Defiance Falls to Franklin (Ind.), 35-7

FRANKLIN, IND.  --  The Defiance College football team rushed for over 100 yards for the seventh straight game with a 116-yard effort against Franklin (Ind.) College, but the Yellow Jackets fell, 35-7, in a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference game in Franklin, Ind.

Junior Andy Foore (Swanton) led the team in rushing with 41 yards and fellow junior Cody Wilson (McComb) was second with 33 yards. Freshman Tyler Showalter (Grover Hill/Wayne Trace) scored the team's only touchdown on a two-yard run and ended the game with 10 total yards on the ground.  Freshman quarterback Andre Adderly (West Palm Beach, Fla./Village Academy) completed five-of-12 passes for 33 yards.  Cody Wilson led the DC receivers with three catches for 19 yards.

Defensively, the duo of freshman Beau Barkley (Ft. Wayne, Ind./Churubusco) and junior Keandre Gilmer (Toledo/Rogers) had a team-high eight tackles each.  Barkly also had a tackle for loss, while Gilmer added two tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

Franklin (7-2, 7-0 HCAC) had its opening drive of the game end in a fumble that was recovered by Defiance's (2-7, 2-5 HCAC) Jerome Davis (Jupiter, Fla./Jupiter), but the Grizzly defense kept the Yellow Jackets off the scoreboard despite the turnover.  Franklin found the endzone on its next possession with a 47-yard touchdown completion to go up, 7-0, with 8:48 to go in the first quarter.  The DC defense came up strong again later in the quarter with a blocked field goal attempt by junior Kenny Jones (Toledo/Bowsher) to keep the deficit at 7-0 after the first 15 minutes.

The second half featured three scores, all by the Grizzlies.  In a drive that carried over into the second period, FC extended its lead on a 15-yard pass play at the 12:41 minute mark giving the Grizzlies a two touchdown margin, 14-0.  FC scored again on its next drive that was set up by an interception with a one-yard TD run to make the score 21-0.  Keeping the momentum going, the Grizzlies found paydirt for a third straight possession that ended in a 54-yard TD toss with 4:44 left in the half en route to boasting a 28-0 advantage at the break.

Franklin scored its final points of the game near the midway point of the third quarter on a fourth TD pass play of the game, this time of 56 yards for a commanding 35-0 margin with 8:20 to go.  Later in the period, following a forced fumble by senior Andrew Feldhaus (Lutz, Fla./Steinbrenner) at the FC 10-yard line and returned by sophomore Alex Frick (Kendallville, Ind./East Knoble) to the two, Defiance got on the scoreboard when Showalter scored from two yards out on a one-play, touchdown drive making the score 35-7 heading into the final quarter.

The Showalter score in the third quarter would be all the points scored the rest of the way, despite the Yellow Jackets getting to the Franklin three-yard line in the fourth quarter, but would come away with no points.  Franklin went on to win by the final of 35-7.  

Franklin totaled 574 yards of offense (100 rushing, 474 passing) and was led by quarterback Chase Burton who completed 28-of-45 passes for 474 yards with four TD and one interception.  The Grizzlies had two 100-yard receivers with Kendal Butler having game-highs of 10 catches for 143 yards and TD.  Mason Deal caught six passes for 136 yards and a TD.  

Defiance will conclude the 2015 season next Saturday (Nov. 14) when it hosts rival Bluffton University in the HCAC finale at Justin F. Coressel Stadium.  It will also be senior day with kickoff scheduled for 1:30 p.m.