Franklin 30, Trine 29
But on Saturday Sept. 26, the clouds disappeared and made way for the sun to shine all day. Temperatures were perfect for an afternoon of college football. And that very thought of how it seemed like a perfect day for college football went through my head as I drove the 30 or so miles south from Indianapolis to Franklin, the seat of Johnson County, to photograph the game between the Franklin College Grizzlies (1-1) and the 22nd ranked Trine University Thunder (2-0).
At Stewart “Red” Faught Stadium at Franklin College, football fans tailgated outside the stadium just before the game.
In 2009, the Grizzlies were striving to win their third consecutive Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference championship. They had defeated non-conference foe Baldwin-Wallace College, 38-31, in Berea, Ohio, in their season opener three week earlier. But they lost to Butler University at home, 49-19, the following week in another non-conference matchup. They’d had a week off coming into the game against Trine, their last non-conference game of the regular season.
Defeating Trine – like Franklin, an ascending NCAA Division III power – would be a tall order. In 2008, the two teams met at Trine in Angola, Ind., and roles were reversed: Franklin came into the game ranked 21st in NCAA Division III, while Trine was looking to beat its first ranked team as an NCAA D3 program. Trine rose to the challenge, slipping past Franklin 30-27 on its way to an undefeated regular season before losing in the first game of the NCAA Division III postseason tournament.
The Thunder had an uneven start to 2009, escaping with a 16-14 win at Manchester University, whose team would finish the year only 5-5. Then they enjoyed a 40-9 romp over HCAC member Defiance (Ohio) College at home. Despite the struggle versus Manchester, Trine nevertheless had a place in the Top 25 rankings of NCAA Division III schools.
Franklin had another factor in its favor; it was coached by Mike Leonard, who had extensive college and pro experience when he took over the job in 2003.
Franklin was the first to score in the 2009 game. Machy Magdalinos kicked a 27-yard field goal, giving the Grizzlies a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. Trine then scored 13 unanswered points before Franklin’s Nick Mongan ran the ball into the end zone from 1 yard out with 20 seconds left in the first half, enabling the host team to go to the locker rooms down only 13-10.
Trine increased the lead to 23-10 late in the third quarter on a Jeremy Howard field goal and a 24-yard Eric Watt pass to Cody Nash-Kniffen (see picture above). But Franklin came right back.
Above: Franklin defenders Jesse Mercer (33) and Joe Rush (47) combine to bring down Trine’s JaVontae Hence after a 6-yard pass reception in the third quarter.
At 9:43 in the fourth quarter, Purichia (pictured above making a short gain on a quarterback keeper) scored on a 9-yard run, capping an eight-play 82-yard drive, and after the conversion kick, Franklin inched ahead, 24-23, its first lead since 3-0 in the first quarter.
In just two and a half minutes, Trine responded by going 79 yards on seven plays.
Quarterback Watt (#13 in photo below) scored on a 24-yard run, putting the Thunder up 29-24 with 7:13 left in the game. But a failed two-point conversion pass play after the touchdown proved to be critical.
The Franklin offense took the field after the ensuing kickoff, and after a 13-play drive, the Grizzlies finished the day’s scoring with 2:43 left on the clock when Purichia tossed a 13-yard pass to Adam Mellencamp in the end zone. The Grizzlies also tried a two-point conversion to hopefully create a three-point advantage. But it, too, failed. Fortunately, the 30-29 lead held up in the end. The Grizzlies' defense stopped Trine on a fourth-down play on the Thunder's next offensive possession, and the Franklin offense then ran out the clock.
Both teams created a lot of offense in the game. Trine relied heavily on quarterback Watt, who led the Thunder in rushing, gaining 120 yards in 17 attempts and one touchdown. He completed 27 of 39 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns. He'd given the Grizzlies' defense fits all game long.
Franklin’s quarterback tandem of Kyle Ray and Nick Purichia completed a combined 33 passes out of 56 attempts for 335 yards and two touchdowns. Where Franklin came up short was in the rushing game. Four rushers had a combined total of 96 yards – 24 yards less than Watt gained by himself – with Mitch Downs leading the way with 44 yards on 10 carries.
