Takayla Gadberry, sports information alumna
BLUFFTON, Ohio – The Bluffton University football team dropped their Heartland Conference opener to Franklin, 37-27, on Saturday, Oct. 1. The Beavers fell to 0-4 overall (0-1 HCAC) while Franklin improved to 1-3 (1-0 HCAC).
The Grizzlies found their way on the board first with a touchdown and field goal for a 10-0 lead at the end of the first. Bluffton opened the second quarter with a 24-yard run by Kainan Stoner (Belle Center/Benjamin Logan), cutting the deficit to 10-7. Franklin found the end zone again before Blake Rine (Heath/Granville) fired a 10-yard strike to Chris Mclaurin (Bolton, MI/Clinton) for a Beaver touchdown that pulled the home team within three again (17-14). Franklin pasted another 10 points on the board to go into the intermission with a commanding 27-14 lead.
Bluffton's Maalik Tucker (Fostoria) hit paydirt on a 19-yard pass from Jeremy Locklear (Lincoln Park, MI/Harry S. Truman) to open the third with a touchdown to make the score 27-21. Locklear came out smelling like a rose when Bluffton's field goal snap missed the mark and he gathered it up before bailing out and throwing a strike to Tucker!
The Grizzlies added 10 more points in less than five minutes, opening a 37-21 early in the fourth. Locklear found himself on the other end when he pulled down a pass from Rine in the endzone with 3:03 left in regulation but it wouldn't be enough as the Beavers fell, 37-27.
Rine went 29-of-48 for 329 yards and two touchdowns. Stoner tallied 68 yards on eight runs with Tucker adding 39 yards on 12 attempts. Andre Price Jr. (Akron/Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy) pulled down nine catches for 118 yards, while Kale Lee (Spencerville) tallied 80 yards on four receptions.
Leading the Beaver defense was Karl Foster (Detroit, MI/Denby), tallying 16 tackles and two breakups. Brady Welker (Delphos/Jefferson) and Nick Perry (Northwood/Lake) both added to the defensive stat line with 10 and eight tackles, respectively. Mitchell Young (Lodi/Black River) checked in with the one Beaver sack on Saturday.
Franklin moved the chains 24 times, compared to 21 first downs for Bluffton. The Grizzlies also tallied 495 yards of offense while the Beavers rounded up 450. Both teams were whistled for five penalties.
The Beavers are back in action on Saturday, Oct. 8, when they travel to Indiana for a matchup with Hanover College. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. Go Beavers!
-BEAVERS-
