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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Devin Limerick
Tim Phillis, News Herald
Big plays on defense and special teams provided the spark on the road for JCU. 
19
Winner John Carroll JCU 5-2 , 5-1
10
Marietta MC 3-4 , 3-3
Winner
John Carroll JCU
5-2 , 5-1
19
Final
10
Marietta MC
3-4 , 3-3
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
JCU John Carroll 0 0 10 9 19
MC Marietta 0 3 7 0 10

Game Recap: Football | | Joe Ginley & Luke Potosky

Football Finds a Way to Defeat Marietta on the Road with a Pick Six and Return TD

MARIETTA, Ohio -- Even with a 32-0-1 record against Marietta going into this game, John Carroll Football knew they were in for a fight this week against the Pioneers. The last few seasons have seen Marietta play the Blue Streaks tough, and this year was no different.

John Carroll University defeated Marietta 19-10 at Don Drumm Stadium in an Ohio Athletic Conference contest on October 23. The game saw multiple crucial plays take place on defense and special teams on both sides.

With the win, the Blue Streaks advance to 5-2 on the year overall, and have a 5-1 record in OAC play.

"Marietta is a very tough football team, we expected this type of tough game," said Head Coach Rick Finotti. "We didn't expect to struggle so much offensively but were able to adjust on defense and special teams. Devin's kick return and Tyshawn's interception return for a touchdown were so important. Our guys battled all day on defense, they may have gotten some yards and first downs, but they had to earn every one of them. We needed to make plays on special teams and create turnovers, and we did both things." 

The first half was a defensive affair. The Blue Streaks and Pioneers traded defensive stops as clouds filled the sky in Southeast Ohio.

The JCU defense set the tone from the very first drive. The Blue Streaks tallied two sacks on the opening possession, with Daniel Garcar and Bricker Thiel doing the honors.

JCU's opening drive fared better but did not end in points. Tadas Tatarunas and Brennan Fugh hauled in passes, but the drive stalled at the Marietta 29-yard line. A 46-yard field goal by JCU missed wide left on fourth down.

A Thiel tackle for loss and a Nate Leopold stop forced another quick Marietta punt, giving JCU the ball back. The Blue Streaks again marched down the field, with a 43-yard Gavin Martik catch highlighting the action.

But a holding call stalled the drive, and JCU tried another field goal, this time from 31 yards. This try was blocked, keeping the score level.

The John Carroll defense came up big on the ensuing drive. Garcar forced a Marietta fumble, and Thiel recovered it at the JCU 19. 

Nothing came of the turnover, as Marietta stood strong. JCU's defense also remained firm. 

With two minutes left, each team got a shot at scoring some points. JCU's offense stalled, but Marietta's did enough to get on the board. Matthew Haus converted on a 35-yard field goal as time expired.

The hosts took a 3-0 lead into the half, despite strong chances for the JCU offense, as the Blue Streaks could not gain traction early in the run game.

The Blue Streaks got the ball at the start of the second half and proceeded to score. Aided by a pair of penalties, JCU set up a 33-yard field goal, and this time, Grant Gonya got the job done. With the 3-pointer, the game stood tied at 3-all.

The next stretch of the third quarter was filled with quick offensive possessions filled with strong defensive plays. Marietta's defense came up with an important play near the two-minute mark of the stanza, as the Pioneers picked off a JCU pass.

The hosts took full advantage of the opportunity, as Bryce Agnew bulldozed his way into paydirt for the 10-3 lead.

But then came a play that deflated Drumm Stadium, as the Blue Streaks' special teams made perhaps the play of the game. 

Catching the ball at the 14, Devin Limerick saw a running lane up the left hash. Utilizing excellent blocking, Limerick sprinted down the left side of the field all the way to the promised land. With the Gonya extra point, the score again stood deadlocked. 

"I was a little upset on the interception because that was my fault, I was trying to catch it and he took it from me. So I knew I had to go 1-0 on the next play," said Limerick. "Tyler Hughes had a great block on it, and I took off from there." 

Limerick's kick return touchdown marked JCU's first since Michael Canganelli's thrilling TD return vs. Mount Union in 2017. 

