The John Carroll football team does not consider itself above the law, but it may be forgiven for trying to break one law in particular. 

Murphy's Law seemed to curse the Blue Streaks throughout the 2009 season, as whaetver could have gone wrong did go wrong. Five of John Carroll's seven losses were by eight points or less, and were suffered by almost any manner imaginable ("hail mary" pass, goal line stand, tying touchdown called back in final minute ... just to name a few). 

“There was a general sense among those in our program that for all the effort and the dedication put forth that a 3-7 season didn't seem possible, but the reality is that was our bottom line,” said head coach Regis Scafe. “All those near misses added up on us.” 

The Blue Streaks have had a penchant in recent years for playing in a number of close games. In fact, over the last three seasons, nearly half of JCU's games (14 of 30) have been decided by eight points or fewer. The rub, however, has been John Carroll's 4-10 record in those tightly contested affairs. 

“That has been a mantra in the offseason about finishing games, about preparing to go the distance and beyond if necessary to win games,” said Scafe. “Our record in close games shows how vital every possession, every play, and every assignment is. The attention to detail and the accountability has to be better for everyone associated with our program.” 

John Carroll is admittedly in unchartered waters, or at the very least unfamiliar ones. For the first time since 1987, the Blue Streaks are coming into a football season where they lost more games than they won the previous year. 

The last time JCU came off a losing season, they would follow with a winning campaign, and that went on for 22 years. 

“The thing with streaks is one day they will come to an end,” said head coach Regis Scafe. “For a variety of reasons, that time for us was last year. But we can either wallow in misery or dust ourselves off, stand back up, and start a new streak. The attitude we've seen makes us believe the choice has been made to pursue a new streak”

Offense: 

Many of the key players from last season have moved on through graduation, leaving the Blue Streaks a bit of a mystery heading into 2010. For starters, a quarterback situation needs to be resolved. 

Scafe has a bevy of talented but inexperienced arms to chose from. Devin O'Brien started against Thomas More, while Michael Locke ran the offense on several drives against Muskingum. Outside of those two signal callers, varsity experience is severely limited. 

Whoever assumes the quarterback's job will have veterans Mark Elsaesser, D'Quan Grobsmith and Bobby Mangiarelli to hand off to, and veterans Frank Ross, Kyle Hubbard and Josh Rentz to throw to.
Eslaesser has shown flashes of brilliance in his JCU career but has been hampered by injuries the last two years. Grobsmith led the team in rushing last seasion with 438 yards and three touchdowns, and proved an effective pass catcher out of the backfield. Mangiarelli made a name for himself as a kick returner, and in doing so showed his open field running ability. 

The fullback position is one of strength thanks to the return of senior Teree Harris and juniors Corey Castro and Chris Creel. 

Ross had a record-setting campaign in 2009, setting single game, single season and career reception marks. Hubbard and Rentz are both big targets who should see their numbers increase now that they will take on more featured roles. 

Two starting offensive lineman return in Phil Bokovitz and Adam Miller, and one in a platoon situation – Mike Micca – looks to assume a full-time role. Kyle Shrout is also a returning letterwinner on the line. 

The tight end situation appears in good hands with the return of Bob Schmitz.

Defense and Special Teams:
The secondary is the strength of the defensive unit with both corners returning in Michael O'Neal and Jon Cooley, plus starting safety Hayes Cooper. Matthew Dee and Chris Ostry also started games for the Blue Streaks. 

Adding to the depth are Kyle Fiegel, Kyle Scheerer, and Brian Schneider -- all of whom lettered last year. 

C. J. Seitzinger is the lone starter at linebacker, but Jake Brandt and Emmett Lydon logged extensive time in 2009 and should be prominent parts of the defense in 2010. 

Other letterwinners who could step up into more playing time are Vince Cavillo, Ethan Jones, Luke Whitworth and Paul Okeyo. 

Chuck Iheama returns for a final season at defensive end, while Blaine Balderston is the most experienced interior lineman. A healthy Cory Brady will be a big boost to this group, as will the continued development of Mike Cannell. 

The kicking game is solid with all-conference placekicker Brad Marchese and All-OAC first team and all-region second team punter Karl Roshong back in the fold.