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Homecoming Preview: Blue Streaks Look to Put on a Show vs. Wooster

| By: JCUSID

The Blue Streaks look to remain in the driver's seat of the NCAC

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS — A new sense of excitement surrounds the John Carroll Football program, and Blue Streaks fans will have a chance to witness it up close on Saturday.

The Blue Streaks earned a hard-nosed 31-27 victory at #11/9 DePauw University on October 18, with Nick Semptimphelter and Tyren Montgomery connecting for a memorable touchdown pass with just 14.4 seconds left and darkness descending on Greencastle, Indiana.

The conquering heroes return to Don Shula Stadium on Saturday for Homecoming and Hall of Fame Weekend, set to do battle with the College of Wooster at 1:05 pm.

The Blue Streaks carry a 5-0 record in North Coast Athletic Conference play into the matchup, in the driver's seat for the NCAC automatic bid. John Carroll sports a 6-1 record overall, the lone blemish a loss at #3 Johns Hopkins.

Plenty of festivities are set for the weekend. The Blue Gold Club's Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is set to kick things off on Friday at 6 pm in the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center. Football alum Frank Ross '10 will be enshrined in the hall alongside many other deserving honorees.

Saturday is action-packed. The tailgate starts on South Belvoir at 10 am. The Korb Family Wrestling Room in the new Athletic, Wellness, and Events Center, also at 10 am. The brand-new David Rastoka '90 John Carroll Athletic Hall of Fame will be christened at 10:30 am.

Before the game, the Gridiron Club will honor the late Ted Uritus '62 in the Seat of Honor as well as the 1965 and 1969 JCU Football Teams. In between the first and second quarters, JCU will recognize the 50th anniversary of the 1975 Wrestling Team winning the school's only National Championship. 

As for the matchup itself, Wooster and John Carroll have not met on the gridiron since 2007, when JCU rolled past the Fighting Scots, 24-0, in the season opener. Interestingly enough, Wooster's starting quarterback in that game is now the Scots' head coach, Austin Holter. The Fighting Scots hold the overall series edge, 6-5. 

Blue Streaks Football will be live on Rock Entertainment Sports Network at 1:05 pm for all who cannot attend. Be sure to catch Executive Director of Alumni Engagement Rory O'Neil '06 on the halftime show.  

Tickets
Live Stats
Live Video
TV: Live on Rock Entertainment Sports Network 
Radio: Listen on WJCU 88.7 FM / WJCU.org

Gridiron Club:

Weekly Interview with Jeff Behrman '95
Game Notes

The Offenses

JCU
The Blue Streaks' potent offense got the job done when it mattered most against DePauw, orchestrating one of the most memorable game-winning drives in recent history. As a result, Tyren Montgomery was feted with honors, including NCAC Offensive Player of the Week and a spot on the D3football.com Team of the Week. 

Montgomery made a leap up to a tie for second in program history in TD receptions and is 10 catches away from tying Frank Ross' single-season receptions record. Plus, Montgomery is the first JCU wideout in program history to have three games with 12 catches in one season. 

Nick Semptimphelter threw his first pick of the season but his efficiency numbers continue to be among the nation's best. The graduate student leads all of Division III with a completion percentage of 80.3. His 1,810 passing yards also rank first in the NCAC and in the top 15 nationally. 

The offensive line held up when it needed to in pass protection, including on a clutch post pattern pass to Shane Lindstrom on the game-winning drive. JCU struggled to run the ball against a stout Tigers' defense, but JCU will look to re-establish things with Nemo Jenkins and Quincy Newsom this week. 

WOOSTER
The Fighting Scots offense will present a pass-heavy offense with a bunch of good targets that can hurt a defense in a multitude of different ways. The attack is led by quarterback Michael Boyle, who currently sits second in the conference with 1,750 passing yards, with 17 touchdown passes. The junior is coming off an efficient performance against Ohio Wesleyan, completing 24 of his 34 attempts for 238 yards and three touchdowns. The Pennsburg, Pennsylvania native has thrown for multiple touchdowns in five of seven games this season. 

His top target is Tate Journell, who currently is third in the NCAC in receiving yards with 633. He has also hauled in nine touchdowns. Last week against the Battling Bishops, Journell caught seven passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns. His fourth two score performance of the year. Alongside him is Jordan Lewis, who has recorded 444 yards and three touchdowns on 26 catches. Chance Bennett rounds out the trio with 25 catches for 292 yards and two scores on the season. 

The bellcow back for the Fighting Scots is Bryson Douglas, who has rushed for 313 yards on 83 carries. He saw limited action last week. Manny Zelaya took over for him, rushing for 87 yards on 26 carries against the Battling Bishops. 

The Defenses

JCU
While on paper the Blue Streaks gave up 27 points to DePauw, including two scores in the fourth quarter, the JCU Defense enjoyed a heck of a game.

The Blue Streaks made several clutch stops, including a goal-line stand to force a DePauw field goal, a fourth-quarter interception in the end zone by JP Germano, and a pick by Lamar Thomas on a two-point conversion.

Over the course of the campaign, the Blue Streaks' defense has been building confidence. The calling card of this team has become its strength up front. Ben Day, Tommy Wasinski, and Joe Thimons, plus others rotating in, compose a tough defensive line that is the best in several years. 

The linebacking corps has veterans who have picked up the pace, especially Kenny Grobolsek, Chris Golson, and Mason Rus. You could call Grobolsek a defensive MVP for JCU last week, as the Sheffield Village native was everywhere on Saturday in a bigtime effort.

Germano and Thomas came up with big plays in the last game, but you can't forget about corners Dylan Crasi, Jacob Hufnagel, and Josh Jones, who have taken turns making big plays. Adam LaCarte has also done nice work at safety.

WOOSTER
Leading the way on the defensive line is the reigning NCAC Athlete of the Week Isaac LaFay. The junior from Canal Fulton recorded the game-winning forced fumble to defeat Ohio Wesleyan. LaFay has tallied 23 total tackles, two for loss and two sacks. Playing alongside him is senior from Salem, Oregon Paul Ehenger. The South Salem alum is tied for the team-high three sacks. He has also forced a fumble and recorded two quarterback hits. 

In the middle will be the linebacker duo of Brock Sivon and Braydon Hudson. The two linebackers have combined for 109 total tackles, seven and a half for loss and three sacks. Both of them sit inside the top five in the NCAC in tackles. 

The secondary will face a tough task of stopping the Blue Streak passing attack that has been firing on all cylinders. Louie Lindsay is tied for the lead in the conference with 10 pass breakups, but is yet to record an interception. Charlie Scoggin has hauled in two which leads the team and sits tied for second in the NCAC. 

Special Teams

Colin Schuler and Owen Schuckert have been a primetime duo. 

Punter Owen Schukert is averaging 38.4 yards per punt this year, and he boomed a huge 60-yard punt against DePauw last week. 

Meanwhile, Schuler is 7-of-10 on field goals, converting one last week, as well as all four of his extra points.
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