FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Mount St. Joseph University football team survived a wild finish Saturday afternoon, scoring with just over a minute remaining before forcing a turnover at the goal line to secure a 42-36 HCAC victory over Franklin College.
With the win, the Lions improve to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play.
Franklin struck first, taking a 7-0 lead midway through the opening quarter. The Lions answered with a 12-play, 67-yard drive, capped by a two-yard touchdown pass from Jaxon Schreiber to Eli Aston to even the score at seven.
The Grizzlies quickly regained the lead, scoring less than a minute later to go ahead 14-7.
Mount St. Joseph responded again early in the second quarter. Dallas De La Cruz finished a 12-play, 70-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 14. Franklin went back in front 21-14 midway through the quarter, but De La Cruz found the end zone for the second time with 2:25 remaining before halftime, sending the teams into the locker room tied at 21.
The Lions grabbed their first lead of the afternoon in the third quarter. Joey Thamann capped a 10-play, 78-yard drive with an 11-yard touchdown run, giving the Mount a 28-21 advantage. MSJ's defense kept Franklin off the scoreboard throughout the third quarter and came up with multiple stops on fourth down.
Franklin regained the lead early in the fourth, scoring a touchdown and converting the two-point attempt to move ahead 29-28.
The Lions answered immediately. Schreiber guided the offense 76 yards in six plays, connecting with Brandon Couch for a one-yard touchdown with 11:07 remaining to put MSJ back in front 35-29.
Franklin had one final push, taking over with 3:57 remaining and driving 57 yards. On fourth-and-10 from the MSJ 19-yard line, Marshall Kmiecik connected with Owen Wright for a touchdown, and the extra point gave the Grizzlies a 36-35 lead with just 1:34 remaining.
The lead lasted only 16 seconds.
On the ensuing kickoff, Aston fielded the ball at the MSJ five-yard line and raced 95 yards for a touchdown, giving the Lions a 42-36 advantage with 1:18 left to play.
Franklin would get one final opportunity and drove all the way to the Mount's two-yard line. With 10 seconds remaining, Kmiecik attempted to run the ball into the end zone, but Mason Morris forced the ball loose at the goal line and recovered the fumble in the end zone for a touchback. The Lions took over with three seconds remaining and kneeled out the victory.
Schreiber finished the afternoon 21-of-32 passing for 303 yards and two touchdowns. De La Cruz led the rushing attack with 79 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries while also catching five passes for 41 yards.
Aston finished with four receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown, while adding the game-winning 95-yard kickoff return. Michael Hunkus added three catches for 60 yards.
Defensively, Brady Pierce and Logan Julian led the Lions with seven tackles apiece. Morris finished with six tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. Royce Rachel recorded two tackles for loss and a sack, while Ailjah Walker added 1.5 sacks.
The Lions finished with 437 yards of total offense, including 303 through the air and 134 on the ground. MSJ was a perfect 5-for-5 in the red zone and held Franklin to just 44 rushing yards.
UP NEXT: The Lions return to action next Saturday, welcoming the Bluffton Beavers to Schueler Field with the game scheduled to kickoff at 1:30 PM.
