BC vs. Franklin preview

Bluffton at Franklin

By Ben Risinger, SID
October 27, 2003

The Matchup

            When: Saturday, November 1, 2003

            Where:  Franklin, Indiana – Faught Stadium

            On the Radio: Listen live to Bluffton College football on WDOH 107.1 FM. The game can also be found on the internet at www.wdoh.com.

 

   The Bluffton Beavers enter the contest with a 2-5 overall record. Franklin is 1-6 on the 2003 season.

The Coaches

   Bluffton coach Greg Brooks is 2-5 on his career this season. Brooks is no stranger to the Bluffton program having been the offensive coordinator for the past 23 years. He is a 1977 graduate of Ohio University where he was a quarterback and a four-year letterman for the Bobcats.

   Franklin is led by Mike Leonard, who is 1-6 on his career. Leonard graduated from Hanover College and was the offensive coordinator at his alma mater from 1999-2002 before going to Franklin.

 

Series History

  The Grizzlies and the Beavers will meet for the seventh time on Saturday. Bluffton owns a 5-1 series advantage over Franklin. The last time that BC was defeated by the Grizzlies was in 1998 when they were ousted 28-21 at Franklin.

This Year’s contest

   Bluffton will enter the contest at 2-5 (0-3 HCAC). Franklin is 1-6 (1-2HCAC) for the 2003 campaign. Franklin’s only win of the season came against Manchester 27-21 on October 18.

Last Week for Bluffton and Franklin
   Bluffton continued their Heartland conference season, battling the College of Mount St. Joseph. Final score of the game was 24-0 in favor of the Lions. Quarterback Jared Owen went 20-10-1 on the contest for 71 yards. Ben Dodds was the all-purpose man for the Beavers by leading the team in receiving, rushing and had two kickoff returns for 41 yards. Dodds had six catches for 20 yards and 24 rushes for 92 yards on the day. Chris Sommers, who has led the defensive attack each game, posted 12 tackles (2 solo, 10 assisted) and had one pass deflection.
   Franklin lost to Defiance 34-31 in overtime. The loss was their second OT loss of the year, the fist going to Millikin 28-13. Grizzly quarterback Jerremy Neibert threw for 236 yards (39-22-0). Neibert also led the team in rushing with 86 yards off of 14 carries. Kevin Clark led the team in receiving with six catches for 77 yards and one touchdown.

  

 

Leading the Beavers on the year

   Quarterback Jared Owens enters the contest with 1003 yards on the season with two touchdowns from the air. Owens is 138-80-6 for a completion percentage of 58.0 %. Ben Dodds leads the rushing attack with 724 yards on 165 carries (4.4 avg. per carry). Dodds currently leads the HCAC in All-Purpose yards, averaging 181.3 ypg. Mark Gable leads the receivers again with 22 catches for 352 yards on the year (16.0 avg. per catch). Defensively, Chris Sommers posts 83 tackles (31 solo, 52 assisted) with three pass break ups and one tackle for loss for the season.


Leading the Grizzlies on the year

   Grizzly quarterback Jerremy Neibert has thrown for 926 yards and five touchdowns for the season. He is 175-95-4 on the year with a completion percentage of 54.3 %. Neibert averages 154.6 yards per game. Joliba Brogran leads the rushers with 190 yards on 47 carries (4.0 avg. per carry). Luis Galeano leads the Franklin receivers with 29 catches for 317 yards (10.9 avg. per carry). Ryan Vest posts 27 receptions for 253 yards (9.4 avg. per carry). On the defensive side, Clayton Darlage has 77 tackles on the year (32 solo, 45 assisted), 3.5 TFL’s and one pass break up.

 

Bluffton in the Heartland Conference
   As a team the Beavers lead the HCAC in rushing offense, averaging 187.6 yards per game (1312 total yards). Bluffton ranks fourth in total offense with 337.9 ypg. The Beavers defense ranks second in HCAC rushing defense allowing opponents only 117.9 ypg on the ground. In total defense Bluffton is fourth, allowing opponents a total of only 401.1 ypg. The Beavers are fourth in scoring offense, averaging 18.4 ypg.

Beaver individuals in Heartland Conference

   Ben Dodds continues to lead the HCAC in all purpose yards for the fourth week, averaging 181.3 ypg (1269 yds. total).  Dodds currently ranks third in the conference in rushing with 724 total yards (103.4 ypg) with Jared Owens following at sixth in the league with 292 total yards (41.7 ypg). From the air Owens currently ranks third in passing with 1003 total yards (115.1 ypg). In total offense Owens ranks fourth, averaging 185.0 ypg. Chris Sommers leads the conference defensively with 83 tackles for the season (11.9 tackles per game).

Last Season Overall

   Bluffton finished the 2002 campaign at 3-7 (1-5 HCAC). Franklin finished 2-8 (2-4 HCAC) in 2002.

 

Next up for the Beavers and Grizzlies
   Bluffton will host Manchester, with Franklin traveling to Anderson for two conference matchups. Kickoff for both games are scheduled for 1 p.m.