The name of the game was balance today, as John Carroll used an efficient running game and an accurate passing game to produce a 48-21 defeat of the Capital Crusaders on Saturday afternoon at Bernlohr Stadium in Bexley, Ohio.

Senior Ro Golphin tallied 109 of the 322 John Carroll rushing yards and scored two touchdowns, while sophomore quarterback Anthony Moeglin had his highest completion percentage (22-28, .786) while throwing for a season high 270 yards and three touchdowns. As a team, the Blue Streaks recorded six touchdowns – three rushing and three passing.  

"The run game was awesome today," said quarterback Anthony Moeglin. "Our gameplan for today was to run the ball and we were able to do it effectively."

"I am so proud of our team and our leadership for their effort and how they are playing together," added head coach Rick Finotti. "With our stable of running backs, our line showed up today with over 300 yards rushing. Credit to the offense as a whole for how they played."

John Carroll was quick to set the tone in the opening quarter, scoring touchdowns in their first two possessions. Golphin got the Blue Streaks on the board first with a 38-yard run, while sophomore Jake Santiago dove into the end zone after catching a six-yard pass from Moeglin.

The Blue Streaks continued to up their score in the second when Moeglin threw his second touchdown pass of the day to junior Danny Disbrow to push the Blue Streaks out to a 21-point lead. Despite the Crusaders adding a touchdown of their own, Matt Danko kicked a 35-yard field goal as time expired to make the score 24-7 going into halftime.

The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter. Ro Golphin and junior Sam Kukura tacked on the first two touchdowns, while wide receiver William Woods found the end zone for the final touchdown of the game (45-21). Kukura totaled 95 yards rushing on the day, while Woods followed with 72 reception yards.

Although the Crusaders seemed to gain momentum, the John Carroll defense held Capital scoreless in the final fifteen minutes of the game. With another field goal from Danko, the Blue Streaks secured the 48-21 win.

The JCU defense finished the game yielding a season-low 25 yards rushing with the longest gain of nine yards. Most of the yards given up by the defense were through the air after the Blue Streaks had taken a 31-7 lead.

"How the defense finished the game after a rough patch was exciting to see. The guys up front were relentless in the pursuit of the quarterback and in defending the run game," commented Finotti.

Moeglin concurred, pointing out that today's win was a team effort that started last week during practice.

"This win was huge for us," said Moeglin, who completed passes to nine different receivers. "It could have been really easy for us to roll over after being eliminated from the playoffs, but we came out and had an incredible week of practice. We played so hard and with so much heart this afternoon."    

The Blue Streaks continue to dominate the series against the Crusaders, 22-9. In the last five meetings, John Carroll has outscored Capital, 277-28.

John Carroll now holds a record of 4-3 and 3-2 OAC (T-2nd), while Capital falls to 1-6 overall and 1-5 in the OAC (T-8th) on the season.

The Blue Streaks will next head home to face Muskingum in their annual Homecoming game on Saturday, October 28, at 1:30 p.m.