Football Set for Final Road Test of 2013 at No. 11 Franklin

DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Defiance College Yellow Jackets (3-5, 3-3 HCAC) will travel to Franklin College (5-2, 5-0 HCAC) for their final road game of the 2013 season on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Faught Stadium. [Game Notes]

Series History
Saturday's meeting will be the 15th meeting in the history of the two programs. Franklin holds a 10-4 series advantage over Defiance. 

Last season the Yellow Jackets fell to Franklin 35-14 in Defiance. The Yellow Jackets have dropped the last seven games to Franklin after alternating the first seven meetings with Defiance winning four of the seven.

Year-by-Year History
Year    Winner  Score    
2012    FC        35-14
2011    FC        52-14
2010    FC        42-7
2009    FC        41-14
2008    FC        30-14
2007    FC        55-22
2006    FC        21-0
2005    DC        38-23
2004    FC        35-14
2003    DC       34-31 (OT)
2002    FC        24-23
2001    DC       27-7
2000    FC        37-7
1946    DC       15-6

Record Against the States
The Yellow Jackets will play their last of six games against teams from the "Hoosier" state this weekend. DC fell to 3-2 this season against teams from Indiana after losing to Hanover last week.

Defiance has played in 218 games against schools from the state of Indiana in the program's history. The Yellow Jackets hold a narrow series margin over schools from the border state to the west, leading the series 111-105-2.

Larson hits 1000
Quarterback Alex Larson reached 1,000 yards passing last weekend in the Yellow Jackets game against Hanover. Larson reached the mark in his fifth game for the Purple and Gold and sits at 1051 yards of offense through the air.

The freshman has completed 51.5 percent of his passes and has spread his passes around to 12 different receivers. Larson has thrown nine touchdown passes to seven different receivers.

Larson has also rushed for 200 yards in his five games played. He has two touchdowns rushing on the ground to go with his nine passing touchdowns through the air. With 1251 yards of total offense, the freshman is averaging 250.2 yards of offense per game.

Sierra among nations best
Tony Sierra has had an excellent senior campaign at corner back for the Yellow Jackets. The Warren, Mich. native has 29 tackles on the year, including 1.5 tackles for a loss. However, the Cousino High School product has been even better in his pass defense this season.

Sierra leads the nation with 25 passes defended (3.1 per game). Sierra is also ranked among the nations best with five interceptions on the season.

With the ball in his hand, Sierra has been a threat, totaling 158 yards of returns, an average of 31.6 yards per return. Sierra has also had a 41-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown.

Lineman leading defense
The Yellow Jackets big men on the defensive line are a large part of the success for the Yellow Jacket defense in 2013. Starters Andrew Leverenz, Kyle Wilson, Jamario Belton, and Cody Lee have combined for 128 tackles on the year, including 25 tackles for a loss and nine sacks.

The defensive line has been a large part of the Yellow Jackets top-10 defense, helping to limit opponents to 72.3 yards rushing per game and 237 yards of total offense, both of which are ranked sixth best in the nation.

Ball hogs
The Yellow Jackets have controlled the ball for an average of 33:40 this season. DC has led the time of possession battle in all eight of the games this season. The time of possession average for Defiance is the best in the HCAC and is also 17th in NCAA Division III.