By Clyde Hughes
D3sports.com
No Franklin football team has been ranked No. 14 or higher since the Grizzlies joined the NCAA from the NAIA in 1992 -- until now.
Coach Mike Leonard, the man who has led the turnaround of the Franklin program said he is pleased with recognition, but said it should all be kept in perspective.
"I know that football is cyclical, so we're going to enjoy this while we can," Leonard said. "I know things can change for you in a New York minute. It's flattering and I guess it means people are noticing what we are doing, but we're just trying to focus on the job at hand and what we are trying to do each week."
Franklin went 9-2 last year, putting together the school's first back-to-back nine-win seasons in at least 15 years. Before Leonard arrived, the Grizzlies (2-0) haven't had a winning season since 1998. He said, though, that nothing is a given and even trying to look ahead to a potential showdown with 2-0 Mount St. Joseph on Oct. 25 could be dangerous.
"We've been through enough games with our leaders where they know if you take someone lightly it can come back and bite you in the leg," Leonard said.
That's why Leonard said he and his coaching staff is crossing every "t" and dotting every "i" for this Saturday's game against a team that ... well ... looks like an up and coming Franklin in Trine University.
Trine, long-time also-rans in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is 2-0 and averaging more than 40 points a game. There would be nothing better to solidify that rebuilding effort in Angola, Ind., than to knock off their nationally ranked southern Indiana cousins. That thought is not loss on Leonard.
"I have a great deal of respect for their coaching staff," Leonard said. "(Trine coach) Matt Land is a good friend and they are doing things really well. Their offense is a really potent and they keep people off balance. They run a version of the run-and-shoot made famous by our legendary coach at Franklin years ago. Defensively, they do a good job with their 3-4 and it keeps the quarterback guessing by disguising their schemes. It's going to be a really good game."
Franklin has been riding the arm of Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Offensive player of the year Chad Rupp. Rupp has passed for 711 yards and seven touchdowns in his first two games, completing 51 of 84 passes (60 percent completion rate) and one interception. Leonard said he expects Rupp to play even better.
"He's a little disappointed in himself that he's hasn't been able to complete more passes but he's doing a great job of leading the rest of the guys and getting into the end zone the best way we can," Leonard said.
In fact, this season Leonard is allowing Rupp to call his own plays, an old-school football tradition that's actually rare in pigskin circles today. It's especially interesting when it was Leonard who called the plays until now.
"It started a little bit last year when I was on the sideline struggling to think of something and I would just point at him and tell him you call it," Leonard said with a laugh. "We do enough no-huddle where he's calling the plays anyway where it's not rocket science. What I like is that he's standing in front of 10 other guys and they know pretty much what's working. He's getting plenty of input, but Chad has really blossomed with his play-calling."
Leonard said he is concerned about Franklin's five fumbles in two games, losing three of them. He said that number will have to turn around if his team expects to find any success in conference play. He said he was particularly pleased, though, with his special teams units. Rocky Magdalinos has been exceptional in his kickoffs as well as field goals and extra points. He said true freshman Max Woodbury won the starting punters job and averaging 43.6 yards per punt.
"We call our special teams Raider Force and they have made a couple of plays that have been the difference in our two games," Leonard said. "Our captain Scott Martin is one of those pure special team players and he is playing very well."
Leonard said the games at Franklin are a lot more fun now than the first year in 2003 when he went 2-8, but he said his team will have to remember the hard work that got them there is they want to stay on top.
CCIW gets noticed
There are three conferences which has two teams listed among the Top 10 Division III football school in the country this week. One of those conferences is the CCIW. Wheaton improved to No. 7 this week and North Central came in at No. 9.
"I've always said the CCIW is a great football conference," said Wheaton coach Mike Swider, whose team is 2-0 and had a big win vs. Bethel in Week 2. "You don't get a lot of chances to play Top 25 teams and so it means a lot when you can win those games. The wins help and hopefully it will help you down the road when playoff time comes."
The CCIW is another week away before they have to start eating each other in conference play. Swider said it would be there where the CCIW teams will really get to earn their stripes.
"The thing that I tell my players is that we can only get one win per game," Swider said. "We don't get two wins because we beat a ranked team. That win counts as one just like all the rest of them, so we have to have the same amount of effort for every game we play."