The score remained 10-10 heading into the fourth quarter.

John Carroll forced a quick three-and-out to open the fourth, and then the JCU offense got down to business. The Blue Streaks matriculated the ball down the field, with a 22-yard Keyshawn Colmon catch providing the big spark. Gonya nailed a 47-yard field goal to give the Blue Streaks the team's first lead of the day, 13-10.

The change in the lead spurred on the Pioneers. Marietta marched down the field gradually, with small chunk plays until a 28-yard pass play placed the Pioneers at the 6-yard line. It was there that the Blue Streaks made their stand.

On first and goal, JCU allowed just a yard. On second and goal, the Blue Streaks surrendered three. And then in an unfortunate turn for the Pioneers, a bad snap led to a 15-yard loss. So, on fourth and goal, Marietta attempted a 34-yard field goal. The attempt sailed wide left, allowing JCU to hang onto the lead after a nearly 7-minute drive.

John Carroll did not manage to score or gain a first down on the ensuing drive, so Marietta got another crack at it with 1:52 left. 

In one of the top plays of the season to this point, Tyshawn Jones picked off a pass that deflected off a Marietta wideout's fingertips. The veteran dashed 75 yards into the end zone, sealing the deal for the Blue Streaks.

"Honestly, the series before, I missed an interception, so during that drive, all I wanted to do was make a play. That was the only thing going through my mind," said Jones. "Then, the ball got tipped in the air and it was in the air forever. I just wanted to make a play and get in the end zone." 

JCU took a knee on the extra point to be safe, keeping a 19-10 lead. Nate Leopold placed the final nail in the coffin with an interception on Marietta's desperation drive. 

"We were really aggressive today," said Leopold. "Today was our most aggressive game plan all year. Everyone responded. The defensive line had a heck of a game. In the secondary, we started off slow, but we took over the game in the second half. The only time they scored a TD was from the 10-yard line, so we really locked them down in the back end. It was a great team win."

Jake Floriea finished with 214 passing yards, and Demerius Goodwin was JCU's leading rusher with only 25 rushing yards. Fugh caught eight passes for 90 yards and Martik reeled in one pass for 43 yards.

Defensively speaking, the linebackers and defensive backs were active all day. Jones led all players in the game with 11 total tackles, paired with his game-sealing pick-six. Tyler Thimons added nine tackles, and Leopold tallied six tackles and an interception.

"I'm extremely proud of our defense," said Finotti. "I can't thank them enough for how hard they prepare and how hard they play. They didn't flinch, and that comes from Coach Jeff Long. They're feeding off his mentality of finishing things, we play to win the football game. It was exciting to see our guys playing with confidence."

But perhaps the most active unit on the day was the JCU defensive line coached by Long and Anthony Ritossa. 

Thiel, coming off OAC Defensive Player of the Week honors, filled the stat sheet again with four tackles for loss, two sacks, a fumble recovery, and a pass breakup from his defensive end spot.

Garcar added six tackles, one of them for a loss, and forced a fumble. Nick Costanzo was also instrumental in the Blue Streak pass rush with 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack.

After his first two field goals were missed and blocked, Gonya came up big in the second half with two field goals. Limerick's 86-yard kick return was a momentum changer, as was Evan McVay's 31-yard return to begin the second half.

"Some of my best memories come from these games against Marietta," said Jones. "Every time we play Marietta, it's a close game, and that's when the team comes together. Playing Marietta is always a good time and a fun game."

"Three of the four games in our career vs. Marietta have ended with a 2-minute drill on the defense's terms," noted Leopold. "That's pretty special to have three 2-minute drills against the same team and find a way to get it done."

John Carroll will play their final home game of the regular season on October 30 at 3 p.m. against Wilmington.

"Close games like this only solidify your confidence in what you're doing," Finotti said. "You keep riding the wave of momentum, you keep grinding and preparing. This time of year, you also need to take care of the players. For Wilmington next week, it's the last time playing at home for these seniors. I have two classes. It'll be extremely emotional. We have fourth and fifth-year guys who will be playing at Don Shula Stadium for the last time. It'll be an emotional week and an emotional game."
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