FRANKLIN, Ind. — On the strength of seven sacks and four recoveries, UW-Stout took a 27-0 lead and cruised to a 27-7 win at Franklin.
Last year's NCAA Division III playoff qualifiers proved too much for Franklin (0-1) to handle as they piled up 202 yards on the ground. Sophomore running back Luke Bundgaard led all rushers with 86 yards and a touchdown while scrambling quarterback Nick Ohman ran for 74.
Stout (2-0) raced out to an early 6-0 lead on a fumble by Franklin quarterback Eric Sabo at the Grizzlies' 10-yard line on the third play of the game. They extended their lead to 14-0 by halftime with a blocked punt setting up a 34-yard scramble by Ohman on a broken play. Early in the second half, Sabo again fumbled with Stout cornerback Abraham Cruz recovering and returning the football 11 yards for the score.
Franklin's offense started slowly, but gradually the quarterback duo of Sabo and Jeremy Neibert proved effective as they combined for 268 total yards. But it was too little, too late as the ground game netted minus-10 yards. Junior wingback Andy Mamula got Franklin on the scoreboard late in the third quarter on a 10-yard TD reception from Sabo. A stalemate fourth quarter ended with the score 27-7.
Defense, however, was a bright spot for the Grizzlies. After giving up nearly 500 yards to the Blue Devils in last year's early meeting, FC held them to only 298 (only 96 through the air) this time. Sophomore free safety Clint Rider led all tacklers with 12 and sophomore cornerback Ki Yoon snagged Franklin's only interception.
Stout's Ben Tarkowski pulled down three passes for 34 yards and a TD. Ohman completed five of 11 passes for 72 yards. The Grizzlies' Sabo completed 14 of 27 passes for 161 yards, but had two interceptions. Jeremy Neibert came off the bench to complete 12 of 19 passes for 107 yards. Brandon Gillard hauled in six passes for 91 yards and Eddie Tucker grabbed six passes for 85 yards.
Game Story
