John Carroll had to go the full 60 minutes today to get its first win of 2010, and it was worth every agonizing second as the Blue Streaks outlasted the Marietta College Pioneers, 24-18, Saturday afternoon at Don Shula Stadium.

Watch replays of this game on SportsTime Ohio on Saturday, Sept. 25, at 11:00 p.m. and Monday, Sept. 27 at 12 noon

Box Score

The Blue Streaks built a 24-6 lead through three quarters but had to withstand a Marietta comeback bid in the closing minutes to seal the victory.

"We are obviously very happy to get this win," said John Carroll head coach Regis Scafe. "We played very solid for three full quarters, and then we suffered some breakdowns in the fourth that just cannot happen. As coaches, we'll address some things in film session and practice this week, but its feels a whole lot better to address those things after a win."

The game actually began on an ominous note for the Blue Streaks, as the homecoming weekend crowd had barely settled in when John Carroll turned the ball over on the very first play of the game. Jordan Ellison's hard hit on William Lubahn forced a fumble, and James Borwell recovered for the Pioneers at the JCU 32-yard line.

The Blue Streak defense came up big to hold Marietta to a 33-yard Kyle Cardwell field goal.

JCU then rattled off 17 unaswered points on its next three possessions, starting with a Corey Castro four-yard touchdown run that capped off a 10-play, 67-yard drive. 

Then, after forcing a quick three-and-out, John Carroll took its next drive and marched 64 yards in 11 plays. Quarterback Michael Locke plunged in from three yards out to extend the Blue Streaks lead to 14-3.

After Marietta was able to drive deep into John Carroll territory, JCU closed the door at the 30-yard line. The Blue Streaks took over and covered 64 yards before Bradley Marchese cashed in with a 23-yard field goal.

Ahead 17-3, John Carroll was looking for more points on its final drive of the first half, but a deflected pass on a third down play from the Marietta 14-yard line was intercepted by Pioneers linebacker Joe Terrell. The turnover kept the score 17-3 in John Carroll's favor at the break.

The Pioneers took the second half kickoff and converted it into points, as Cardwell connected again on a 29-yard field goal. John Carroll's response was a 72-yard drive in seven plays, keyed by a 23-yard pass play from Locke to Mark Elsaesser that set up an eight-yard touchdown run by Locke on the next play. Marchese's extra point with 5:43 left in the third quarter would make the score 24-6 and put John Carroll ahead comfortably by 18 points.

The tide began to turn early in the fourth when Locke was sackedand fumbled deep in his own end of the field. Marietta's Gaston Hayes recovered, setting up a short field that the Pioneers capitalized on. Tevin Jones was able to score Marietta's first touchdown on a three yard burst, but the two-point conversion failed, leaving the margin at 12 points.

JCU only picked up on efirst down on its next drive, and Marietta -- with momentum and wind at its back -- moved swiftly downfield. Covering 59 yards in 12 plays in using just a little over three minutes, Andrew keller cemented the drive with a four-yard run to pull the Pioneers to within 24-18. The extra point was blocked by C.J. Seitzinger.

Two fumbled snaps short circuited John carroll's next drive, forcing a punt that gave Marietta the ball back with 1:28 left in regulation. The Pioneers picked up one first down, but only reached the JCU 46-yard line. A false start and four staright incompletions -- the last two forced by quarterback hurries from Cory Brady and Chukubueze Iheama-- ended the drama.

John Carroll (1-2, 1-1 OAC) got 164 all-purpose yards from Elsaesser, who led JCU in rushing with 89 yards and hauled in four catches for 75 yards. Frank Ross and Ben Madden also had big days in the passing game -- Ross with a season-high eight receptions for 81 yards, while Madden grabbed three passes for 50 yards. Locke had his best day as a Blue Streak, going 16-23 for 209 yards through the air, and picking up 13 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

On defense, Iheama and Michael Green combined for three sacks, while Seitzinger had a team-high 11 tackles to go with his blocked extra point.

Marietta (1-2, 0-2 OAC), which falls to 0-22-1 all-time against John Carroll, was paced by Keller who ended the day 27-49 for 289 yards through the air. Cory Kriechbaum was the main target, catching 11 passes for 129 yards. 

Jake Depp led all defenders with 13 tackles, including seven solo.