A spark is all that is needed to start a fire.

John Carroll's first drive of the second half provided the kindle for what would be an explosve 38-17 victory over Wilmington College Saturday at Don Shula Stadium.

Box Score

It took just four plays for the Blue Streaks to cover 86 yards the first time it had possession after the intermission, and that touchdown drive set off a run of 22 unanswered points that turned a close game into a romp.

The drive began innocently enough with a seven-yard run by DaQuan Grobsmith, but on the next play, Grosbmith burst through the line and up the home team sideline for a 36-yard run that was aided by a 15-yard personal foul penalty. Two plays later, quarterback Devin O'Brien  hit tight end Ben Madden on a 25-yard touchdown pass.

"It was basically a check down,' said Madden of his first career touchdown catch. "His first options were shut off, and I came open across the middle near the goal line. It was a great pass."

Further sparks were provided on the next drive by Wilmington. The Quakers drove to the John Carroll 15-yard line but were forced to attempt a field goal. The 32-yard field goal attempt was blocked, however, by D. J. Debick

The Blue Streaks pulled away early in the fourth, as O'Brien would cash in twice, first on a 15-yard run that was a designed run on a third-and-one play. The next was on a three-yard run that put the Blue Streaks ahead 38-10 with 10:16 to play. O'Brien's third rushing touchdown of the day was set up by a C.J. Seitzinger interception return that set up John Carroll on a short field.

"Our offensive line played great," said O'Brien. "Our running game, our passing game ... everything just clicked today."

Both teams scored on their first possessions of the game. JCU took the opening drive and moved 70 yards in six plays, with Grobsmith straddling the sideline on his way to a 44-yard touchdown run.

Wilmington responded with a methodical 12-play, 93-yard march that was completed when Marc Otte bullied his way into the end zone from three yards away.

JCU broke the 7-7 tie when O'Brien scored on a nine-yard run with 7:08 left in the half. The drive was bolstered by a 39-yard completion to Frank Ross. The point after was dinged off the left post to leave the margin at six points.

The Blue Streaks appeared to seize more momentum when Bradley Marchese drilled a 30-yard field goal with 48 seconds to play, but the Quakers would answer with the help of two major John Carroll penalties that extended a 53-yard drive that resulted in an Aaron Pohly 34-yard field goal.

The late first half drive left the halftime score at 16-10 in favor of the Blue Streaks.

Even with the slim margin, head coach regis Scafe felt his team was poised for a big second half.

"We were doing a lot of things right, but had a few breakdowns we thought we could fix," said Scafe. "We made some great adjustments, and we really got in a groove on both sides of the ball in the second half. It was a good win for us, one that we really needed."

It was a banner day on many fronts for John Carroll (2-3, 2-2 OAC), which had no turnovers in a game for the first time this season.

JCU also had its first 100-yard rusher since November 11, 2006, as Grobsmith finished the day with 129 yards on 17 carries.

O'Brien would be responsible for four touchdowns on the day -- three rushing and one passing. He also had 185 yards total offense.

Defensively, Seitzinger had a team-high ten tackles to go with an interception. 

Wilmington (0-5, 0-4 OAC) was led by Otte's 125 yards rushing. Bryce Martin led all tacklers with 12 stops.