Franklin outruns Jackets as Freeman, Cora post career rushing totals

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Two of the HCAC's premier running attacks feasted in rainy and breezy conditions at Justin F. Coressel Stadium on Saturday as the Franklin Grizzlies defeated the Defiance Yellow Jackets, 35-21.

Armed with the conference's leading rusher and owner of the last two Offensive Player of the Week Awards, the Grizzlies' (3-3, 3-0 HCAC) Garrett Cora exploded for a career-best 318 yards and four touchdowns, which matched his program record set the week prior at Anderson. For the Yellow Jackets (2-4, 1-2 HCAC), Tyshaun Freeman set career bests with 235 yards and three touchdowns on 19 carries en route to surpassing 2,000 career rushing yards.

Trailing 28-6 late in the third quarter, Freeman delivered a life-giving spark for the Yellow Jackets on a 55-yard rush down the left sideline that helped set up his second score of the afternoon, a four-yard carry three plays later. Defiance's rally carried over to the defensive side of the ball by forcing Franklin to a three-and-out to get the ball back. On a third-and-six, Freeman broke loose for another 50-yard carry deep inside Franklin territory to set up a one-yard score moments later to pull Defiance closer to 28-19. DC opted for a two-point try and dug out a trick play for the conversion as Dazzmon Garrett delivered a reverse pass to a wide-open Cole Recker in the right side of the end zone, which pulled Defiance within a touchdown with under six minutes to play.

Despite the back-to-back scoring drives by Defiance, Cora served as the closer for the Grizzlies. Franklin faced a second-and-three from DC's 35 yard line when Cora hit the first gap to his left, cut upfield to shake a defender, and turned on the jets to race for his fourth touchdown of the day as the Grizzlies reclaimed a two-score cushion with 3:24 left.

Long Cora touchdowns were the theme early in the game as well. In the first quarter, the Franklin junior ripped off touchdown runs of 58 and 77 yards to build a 14-0 lead. His second score capped off a three-play, 99-yard drive that was nearly stuffed for a safety on the first play from the one. The second play of that possession was a 22-yard scamper by Cora to give the Grizzlies room to operate, but they opted to put the ball back in his hands and he delivered the long score.

On the next drive, Freeman started to put his stamp on the game and delivered a much-needed answer by Defiance. Following a couple of short completions and quarterback scrambled by Jordan Ambrose, Freeman rumbled down the left sideline for a 48-yard score to put Defiance on the board.

Franklin responded with another Cora touchdown on the next drive to keep Defiance out of sequence and down two scores, but not without overcoming some resistance. The Grizzlies came up short on a third-down scramble by quarterback Kai Ross but the drive lived on due to a late hit penalty on Defiance. On the next set of downs, Franklin converted a fourth-and-one and faced a second fourth-down play when Cora took a pitch to the left and wiggled through a wave of purple shirts for his third touchdown at the 7:02 mark of the second quarter.

Defiance's Ambrose tossed a pair of second-half interceptions that led to Jehlani Warren running the offense after halftime. Franklin's Haidyn Bulmer picked off Ambrose's first pass of the third quarter that Franklin turned into a touchdown 11 plays later. Defiance had plenty of time to think through a personnel change as the Grizzlies took nearly eight minutes off the third-quarter timer before Ross found Owen Wright to a two-yard passing score. Warren was on the field at quarterback for the Jackets until the two-point try halfway through the fourth. With 3:18 left in the game and Defiance down 14, Ambrose was back in the huddle but his second pass was intercepted again by Bulmer to all but veal the game. A Franklin fumble and Defiance turnover on downs came over the following six plays before a pair of kneel-downs to close out Franklin's third straight win.

While both teams combined for 635 rushing yards, the conditions limited the quarterbacks to just 58 yards passing. Ambrose went 3-for-14 for 24 yards and 2 picks, while Warren was 2-for-3 for 18 yards. Ross was 5-for-9 for 16 yards. On the defensive end, Richard Pope IV led Defiance with 12 tackles while Thomas Coltrain, Dominic Harris and Bradyen Birkholz all added 11 stops apiece. Coltrain's 11 tackles were enough to surpass 300 career tackles with the Yellow Jackets, making him the seventh player in school history to reach that mark.

Defiance's loss is the 18th in a row to Franklin as the Grizzlies take a 25-4 lead in the all-time series with DC set to depart for the NAIA after this year. Franklin also remains firmly in the HCAC race and have erased an 0-3 start while handing Defiance a third straight loss at home to start the 2023 campaign.

The Yellow Jackets hit the road for the next two weeks, starting with a visit to winless Anderson next week. Kickoff against the Ravens is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

-JACKETS-