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home of the Blue Streaks
Floriea leads out team
Tim Phillis, News Herald

Week 3 Football Preview: Blue Streaks Face Tough Test in No. 3/4 Mount Union

| By: Luke Potosky, Senior Staff Writer
The Blue Streaks hope to enjoy home field advantage against Mount Union.
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- This Saturday, the No. 21 John Carroll Blue Streaks (1-1, 1-0 OAC) face their toughest challenge yet as they host the No. 3/4 Mount Union Purple Raiders (2-0, 1-0 OAC) in their second OAC and home contests of the season.

John Carroll has some positive momentum riding into this week's game, hoping to build on a 41-17 win over Otterbein last week. However, despite moving to 1-1, the Blue Streaks fell to No. 21 in the latest D3football.com poll, and are also ranked 21st in the latest AFCA poll.

PURCHASE TICKETS

This week, the Blue and Gold seek their first victory against Mount Union since 2016. They know that the Purple Raiders are a very good team, but the Men of Carroll know that they can compete with them.

"They're a great football team," said Head Coach Rick Finotti. "We think we're pretty darn good, too. We've just gotta make sure we play our game."

GAMEDAY PROGRAM

Mount Union, ranked 3rd in the latest AFCA poll and 4th in the latest D3football.com poll, is currently 2-0 this season, with a 48-7 victory over defending Presidents Athletic Conference Champion Westminster (Pa.), and a 31-7 victory over fellow OAC foe Baldwin Wallace last week.

JOHN CARROLL OFFENSE vs. MOUNT UNION DEFENSE
In Week 2, the John Carroll offense was finally able to get their ground game going.

The Blue Streaks finished with 329 rushing yards and three touchdowns against Otterbein last Saturday, and with that being said, the Blue & Gold will look to have success in both the run and the pass this week.

Fifth-year senior QB Jake Floriea continues to lead the JCU offense for the third straight season. Through two games, the Mentor native is 39-of-62 passing for 426 yards and three touchdowns. He is protected by a hard-working offensive line, led by a pair of fifth-year seniors in Preseason All-American Blake Herideen and Anthony Amata.

The Blue Streaks also have a two-headed ground attack in senior running back Demerius Goodwin (32 carries, 257 yards, 4 TD; 2 receptions, 31 yards) and junior back Matthew Buser (21 carries, 95 yards; 5 receptions, 25 yards). JCU's receiving core is currently led by Brennan Fugh (6 receptions, 109 yards), Devin Limerick (7 receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD), and Keyshawn Colmon (5 receptions, 57 yards). Fugh had a career-best 10 receptions for 145 yards & two touchdowns in the Spring against the Purple Raiders.

The Mount Union defense has a well-rounded group of athletes capable of stopping both the run and the pass. With a versatile 3-3-5 scheme and robust front six, junior linebackers Mason McMillen (13 total tackles) and Kaleb Detellem (eight total tackles, 1.5 TFLs) are two players to keep eyes on. Look for seniors Nick Brown (two sacks) and Eli Beers (1.5 sacks) to be instrumental in the Purple Raider pass rush, as well.

The Mount Union secondary is anchored by senior defensive backs Jesse Vail (10 total tackles, one forced fumble) and Kordell Ford (five tackles). Vail finished 2020 with two interceptions as well as a forced fumble and recovered fumble while Ford finished third on the team in tackles in the Purple Raiders' last full season (2019) with 53. 

JOHN CARROLL DEFENSE vs. MOUNT UNION OFFENSE
John Carroll's focus when facing the high-powered Mount Union offense will be preventing big plays, getting off the field on third downs, and forcing turnovers.

The Blue Streaks' defense starts with their defensive line. Junior edge rusher Ross Valenti has carried his momentum from the Spring as he leads the team with three sacks, and senior end Jack Burton has nine total tackles, including 2.5 TFLs to his name.

Senior linebackers Hunter Orlando (12 total tackles, 0.5 TFL) and Luke Brown (13 total tackles, two TFLs, one FF, one FR) both anchor an experienced and active linebacking group. The Blue & Gold's dynamic secondary includes trusted veterans in Nate Leopold (11 total tackles, 1.5 TFL) and Tyshawn Jones (team-leading 14 tackles, 1 FR). Complementing them is corner Alec Wallace (nine tackles, one INT, one FF).

The Purple Raider offense is engineered by junior quarterback Braxton Plunk. The Spring 2021 OAC Offensive Player of the Year has completed 58-of-81 passes for 666 yards, and three touchdowns. In the Spring, Plunk delivered the best performance of his career, featuring 521 passing yards and seven touchdown passes.

On the ground, like the Blue Streaks, Mount Union has a two-headed rushing attack in reliable senior back Josh Petrucelli (240 total yards, six TDs) and DeAndre Parker (146 rush yards, three TDs). In three full seasons with the Purple Raiders, Petrucelli has finished with at least 1,000 rushing yards. Catching the passes will be favorite targets Wayne Ruby Jr. (18 receptions, 247 yards) and Derrick Harvey Jr. (10 receptions, 117 yards). Ruby comes into the contest with seven consecutive games of at least 100 receiving yards.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Finally, in terms of special teams, John Carroll senior punter Andy Han (11 punts, 371 yards, 3 inside 20) and graduate student kicker Grant Gonya (2-4 FG, 7-7 XP, 3 kickoffs, 548 yards, 8 TB) lead the kicking units. Returnmen JJ Olivera (four kick returns, 48 yards) and Nate Leopold (three punt returns, 32 yards) will hope to make a significant impact in the return game as well.

For the Purple Raiders, Nick Deack is 1-1 kicking field goals and has a touchback. Thomas Piccirillo has five punts, three of which landed inside the 20. The Purple Raiders have not returned many kicks this season, but KJ Redmon has one kick return for 39 yards.

In summary, after losing at home to the Purple Raiders in 2019 and in Alliance in the Spring, the veteran-laden Blue Streaks, especially their seniors, will strive to leave everything they have on the field. All in all, Saturday's game hopes to live up to expectations and perhaps deliver another classic chapter in the JCU-Mount Union rivalry.
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