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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
JCU defense, Leopold and Garcar
Tim Phillis, News Herald

Week 7 Football Preview: No. 22/24 Football In Search of Road Win at Marietta

| By: Luke Potosky, Senior Staff Writer
The JCU defense has been red-hot as of late.
MARIETTA, Ohio -- This Saturday, the No. 22/24 John Carroll Blue Streaks (4-2, 3-1 OAC) travel to southeast Ohio to take on the Marietta Pioneers (3-3, 3-2 OAC) in an Ohio Athletic Conference contest.

The last time the Pioneers hosted the Blue Streaks was in 2019 and it was the closest finish in the matchup's history; a 23-21 thrilling victory for John Carroll.

Other than two quality losses against two of the top 15 teams in the country, the Blue & Gold have won their other four games by double digits; most recently a 27-17 victory over Ohio Northern.

The Blue & Gold dropped to No. 24 in the D3Football.com Top 25 Poll, however. Nonetheless, they did jump from No. 25 to No. 22 in the AFCA Coaches Poll.

Heading into Saturday, John Carroll has won each of its last 24 matchups against the Pioneers, but the scores in recent years have been quite close.

The most recent matchup, however, didn't quite fit that billing as the Blue Streaks finished their Spring 2021 season with a solid 34-10 victory.

So far this season, Marietta is an even .500. They lost their season opener to Dubuque but responded with a shutout win over Muskingum and a 30-point win over Capital. Then, following consecutive losses to Ohio Northern and Heidelberg, they responded with a convincing 35-7 win at Wilmington last week.

JOHN CARROLL OFFENSE vs. MARIETTA DEFENSE
In Week 6, the John Carroll offense played a clean football game, committing zero turnovers. It did a standout job of chewing the clock, tallying 32 first downs, and possessing the ball for 42 minutes and 14 seconds. The offense was able to jump out to a 24-3 lead, which allowed the Blue Streaks to hold on for a 27-17 victory over Ohio Northern.

Once again, the Blue & Gold played a well-rounded game in terms of both rushing and passing, as it finished with 283 yards through the air and 237 yards on the ground. The Blue Streaks are hopeful they can ride this balanced positive momentum into today's contest against Marietta.

So far this season, third-year starting quarterback Jake Floriea has completed 112 of his 176 passing attempts for 1,400 yards and 10 touchdowns. A week ago, an efficient Floriea completed 25-of-32 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown, while also gaining 30 rushing yards. However, none of this could be done without the protection from his offensive line.

This year, John Carroll's rushing attack has evolved from a dynamic duo into a terrific trio. Senior Demerius Goodwin (103 carries, 557 yards, six TDs; six receptions, 42 yards) is the main workhorse back. In terms of the number two back, the duties are split between junior Matthew Buser (46 carries, 270 yards, three TDs; seven receptions, 46 yards) and emerging freshman Evan McVay (37 carries, 306 yards, two TDs; eight receptions, 56 yards), who had a rushing touchdown for the second consecutive week last Saturday.

The Blue Streaks' receiving corps are anchored by a rising star in junior Brennan Fugh, who leads the team in receptions (28), receiving yards (628), and receiving touchdowns (six). He is complemented by many other receivers, including seniors Keyshawn Colmon (15 receptions, 170 yards) and Devin Limerick (20 receptions, 147 yards, one TD), as well as fellow junior Joey Torok (five receptions, 77 yards, one TD).

The Marietta defense will be tasked with stopping a Blue Streak offense that has seemed to find its stride over the past few weeks. It may be a tough task, however, as they haven't held the Blue & Gold to under 20 points since 1999.

One of Marietta's strengths lies In the trenches, where the Pioneers will have seniors Jesse Berzonski (14 tackles, two TFLs) and Kyle Gallagher (28 tackles, 8.5 TFLs, five sacks, one forced fumble/recovery). On the ends will be sophomore Chance Knight (17 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, two sacks) and senior Drake Neuberger (42 tackles, 14 TFLs, ten sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery) who is one of the best players the OAC has to offer statistically.

Leading an active Pioneer linebacking core are two of the team's leading tacklers: junior Kyler Folkert (40 tackles, four TFLs, one sack, one forced fumble/recovery) and senior Vic Giovengo (41 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, one sack, one interception). Also involved will be Luke Watt (16 tackles, three TFLs, one sack) and Caleb Boy (seven tackles).

