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Week 5 Football Preview: Blue Streaks Set for Trip to Marietta at Midway Point

| By: Dylan Feltovich, Staff Writer
The John Carroll defense will look to match a physical Pios team.
MARIETTA, Ohio – A strong road test awaits John Carroll Football this weekend. 

Last week, the Blue Streaks cruised past the Quakers of Wilmington on Homecoming, 59-7. The starters put up 38 points in the first half, which led to many new faces making an appearance. Running backs Quincy Newsom and Javi Quimba contributed 113 rushing yards to the 254 total yards on the ground. Along with the rushing effort, the freshman tandem of quarterback Nikko Georgiou and wide receiver William Burney connected for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, the first of their collegiate careers. 

Marietta also walked away with a victory last week, as the Pioneers traveled up to Berea to defeat Baldwin Wallace, 42-21. Typically a balanced offense, Marietta heavily relied on running back Bryce Agnew, who totaled 139 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries. Lukas Ratfill held it down on defense, tacking on two interceptions. 

The series between John Carroll and Marietta has been one-sided, as the Blue Streaks have won all but one of the 35 contests with the Pioneers, which resulted in a tie. In the last battle between the two, JCU blew by Marietta, 45-10. Running back Evan McVay only had six rushing attempts, but totaled 111 yards on the ground and one touchdown. Joe Collins also had an efficient game, going 15-for-19 while tossing three touchdowns.

But history is always thrown out the window in ever-tough OAC contests, as this Marietta team packs a punch. After all, D3football.com recently ranked the OAC the fourth-toughest football conference in Division III. 

The Offenses

JCU 
After a week one loss, John Carroll's offense has seemingly gotten better with each week. The Blue Streaks have scored 20+ points in their four games this season, and have totaled 30+ in their last three contests.

With Marietta presenting an elite run defense, JCU will turn to Joe Collins as a key contributor to the offensive effort. Even though he played for over a little of a half due to the dominant victory, Collins completed 14 of his 18 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns. His highly-efficient effort will be needed in this pivotal OAC matchup. He's amongst the nation's best with a completion percentage above 70%. His offensive line has been great, allowing just 0.25 sacks per game. 

For Collins, he will have an ample amount of receivers to choose from. Brennan Fugh, Tyler Mintz, and Joe Torok were all featured in last week's victory against Wilmington. However, freshman wide receiver Dorian Facen Jr. had a breakout game for the Blue Streaks, racking in three receptions for a total of 84 yards and a touchdown. Facen made appearances against Baldwin Wallace and Heidelberg, but has been slowly emerging as another pass catcher for John Carroll.

As for John Carroll's run game, they will face a tough matchup against Marietta. With the three-headed beast of Evan McVay, Matthew Buser, and Mason Sullivan accounting for 145 rushing yards last week, fans can expect this dynamic trio to compete against any type of defense.

Marietta
The Pioneers are one of the most fundamentally-sound offenses in the OAC. Throughout the years, they have been known for their ability to possess the ball and chew the clock. This allows for them to take care of the ball and run more plays on offense.

Marietta's efficient offense starts with running back Bryce Agnew, who has been the heart and soul of this veteran-led offense. The Berea-Midpark native was featured on the D3football.com All-Region First Team after totaling over 1,300 yards on the ground and 15 touchdowns. Agnew has almost added 400 yards on the season. During Baldwin Wallace's Homecoming last week, Agnew enjoyed a coming home party of his own, earning OAC Athlete of the Week honors. 

In the air, quarterback Connor Vierstra maintains the ideology of "taking care of the football" for the Pioneers. While the senior may not extend the ball downfield as often, he controls the game with his high I.Q. The longtime veteran also can move outside the pocket, adding four rushing touchdowns to his name. 

Vierstra will be looking for his favorite wide receiver on Saturday, Dawson Synder. After being named All-OAC Second team in 2022, Snyder has stormed out of the gate for the Pioneers. He has been the receiver that accounted for all of Vierstra's touchdowns on the year, and is nearing the 300-yard mark on the year. The big-time playmaker will look to build off the nine receptions for 88 yards he totaled against Baldwin Wallace.

The Defenses

JCU
Last week, John Carroll's defense was tasked to stop one of the statically-best offenses in the nation, and they held the Quakers to just seven points on offense. The balanced attack on defense has proven countless times to be effective against any team.

Tyler Thimons and Thomas Faron were both a nightmare for Wilmington last week, both recording and sack and combining for nine tackles. Behind them, Griffin Lidyard is looking to continue his steady increase of production after last weekend. The junior was found all over the field, tallying a sack and an interception against the Quakers.

Jacob Hufnagel is a name to watch moving forward for the Blue Streaks. The defensive back has quickly catapulted into the starting lineup for the Blue Streaks, and has stepped up in a huge way. The Pittsburgh native continues to provide lockdown defense in the secondary for the Blue Streaks.

Marietta
One of the big contributors to Marietta's success this season has been the team's stifling defense. The unit has, on average, given up 14 points per game this season. Marietta does this by controlling the run game. The Pioneers are averaging only 71 yards allowed in the run game, and one touchdown. While they can control the run, they have often struggled to stop the air game, allowing on average 271 yards a game through the air.
 
The run defense starts with defensive tackle Chance Knight. Knight was named to the D3football.com All-Region First Team last year, and the bulldozer has already racked up three sacks on the season. Alongside Knight is defensive end Jake Visnic, who recently switched over to the line from outside linebacker. The change in scenery for Visnic has allowed him to get after the quarterback more this season.

Holding down the secondary for the Pioneers is senior cornerback Jaelon Quiero-Gordon. In a room that lacks veteran presence, Quiero-Gordon has taken charge of the young unit. The former All-OAC honorable mention has been receiving help from defensive back Lukas Ratliff, who has stepped into a huge role for Marietta. The freshman had two interceptions last week, and will look to give Collins and the Blue Streaks trouble.

Special Teams

Yanni Volas has been a critical contributor to the Blue Streaks this year. Last week, the junior converted 8-of-8 extra points, adding a 23-yard field goal, plus one punt inside the 20-yard line. 

Marietta, meanwhile, turns to Matthew Gossett for the kicking game. The freshman from Enon, Ohio has a long field goal of 40 yards, and has converted 8-of-11 PATs. Aidan Bailey averages 35.35 yards per punt. 
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