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LISLE, IL - Dylan Leschewski reeled in a touchdown with 1:21 left to cap a dramatic late comeback in a back and forth affair as the Benedictine University football team opened the season with a thrilling 26-25 win at home over visiting Franklin College.
Trailing 25-19, Benedictine had driven down to the Franklin 17 before being stopped on a fourth and one with 2:11 to go. Franklin ran a play before a Benedictine timeout. Keenon Davis forced a fumble on second down that was scooped up by Quran Rahman to set the stage for the game-winning score, a 15-yard pass from Tyler Jarnagin.
Benedictine set the tone of the game early in opening with a 14-play, 90-yard drive that ate 8:06 of the first quarter. Jarnagin opened the scoring by connecting with Alex Lopez on a 12-yard score with 6:54 left in the first. Franklin responded with a 13-play drive to tie the game with 1:11 to go in the first. After halting Benedictine on a fourth down play, the visitors grabbed a 10-7 lead midway through the second before Benedictine scored the final nine points. Kiandre Morris put Benedictine back in front after a turnover on down by snagging a 12-yard scoring pass from Jarnagin to make the score 13-10 with just 55 seconds to play in the half.
Jalaan Owens stepped in front of a pass and brought it back 70 yards to the Franklin 25-yardline to close the half. A penalty on the play allowed Tanner Mateus a chance to add to the lead and the freshman drilled his first collegiate field goal on an untimed down, striking from 32 yards to put Benedictine ahead 16-10 at halftime.
Franklin opened the second half with a 14-play drive to take a 17-16 edge. Franklin forced a three-and-out but fumbled the punt, allowing Mateus to kick his second field goal of the game and hand Benedictine a 19-17 lead with a 33-yard boot at the 5:40 mark of the third. The only Benedictine turnover of the game allowed Franklin to scored a go-ahead touchdown and add a two-point conversion to lead 25-19 with 7:23 left following a 10-play drive.
Benedictine forced five turnovers including four fumbles. Franklin ran for 252 yards on 40 carries and held a 446-356 advantage in total yards. Jarnagin threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns, completing 29 passes while rushing for 29 yards. Lopez reeled in 11 passes for 114 yards and a score. Leschewski finished with 75 yards receiving on three catches. Kaiden O'Connor led the defense with 15 stops while Davis added 13 and Scottie Bobeck finished with 11 tackles. Owens recorded an interception and a fumble recovery.
Franklin led the nation in yards per game last year and ranked ninth in the nation in scoring, winning eight games. Franklin won 55-38 in last year's season opener in Indiana. Franklin has won a share of nine straight conference titles in the HCAC.
Benedictine (1-0) travels to Loras next Saturday night.