Finally, manning a veteran Marietta secondary are Jaelon Quiero-Gordon (16 tackles, one fumble recovery), Tay Pryor (22 tackles, three INTs, nine pass breakups), Malik Grier (20 tackles, three TFLs, one INT), and Darius Hatch (27 tackles, one TFL, one INT).

MARIETTA OFFENSE vs. JOHN CARROLL DEFENSE
The Blue Streak defense will have to work hard to stymie the balanced attack of the Marietta offense, which threw for 201 yards and ran for 163 yards last week against Wilmington.

Defensively, JCU started fast and didn't allow any points until midway through the third quarter against one of the most efficient offenses in the country in Ohio Northern. Despite allowing 17 points in the final 20 minutes, the Blue Streaks wreaked enough havoc to earn the win. 

The JCU defense starts with defensive ends Jack Burton (11 tackles, 2.5 TFLs) and Ross Valenti (19 tackles, five TFLs, 3.5 sacks). Rotating in recent weeks has been veteran Harrison Richardson. But perhaps the most impactful performer on the team in recent weeks has been backup Bricker Thiel (13 tackles, 4.5 TFLs/sacks, one forced fumble/recovery). The junior had a breakout performance of five tackles, 3.5 TFLs/sacks, and a forced fumble/recovery last week against Ohio Northern; good enough for OAC Defensive Player of the Week honors as well as D3Football.com Team of the Week Honors. The interior defensive line features Ben Grafton (seven tackles) and Daniel Garcar (20 tackles, three TFLs, two sacks).

Senior linebackers Hunter Orlando (35 total tackles, two TFLs) and Luke Brown (34 total tackles, three TFLs, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries) continue to lead a reliable and active linebacking group. Fifth-year athletes Tyshawn Jones (team-high 39 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, two fumble recoveries) and Brian Robinson (11 tackles, 1.5 TFLs) will be heavily featured as well. Another emerging threat in the linebacking core is Tyler Thimons (seven tackles).

The Blue & Gold's secondary continues to be led by senior defensive captain Nate Leopold (20 total tackles, two TFLs, one INT) and Alec Wallace (11 tackles, one INT, one forced fumble). Senior Jake Bunofsky (15 tackles, two TFLs), and sophomore Elijah Chungu (13 tackles, six pass breakups).

On the other side, the versatile Pioneer offense is led by first-year starter Connor Vierstra. The sophomore has thrown for 1,122 yards and 15 touchdowns through the air. He also has four scores on the ground, giving him dual-threat capabilities. Vierstra tied a school record with five passing touchdowns last week against Wilmington. His offensive line features Raysean Stewart, David Busch, Zac Turkowski, Garrett French, and Colton Neptune.

Marietta's rushing attack will be commanded by Bryce Agnew (143 carries, 833 yards, three touchdowns, 26 receptions, 233 yards, one touchdown). The junior looks to be playing a major role in the offensive game plan this week as he's gained at least 110 yards in every game this season.

Marietta's receiving core features several threats. Starters for the Pioneers include Maguire Morris (23 receptions, 248 yards, two touchdowns), Austin Veatch (14 receptions, 179 yards, two touchdowns), and freshman John Sierputowski (one reception, 17 yards). Also in the mix will be freshman Logan Ranft (eight receptions, 178 yards, four touchdowns) and tight end Bobby Cashaw (six receptions, 106 yards, two touchdowns).

SPECIAL TEAMS
Finally, in terms of special teams, John Carroll senior punter Andy Han (23 punts, 811 yards, five inside the 20) and graduate student kicker Grant Gonya (5-9 FG (40 long), 20-20 XP; 29 kickoffs, 1,704 yards, 12 touchbacks) lead the punting and kicking units. In the return game, look for JJ Olivera (six kick returns, 96 yards) and Nate Leopold (seven punt returns, 74 yards) to lead the way for the Blue Streaks.

For the Pioneers, Matthew Haus (0-2 FG, 16-20 XP) leads the kicking unit, and Bailey Sprague is the punter (23 punts, 794 yards, eight inside the 20). Leading the return game for Marietta will be Dawson Snyder (six kick returns, 131 yards) and Austin Veatch (ten punt returns, 121 yards).

Coach Rick Finotti explained the toughness of matching up with Marietta. 

"This has always been a tough game since I've been here. They're a physical football team over there that makes you work for everything you can get on every snap. The biggest thing for us this week is to be able to execute and play our brand of football."
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