Safety Jesse Mercer (#33 in photo above) led the Grizzlies’ defense with 10 tackles – nine solo – and had Franklin’s only interception, which snuffed out a Trine scoring drive in the second quarter. Mercer was named the HCAC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
The following week, the Grizzlies were rewarded by entering the D3 rankings at No. 22. Trine, on the other hand, dropped out of the rankings, but that wouldn't last long.
The Grizzlies started October enjoying three more victories before falling in consecutive weeks to Mount St. Joseph’s (the eventual 2009 HCAC champion and postseason NCAA D3 tournament representative) and Rose-Hulman. They also fell out of the rankings, finishing the regular season with two wins and a 7-3 overall record (5-2 in the conference).
After dropping its game to Franklin, the Thunder won the rest of their regular season games, eventually return to the rankings, claim another undefeated Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship and defeat Case Western Reserve 51-28 in the first round of the D3 postseason playoffs. They lost to North Coast Atlantic Conference champion Wittenberg in the second round and finished the year ranked 17th in D3.
As for Eric Watt ... well, his accomplishments at Trine were staggering. By the time he graduated in December 2010, he would lead the Thunder to 20 straight MIAA wins; three consecutive MIAA football titles; two consecutive postseason D3 Sweet 16 appearances; and a three-year regular season record of 29-1 (the 2009 loss to Franklin being the only blemish).
Furthermore, Watt would be named:
* MIAA player of the week seven times in his career;
* MIAA offensive most valuable player in 2009 and 2010;
* All-conference quarterback in 2008, 2009 and 2010;
* To the MIAA all-academic honor roll in 2009 and 2010.
* Winner of the 2010 Gagliardi Trophy, NCAA Division III’s most prestigious individual football award (D3’s equivalent to the well-known Division I Heisman Trophy). Franklin quarterback Kyle Ray, who had started the 2009 game against Trine for the Grizzlies, would enjoy a stellar 2010 season and join Watt among the four finalists for the Gagliardi Trophy.
In 2016, Watt was inducted into his school’s athletics hall of fame, and in 2019 he was named to the school’s All-Quarter-Century Football Team.
Franklin Coach Mike Leonard would complete his career with a record of 129-44. The wins total was the second most as a Franklin College football coach, behind only the legendary Red Faught's 159. Leonard was named HCAC football coach of the year seven times in his 17 seasons at Franklin.
Above: Franklin ball carrier Mitch Downs (22) runs for a short gain early in the first quarter.
Above: Franklin's Joshua Bales (52) notched the Grizzlies' only sack of Watt, costing the Thunder offense 7 yards. It came at 9:17 of the first quarter.
Above: Machy Magdalinos (14) attempts one of his three field goal tries (below).
Franklin running back Nick Mongan (above) runs for yards along the right sideline after a first-half pass reception. Below, cornerback Ross Tierney (8) wrestles Trine's Paul Curtis (5) to the ground after the Thunder wide receiver caught a first-half pass from Eric Watt.
Trine quarterback Eric Watt (above) kept the Franklin defense on its toes throughout the game. Below, in the second play of the second quarter, he looked for an open receiver, which would turn out to be Paul Curtis (#5 in second photo below). Curtis made the catch across his body at the 50-yard line and fought his way to the Franklin 43 for a 20-yard gain. It was Curtis’ 50th career reception at Trine.
Franklin quarterback Kyle Ray (above) is off on a run in the first half. Below, as Ray is back to pass, offensive tackle John Werbe (70) has his jersey stretched by Trine defensive lineman Chris Eichman (obscured by Ray).
The pass rush of Franklin defensive lineman Joshua Bales (52) is delayed at the line of scrimmage (above) by a fallen blocker for Trine quarterback Eric Watt, who will get this pass off uncontested. Below, on a separate down, Watt begins a hand-off to running back George Outlaw.
After a rough few seasons, Leonard led the Grizzlies to conference championships and postseason games in 2007 and 2008, and in the latter, the team made it to the tournament quarterfinals, the school's postseason high mark during his tenure as head coach from 2003 to 2019. His Franklin teams would eventually win or share 11 HCAC titles and qualify for the postseason playoffs nine times before Leonard stepped down.
Franklin was the first to score in the 2009 game. Machy Magdalinos kicked a 27-yard field goal, giving the Grizzlies a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. Trine then scored 13 unanswered points before Franklin’s Nick Mongan ran the ball into the end zone from 1 yard out with 20 seconds left in the first half, enabling the host team to go to the locker rooms down only 13-10.
