By Colton Steiner
As the Bluffton University Beavers football team prepares for its home game against Franklin College at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, students, faculty and players are getting amped up for the game. Defiance College is the school’s main rival, but the competition between Franklin and Bluffton makes it feel like a rivalry game.
With Defiance being Bluffton’s arch rival, why would Franklin also be considered a candidate for rivalry? Over the last 11 years, Franklin holds a 10-1 advantage over the Beavers. The win for Bluffton came two years ago in 2013 after the Beavers defeated the No. 9 ranked Franklin, 24-17. The victory shocked the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference and the NCAA Division III world.
“Franklin is the defending conference champion, and a great football team,” said Bluffton head coach Denny Dorrel on facing Franklin. “Our guys know that in order to reach the goal of a conference championship, they are going to have to beat Franklin.”
Dorrel recognizes Franklin is a top-notch team and knows how intense it is for the players and the team.
“It is an opportunity to go out and prove ourselves as a team, and how far we have come as a program in the year and a half we’ve been together,” he said.
From a player’s perspective, the game against Franklin is a big game to circle on the calendar. Junior defensive back Robbie Massing recalls what it felt like when Bluffton beat Franklin.
“It was unbelievable,” said Massing. “It was a magical moment, probably one of the greatest moments of my football career. For me, Franklin is the closest college to my home town, so it’s a pretty big rivalry for me personally.”
With the Beavers season sitting second in the conference at a record of 1-1, a win against the Grizzlies would help Bluffton’s ranking in the HCAC standings.
