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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Devin Limerick led John Carroll in receiving on Saturday
Adam Lenz
Devin Limerick caught a team-best 5 passes on Saturday.
21
Winner Wash. & Jeff. WAJ 1-0 , 0-0
14
John Carroll JCU 0-1 , 0-0
Winner
Wash. & Jeff. WAJ
1-0 , 0-0
21
Final
14
John Carroll JCU
0-1 , 0-0
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
WAJ Wash. & Jeff. 0 0 7 14 21
JCU John Carroll 0 0 7 7 14

Game Recap: Football | | Anna Meyer, Senior Staff Writer

Washington & Jefferson Bests Football After an Offensive Second Half

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- After a strong defensive start, the offenses heated up in the second half at Don Shula Stadium, and Washington & Jefferson's unit made the plays necessary to secure a 21-14 victory over the No. 17 John Carroll University Blue Streaks in the season opener. 

The 2017 season was the last time John Carroll University dropped the opening contest of the season. 

After a scoreless and defensive-led first half, the tides turned into an offensive matchup in the second half between the two D3football.com Top 25 preseason teams. 

"During the first half, both offenses started slowly. I think that is what you normally get in week one," said Head Coach Rick Finotti. "The first half was totally different from the second half. I think our staff offensively and defensively figured it out, but the loss came down to mistakes we made." 

After forcing two turnovers in the first half and holding the Presidents to 21 rushing yards, the Blue Streaks finally got on the scoreboard in the third quarter thanks to a 37-yard carry from Demerius Goodwin with 13:21 left in the quarter. 

John Carroll went up 7-0 for the first time in the game, but this would be their only lead. 

"Our coaches did a good job adjusting in the second half for our guys to get free," noted Finotti. "We are a team that always starts with a run game, and we need that to be successful. We struggled to do that during this game, but at times we looked great." 

Thirty-nine seconds later, the Presidents struck back at the Blue Streaks. Justin Heacock found Andrew Wolf for a 65-yard touchdown, resulting in a 7-7 tied game with 12:42 left in the third quarter. 

The Presidents took their first lead of the game at the beginning of the fourth quarter when Heacock completed a pass down the middle to Wolf for a 56-yard touchdown. W&J missed the extra point opportunity, putting them ahead 13-7 with 14:51 left in the fourth quarter. 

In the fourth quarter, the momentum continued for the Presidents, as Wolf grabbed his third touchdown with 10:11 left in the game. 

The Blue Streaks' offense ended the game on a high note. Jake Floreia completed a 39-yard pass to Brennan Fugh for a red-zone opportunity. This translated into a 22-yard touchdown for the Blue Streaks on a 4th and 17th, as Joey Torok caught his first career receiving touchdown from Floriea. 

The onside kick for John Carroll was unsuccessful, as Washington and Jefferson took control immediately, resulting in their victory. 

"My credit goes to Washington and Jefferson," said Finotti. "Washington Jefferson's staff and players did a great job today and came out victorious." 

Floriea went 24-for-35, passing for 257 yards in Saturday's loss. Devin Limerick led the Blue Streaks in receiving with 5 catches (44 yards) and Fugh topped the team with 86 receiving yards. Goodwin led the rushing with 66 yards on the day.

On defense, Hunter Orlando, Nate Leopold, and Jack Burton all notched 7 tackles. Ross Valenti snagged two sacks, and Alec Wallace played havoc in the secondary with a forced fumble and an interception. Luke Brown recovered a fumble at a critical time, as well. 

The Blue and Gold will look to get their first victory of the season in their next contest on Sept. 18 against Otterbein in Westerville.

"The first couple games are always about identifying," said Finotti. "We are going to continue to battle, regroup and find an identity for our next game." 

The matchup against the Otterbein Cardinals will be John Carroll's first Ohio Athletic Conference game of the season. 

"It is week one, you can't overreact to the game. We have to do some self-examining of who our play makers are," said Finotti. "There is a lot we can build upon on everyone's efforts. We need to take a holistic approach to what we want to accomplish in our next game." 
 
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