FRANKLIN, Ind. — Showing little mercy on Homecoming at Franklin, visiting Anderson made use of all their offensive weapons and a smothering defense in a 42-14 decision.
The Ravens (4-1, 2-0 HCAC) capitalized on five FC turnovers, including four interceptions, and turned a seven-point halftime advantage into a 28-point victory.
AU quarterback Joel Steele led the Anderson attack with 358 yards and three touchdowns on 30-of-53 passing. AU struck first on a 15-yard touchdown pass from Steele to running back Antonio Hickerson. Franklin (2-3, 1-1 HCAC) kept it close in the first half when senior linebacker Eric Shields picked off a Steele pass at the line of scrimmage and sprinted 37 yards to tie it up.
The Ravens then used an efficient offense that gained 566 yards on the day to slowly wear the Grizzlies down. A bright spot for FC came at the end of the first half when sophomore quarterback Eric Sabo threw a 39-yard Hail Mary with three seconds left to trim AU's lead to 21-14. The ball bounced off several players' hands before finally ending up in the clutches of sophomore wide receiver Dustin Faulstick — his first career TD as a college player.
Anderson came out quickly in the second half, marching down the field twice in the third quarter as running back Eric Trauthwein punched it in from 2 yards out each time. The 35-14 deficit proved too much for the Grizzlies to handle. The Ravens' defense shut down leading receiver Eddie Tucker, who was limited to four catches and only 13 yards. Junior running back Brandon Gillard provided most of the FC offense with a combined 128 rushing and receiving yards. The quarterback duo of Sabo and sophomore Jeremy Neibert struggled to complete 19 of 45 passes and total four interceptions. The entire offense managed an uncharacteristic 248 yards.
The FC defense did what it could by tallying three sacks and a fumble recovery. Sophomore defensive back Clint Rider had the task of keeping up with Raven wide receiver David Vance, who had 130 yards on 13 catches. Rider stepped up with a team-leading 15 tackles.
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