E-RUPP-TION AT OTTERBEIN
WESTERVILLE, OHIO - Franklin College will move on to the second round of the D-III NCAA playoffs, following a 62-45 win at Otterbein College over the Cardinals. This is only the second win by an HCAC team in the national tournament.
Senior Chad Rupp threw for career highs in both yards (527) and touchdowns (7). He completed 41-of-61 passes with just one interception. He also ran for 49 net yards on 13 carries.
Rupp broke single-game records for passing completions, total offense and passing yards, while tying the record for passing touchdowns in a game.
“Chad, I can’t say enough about Chad and, you know, our group of receivers, but the offensive line pass protected real well all day,” said head coach Mike Leonard.
“We weren’t as bright-eyed and overly excited … it was a little bit more mission-like … We’re very happy to beat a darn-good football team like that.”
Senior Logan Deffner more than doubled his touchdown total for the regular season, which was four. He caught for 164 yards and five touchdowns on 10 catches.
“I know I had four coming into this game. So this game, it was unbelievable,” Deffner said. He said he had never played a game quite like it in his entire career.
The game started out as a defensive grudge-match, as neither earned more than one first down per drive for the first six drives. The game was tied at zero at the end of the first quarter.
The Grizzly offense began to drive at the end of the quarter, but fumbled the ball away on Otterbein’s 48 yard-line to start the second quarter.
The Grizzly defense continued to take care of business, though, as sophomore Rex Olds recovered a Cardinal fumble.
Senior Chad Rupp drove the Grizzly offense down the field for the first score, anchored by a third and 13 conversion on a pass to senior Kevin Lynch and a fourth-down completion to sophomore Matt Zmich. Rupp’s first touchdown pass went to Deffner.
Otterbein answered with a touchdown drive of its own. After a 54-yard pass to sophomore Colton Coy by Jack Rafferty, the same two hooked up for the three-yard touchdown that tied the score.
Franklin wasted a 37-yard kickoff return to the Otterbein 49-yardline with another punt. Franklin’s defense stiffened as well when senior Nick Rulon managed a sack.
On the following Franklin drive, a Rupp pass was batted, intercepted and returned to the Franklin 10 yard-line, before Rafferty ran it in for the score on first down to go up 14-7.
Rupp and company worked the two-minute drill to perfection with a touchdown drive that took just 1:38. A 42-yard completion to Deffner led to a 3-yard touchdown pass to the same receiver.
Otterbein ran out the remaining 46.1 seconds of the half to take a 14-14 tie into halftime.
The second half was a shootout. A combined 89 points would be scored, mostly through the air.
“We figured we need to go no-huddle. We need to go and let [Rupp] call,” Leonard said.
“We kind of had a good feel for what they were going to play and what they were going to do,” Rupp said. “So in the second half, we made some adjustments at halftime and really went out there and executed them well.”
On Franklin’s first possession of the half, Deffner caught a screen pass from Rupp and took it in for the score. The drive lasted just three plays and 46 seconds.
Otterbein would respond, though, with a field goal of its own to pull within 21-17. Senior Roshawn Hill batted down a third-down pass in the end zone to prevent the score.
Following a Franklin three-and-out, the Tanner McCormick caught a Rafferty pass and took it 41 yards for a touchdown to take a 24-21 lead.
Franklin answered once again with five-play, 75-yard drive of its own. The drive was anchored by a third-down completion from Rupp to Lynch. Rupp launched a pass 47 yards to the endzone for senior Tony Gregory. An Otterbein defender tipped the pass, and Gregory caught the ball off the deflection for the touchdown. The Grizzlies took back the lead, 28-24.
On the next Cardinal drive, Senior Scott Martin knocked down a pass in the endzone, but the Cardinals did not go away. Ray Welch caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Rafferty to go up 31-28. That would prove to be Otterbein’s last lead of the game.
Rupp found a wide open Deffner for a 23-yard touchdown strike. Franklin missed the PAT, though, and the lead was 34-21. On the next Cardinal possession, Hill recovered a fumble to set up the Grizzly offense at the Otterbein 20. They took advantage.
It took the Grizzlies just two plays – 39 seconds – to score. Gregory, who was guarded closely on the play, caught the Rupp touchdown pass, which went for 14 yards. Franklin led 41-31 at this point.
On the next Otterbein possession, senior Jamison Foley broke up a third down pass to force a punt.
The quarter closed with a 41-31 score. Both teams combined for 44 points in the quarter, which the Grizzlies won, 21-17.
Otterbein showed signs of life to start the fourth quarter when it forced and tipped a Franklin punt.
The Cardinals took advantage of the block, as well as a third-down pass interference call, with a score of their own. Rafferty threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Coy for the touchdown to pull within three. But that would be as close as the Cardinals would get.
Senior Neil Craig caught a 27 yard pass from Rupp to get the next drive moving. The Grizzly offense then overcame a 12-yard loss on a sack and a false start penalty with a 23-yard touchdown strike in a third-down and 14 situation. Deffner dove to catch the Rupp pass in the endzone to go up, 48-38.
The Grizzly defense stepped up and forced a Cardinal punt.
Once again, the Grizzlies drove the field. But this time the Grizzly ground game played a large part. Senior Jon-Erik Bennett ran 63 yards to the Otterbein 17-yard-line. Rupp ran it in for the score from 12 yards out to put Franklin up 55-38.
With the help of a sack by senior Dan McManus, the Grizzlies forced another Cardinal punt. McManus has recorded a sack in every game this season.
Bennett continued Franklin’s close-out efforts with a 13-yard touchdown run, which capped off a 78-yard, nine play drive.
The Cardinals scored in the closing minutes – on a touchdown pass to McCormick – but their onside kick attempt failed and Franklin downed the ball to finish off the clock and the 62-45 win.
“The biggest thing we wanted to come here and do, you know, was win,” Rupp said. "We didn’t care if, I mean, we win 3-0 or like we won today.”
Over 1,000 combined yards were gained on the day, 657 by Franklin and 407 by Otterbein. Franklin gained 527 through the air and 130 yards rushing. Otterbein had 336 passing and 71 rushing.
Gregory caught for 103 yards and two touchdowns on five catches. Lynch had 89 yards on 10 catches. Zmich and Craig had 67 and 65 receiving yards respectively.
Bennett led the Grizzly ground attack with 81 yards and a touchdown on six carries.
Otterbein’s Rafferty completed 20-of-42 pass attempts for 336 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. Ryan Rowley led the Cardinals in receiving with 108 yards on five catches. McCormick and Coy had two touchdown receptions each.
Next week the Grizzlies will take on North Central College, the same team that knocked them out of the playoffs last season.
“We look for a great matchup again. Hopefully we can hang with them at their place.”
Because North central (11-0) is a one seed – Franklin is a five – the game will be played at North Central.