With 40 seconds left in the quarter, Grizzlies’ quarterback Nick Purichia, spelling Kyle Ray (shown in the lead-off photo), connected with Ryan Momberger for a 15-yard touchdown pass, and after the extra-point kick, the home team was within 23-17. That's Momberger below on his scamper to the end zone.
At 9:43 in the fourth quarter, Purichia (pictured above making a short gain on a quarterback keeper) scored on a 9-yard run, capping an eight-play 82-yard drive, and after the conversion kick, Franklin inched ahead, 24-23, its first lead since 3-0 in the first quarter.
In just two and a half minutes, Trine responded by going 79 yards on seven plays.
Quarterback Watt (#13 in photo below) scored on a 24-yard run, putting the Thunder up 29-24 with 7:13 left in the game. But a failed two-point conversion pass play after the touchdown proved to be critical.
Both teams created a lot of offense in the game. Trine relied heavily on quarterback Watt, who led the Thunder in rushing, gaining 120 yards in 17 attempts and one touchdown. He completed 27 of 39 passes for 233 yards and three touchdowns. He'd given the Grizzlies' defense fits all game long.
Safety Jesse Mercer (#33 in photo above) led the Grizzlies’ defense with 10 tackles – nine solo – and had Franklin’s only interception, which snuffed out a Trine scoring drive in the second quarter. Mercer was named the HCAC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
The following week, the Grizzlies were rewarded by entering the D3 rankings at No. 22. Trine, on the other hand, dropped out of the rankings, but that wouldn't last long.
The Grizzlies started October enjoying three more victories before falling in consecutive weeks to Mount St. Joseph’s (the eventual 2009 HCAC champion and postseason NCAA D3 tournament representative) and Rose-Hulman. They also fell out of the rankings, finishing the regular season with two wins and a 7-3 overall record (5-2 in the conference).
After dropping its game to Franklin, the Thunder won the rest of their regular season games, eventually return to the rankings, claim another undefeated Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship and defeat Case Western Reserve 51-28 in the first round of the D3 postseason playoffs. They lost to North Coast Atlantic Conference champion Wittenberg in the second round and finished the year ranked 17th in D3.
As for Eric Watt ... well, his accomplishments at Trine were staggering. By the time he graduated in December 2010, he would lead the Thunder to 20 straight MIAA wins; three consecutive MIAA football titles; two consecutive postseason D3 Sweet 16 appearances; and a three-year regular season record of 29-1 (the 2009 loss to Franklin being the only blemish).
Furthermore, Watt would be named:
* MIAA player of the week seven times in his career;
* MIAA offensive most valuable player in 2009 and 2010;
* All-conference quarterback in 2008, 2009 and 2010;
* To the MIAA all-academic honor roll in 2009 and 2010.
* Winner of the 2010 Gagliardi Trophy, NCAA Division III’s most prestigious individual football award (D3’s equivalent to the well-known Division I Heisman Trophy). Franklin quarterback Kyle Ray, who had started the 2009 game against Trine for the Grizzlies, would enjoy a stellar 2010 season and join Watt among the four finalists for the Gagliardi Trophy.
In 2016, Watt was inducted into his school’s athletics hall of fame, and in 2019 he was named to the school’s All-Quarter-Century Football Team.
Franklin Coach Mike Leonard would complete his career with a record of 129-44. The wins total was the second most as a Franklin College football coach, behind only the legendary Red Faught's 159. Leonard was named HCAC football coach of the year seven times in his 17 seasons at Franklin.
To read a more detailed account of this game, follow the link in this sentence. The link takes you to a chapter from my recent On Hoosier Gridirons multi-part blog series, a chapter that focuses entirely on this game. To view a full gallery of images from this game, follow the link in this sentence.
Above: Later in the second quarter, Franklin's Jesse Mercer intercepted a Watt pass in the end zone to thwart a Thunder drive.
Above: Trine's Mario Brown takes off running after receiving Franklin's kick-off following Machy Magdalinos's 27-yard field goal with 5 minutes left in the first quarter. Brown returned the kick nine yards before being tackled by Franklin special teams member Isaac Davis.
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Next up: Chapter 2, Franklin College campus
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