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Jahiem Peake vs. Mount Union
Jose Figueroa

Week 10 Football Preview: Blue Streaks Look to Finish Strong vs. Otterbein

| By: Dylan Feltovich, Staff Writer
The Blue Streaks hope to end the year on a high note.
WESTERVILLE, Ohio -- John Carroll will wrap up their regular season with a road trip to face an Ohio Athletic Conference opponent, Ottebein Cardinals.

Last week, the Blue Streaks fell to #2 Mount Union, 49-14. The Purple Raiders' 21-point second quarter helped lift them above John Carroll. Quarterback Joe Collins completed 17 passes for 261 yards on 26 attempts. Both fifth-year wide receivers Brennan Fugh and Joe Torok totaled over 100 yards through the air.

The Cardinals faced the same fate as John Carroll last week, losing to Ohio Northern, 49-6. Otterbein's run-heavy offense totaled 232 yards on the ground, but failed to find the endzone. ONU tallied five sacks and an interception on Otterbein quarterback Cayden Lassiter.

Otterbein has struggled in recent years against the Blue Streaks. JCU currently holds a nine-game win streak over the Cardinals, which began with a 28-0 shutout in 2013. The most recent matchup saw John Carroll put on an offensive show, winning 62-7. Running backs Demerius Goodwin, Matthew Buser, and Mason Sullivan accumulated 456 of the 635 yards, along with eight of the nine touchdowns. The defense totaled six sacks and one interception, while allowing a net total of 130 yards of offense.

The Offenses

JCU
The John Carroll offense this week will be without Collins and Fugh, who both suffered injuries in the contest against Mount Union.

Head Coach Jeff Behrman '95 will hand off the signalcaller duties to freshman quarterback Nikko Georgiou, who will be making his first collegiate start. Fans have gotten a glimpse of the Kenston native this season, appearing in games against Wilmington, Capital and Mount Union. He threw his first touchdown against the Quakers, and completed all three of his passes. JCU's coaching staff has raved over Georgiou's arm strength and calm demeanor, which he displayed last week on a 29-yard completion to Tyler Mintz in the fourth quarter.

The wide receiving room will also feature new faces in this contest, along with expanded roles for pass catchers fans have seen this season. Joe Torok and Tyler Mintz have been speed threats for John Carroll all season, but will become the primary targets this week. Torok finished with 100 receiving yards on six receptions against Mount Union, while Mintz totaled 85 yards on three catches. Dorian Facen Jr will be another wideout that has more of a role, as the freshman has quickly become the big, reliable pass catcher. 

Finishing out the regular season is the same duo that started it off on the ground. Running backs Evan McVay and Mason Sullivan have led the Blue Streaks all season in rushing this season behind the stout offensive line. 

Otterbein
The Cardinals are one of the youngest teams in the OAC, and have taken time this season to figure out the puzzle pieces. With each week, Otterbein's offense made great strides to further excel their attack on the ground and through the air.

This year, the Cardinals have tried four different quarterbacks out, but will be opting to go with freshman Lorenzen Horace. The California native has appeared in seven games this season, with a notable start against Mount Union. Horace had an efficient outing against the Purple Raiders, charting 229 yards through the air and did not throw an interception. He also has displayed the ability to move outside the pocket, and salvage plays when they break down.

Horance's main target is an underclassman himself, Owen Menge. The sophomore wideout leads the Cardinals in receiving yards this season with 430 yards. Standing at only 5'7", Menge uses his athleticism to beat any secondary that stands in his way. The speedy receiver has been paired with senior Armani Burton this season, and they have formed a perfect combination. Burton, at 6'3", has been a reliable threat for the Cardinals through the air.

Freshman running back Matt Griffin will once again handle a majority of the run game load. With injuries plaguing this unit, Griffin has recently stepped in and controlled the role as the lead backer. Last week against Ohio Northern, he gained over 100 yards on the ground, while scoring two touchdowns the week before against Mount Union.

The Defenses

JCU
John Carroll's defense has been on an incredible run this season, allowing only 15 points per game this season. It started with the "one play at a time" mentality, as the unit allowed 4.8 yards per play each game.

JCU's defense has been blessed with a stellar front seven that featured the likes of Tyler Thimons, Bricker Thiel, Jake Phillips, and Jahiem Peake. The mixture of high level veterans have done a phenomenal job of stopping the run this season, allowing only 3.7 yards per carry. In a conference flooded with top-tier running backs, they have shut down any run attack. The future still remains bright, as junior linebacker Chris Golson has been great in coverage and run stopping this season. 

The glue that has made this defense elite this season has been the secondary unit for the Blue Streaks. When disaster struck, and injuries could have ruined this special year, Jacob Hufnagel and Lamar Thomas stepped up in huge ways this season. Hufnagel, as a freshman, established himself as a primer corner for the Blue Streaks, totaling two interceptions and three pass breakups. Thomas followed suit, racking up a total of two interceptions and two pass breakups. Veteran safety Elijah Chungu rounded out the group. His impressive play throughout his career at John Carroll carried into this season, as he was a versatile ballhawk all year long.

Otterbein
Like their offense, the defense for the Cardinals features a ton of young talent, along with a few transfers in their secondary. Otterbein will also move into multiple defensive fronts, due to their loaded linebacker room.

Senior linebacker Bobby Buckler has been a game changer this year. He leads his squad with 86 total tackles on the year, with 8.5 being a tackle for loss. Even as a Mike linebacker, he still can get to the quarterback, ranking fourth on the team with two sacks. Buckler is joined with junior Justin Barlett, who leads the squad with six sacks and 18.5 tackles for losses on the season. Bartlett has displayed the ability to get in the backfield. The group is rounded out with Tayon Howard, who is a perfect coverage guy for the Cardinals. This season, he's totaled five interceptions, which is the most on the team.

Behind the front seven, Vicent Fisher and Randy Cochran Jr. have done a great job containing pass games. Fisher may not have any interceptions on the season, but he's had 10 pass breakups this season. He led the OAC last season in pass breakups in 2022, and he's on pace to do it again. Teams can't focus their attention on the other side, since Cochran Jr. has racked up two picks and four pass breakups this season.

Special Teams

The tradition of excellent special teams play for John Carroll continued with Yanni Volas. He has been near-prefect in PATs this year, racking up 42 of his 45 attempts. He also nailed seven of ten field goal attempts for an average of 42 yards.
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