is just one win shy of tying Dick Small (1954-1963) for sixth-place in school history with 24 career victories. Two more wins would move Taylor into a tie for fifth with Gary Shaefer (1979-1984).

Win #350 - Defiance enters play on Saturday on the doorstep of a milestone victory for the program. The Yellow Jackets have 348 victories dating back to 1900 and need just two more for the historic win number 350. DC's 300th win came in 1997 with a 29-24 victory over Alma.

Around the HCAC - Saturday will be the first full day of conference contests in the 2008 season. Rose-Hulman will look to maintain its spot atop the HCAC standings when it hosts an improved Manchester squad at 2:00 pm. The three other games will begin at 1:30 pm, with DC hosting Franklin, Bluffton welcoming MSJ and Hanover traveling to Anderson.

What's on Tap - Defiance will face nothing but HCAC foes from here on out and will play at Manchester next Saturday. The Jackets will then return home to host Rose-Hulman and Anderson on Oct. 18 and 25 at 1:30 pm.