Franklin, Ind. - The Rhodes College Lynx continue to show improvement early in the 2021 season. The Lynx led 29-21 late in the third quarter only to have turnovers on consecutive possessions lead to 15 unanswered Franklin points as Franklin used a goal line stand in the last minute to beat Rhodes 36-29.
Rhodes opened the scoring at the 11:14 mark of the first quarter after recovering a 34-yard fumbled punt at the Franklin 10-yard line. Three plays later, senior running back JaVon Cooper opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run giving the Lynx an early 7-0 lead.
Franklin showed big play abilities the entire game and tied the game 7-7 on a 47-yard touchdown reception by Dylan McKinney with 10:12 to play in the first quarter. The Grizzlies only needed three plays to go 54 yards.
The Lynx would respond on the ensuing possession. Senior running back James Moskosky capped a 12-play 81-yard drive with a 1-yard scoring run to give the Lynx a 13-7 lead.
Franklin would respond immediately going 74 yards on eight plays, taking a 14-13 lead after a Derek Thompson touchdown run gave the Grizzlies their first lead of the game.
Both teams would trade punts until the Lynx capitalized on their second fumble recovery of the first half at the Franklin 33-yard line. Four plays and 20 yards later the Lynx regained the lead on a Wiley Henshaw 30-yard field goal with 11:40 left in the first half, giving Rhodes a 16-14 advantage.
The Lynx, who looked to extend their lead after driving into Franklin territory for the fourth time, decided to go for it on fourth and one at the Franklin 35. However, the Grizzlies defense came up big stuffing Rhodes for a loss on fourth down.
Three plays later on third and 13 Franklin connected on another big play, this time it was Jarrett Gibson on the receiving end of a 57-yard touchdown reception to give Franklin a 21-16 lead with 2:20 remaining in the first half.
Rhodes scored on a fourth and goal pass to hold a one-point edge at halftime (22-21). Junior quarterback Luke Macias connected with sophomore wide receiver Aaron Cooper on a two-yard touchdown pass on the final Lynx play of the first half.
After both teams traded punts in the third quarter, the Lynx extended their lead to 29-21 on a Luke Macias touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Walker Taylor with 3:32 to play in the third quarter. After another Lynx fumble recovery at their 45-yardline, the momentum quickly shifted to Franklin.
A Franklin interception return to The Rhodes 10, setup a Franklin quarterback Danes Andrews third touchdown pass of the game and after a successful 2-point conversion, the game was tied at 29-29 with 1:46 to play in the game.
The Grizzlies continued their surge with a fumble recovery on the kickoff return and two plays later a Dane Andrews fourth touchdown pass provided the winning score.
First-year Lynx Head Coach Rich Duncan was proud of the effort. "I am really proud of our team's effort today. We competed for four quarters and stood toe to toe with a very good Franklin team on the road. We played with passion and grit and I believe we are on the right path to find success."
For the day, Macias completed 32 of 48 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns. Moskosky rushed 28 times for 129 yards and a score. Offensively the Lynx ran 97 plays for 466 yards. Freshman wide receiver Umikoa Kealoha had eight receptions for 81 yards and Aaron Cooper had a career high 11 catches for 67 yards and a touchdown.
The Lynx defense forced three fumbles on the day and recorded three quarterback sacks. Freshman Hart Penfield led all defenders with nine tackles and a sack. Senior Kobe Bins added eight tackles and a sack.
Franklin improves to 2-0 on the young season, while Rhodes drops to 0-2. The Lynx return to action on September 25 with a road game against Westminster (MO) in Fulton, Mo.
