Starting the season out of state equals big results for the John Carroll football program.
 
The Tom Arth era officially begins on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 5 p.m. ET when the Blue Streaks head to Chicago to square off against St. Norbert College. It will mark the start of John Carroll's 93rd football season.
 
JCU who finished 6-4 last season, has won its last two openers outside of Ohio.
 
Last season, JCU opened in Dublin, Ireland and coasted to a 40-3 win over St. Norbert. Mark Myers made his John Carroll debut and tossed a then-school record 457 yards. He finished 30-of-43 with five touchdowns and one interception.
 
Prior to that, John Carroll cruised to a 41-14 win over Thomas More in 2008 to give the Blue Streaks an 81-17 scoring advantage in its last two openers outside of Ohio.
 
Myers, an All-American candidate, will look to pick up right where he left off last year. The stellar signal caller threw for 2,882 yards and 25 scores as a sophomore and will look to put up similar numbers this year. Additionally, the Blue Streaks became accustomed to the big play with 52 throws going for 20 or more yards.
 
Myers will have plenty of targets to choose from. With the graduation of Lane Robilotto the Blue Streaks will look to Alex Kline, Aramis Greenwood and Luke McCall to step up. All three contributed in 2012. All three will be counted on to contribute more in 2013. Sophomore Jake Mooney and freshman Mike Marshall have also emerged and will work their way into the rotation.
 
Arth has signaled out the offensive and defensive lines as a point of emphasis for the season and rightfully so as games can be won and lost in the trenches.
 
"I think it's important to realize it all starts in the trenches," said Arth. "It all starts up front with the offensive line. It all starts on defense with the defensive line. They are really the heart and soul of your program."
 
Arth will turn to Jack Corrigan and A.J. Short to provide veteran leadership amongst the offensive line while Anthony Latina, Alex Manos and Clay Cassidy will slide into starting roles in 2013.
 
Defensively Arth will count on Michael Green to anchor the defensive line which sees four of the six spots on the two-deep occupied by sophomores and a freshman.
 
"Mike's a senior from St. Ed's who is as tough as they come," said Arth. "He is an unbelievable football player; a tenacious, hard-working competitor. I think you're going to see great things down in the trenches."
 
Arth has also set a theme to play by – Nuestro Modo.
 
Said Arth, "I think it's important to understand who we are. John Carroll is a Jesuit University. We're really embracing Nuestro Modo, which is an early Jesuit ideal. It's something that's very important to me. It means 'Our Way'. It provides a compass for us moving forward how we prepare, how we practice and how we play – doing things our way as we will define as best as we can."
 
This will be just the second all-time meeting between these two programs with both contests coming at neutral sites.
 
St. Norbert College is coming off an 8-3 season in 2012, its 14th consecutive season with seven or more wins. Quarterback James Tringali (1,847 yards, 17 touchdowns) and running back Brad Boockmeier (430 yards, seven touchdowns) will look to pace the Green Knights on offense.
 
Fans can follow the action through JCUSports.com with Joe Ginley and Sean Calhoun calling the action or on WJCU 88.7 FM with Dale Armbruster and John Kosko.