Franklin, Ind. - The Franklin College football team takes its Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) title hopes to Mount St. Joseph University for a key matchup on Saturday, October 29 at 1:30 p.m. from Cincinnati, Ohio.

Franklin and Mount St. Joseph are currently part of a four-way first-place tie place in the HCAC, with each team having one league loss. Bluffton University and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, the other two first-place teams, also square off on Saturday.

The outcome of the two games could play an important role in eventually determining this year's league champion and representative in the NCAA Division III playoffs.

Franklin, 5-2 overall, is receiving votes in the D3Football.com and American Football Coaches Association polls after suffering its first HCAC loss of the season last Saturday.

The Grizzlies' high-powered offense ranks second among Division III teams for passing offense, averaging 383 yards per game.

Junior Chase Burton is ranked among the nation's best small-college quarterbacks. He stands second in passing touchdowns (27), third in passing yards per game (353.4 yards per game), fourth in total passing yards (2,474 yards), and ninth in total offense (355 yards per game).

Senior Ty'Ronte Files leads the team in rushing yards (367 yards) and is tied for fourth in receptions (23).

Juniors Darrel Crenshaw (50 catches) and Deontez Alexander (40) are currently Franklin's top two pass-catching threats, with Alexander having caught eight touchdown passes and a team-high 622 receiving yards.

Junior Lee Wroblewski ranks second on the team with seven touchdown receptions and stands third with 34 receptions

Defensively, junior Jared Wesley leads the team with 45 tackles and is coming off a 19-tackle performance last week. The 19 tackles were the most recorded in a game for a Franklin defender since 2007.