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JCU vs. BW lines from 2022 game
Doug Beigie

Week 2 Football Preview: 35th Cuyahoga Gold Bowl Set for Saturday

| By: Dylan Feltovich, Staff Writer
The Blue Streaks hope to control the battle in the trenches on Saturday.
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – The John Carroll Blue Streaks will travel cross town to defend "The Rock" in the 35th Battle for Cuyahoga Fall Gold Bowl.

JCU does not have an easy second match in the 2023 season, after a hard-fought loss to now #6 UW-Whitewater, 27-23. John Carroll found a way to score in every quarter, however, the Warhawks took over late and tallied 14 points in the fourth quarter.

After falling in the season opener to Mount St. Joseph, the Yellow Jackets secured a huge win over Wilmington, 61-25. Baldwin Wallace's rushing attack sparked the offensive surge, which totaled 295 yards across five ball carriers. 

The Blue Streaks, in recent years, have had the Yellow Jacket's number. JCU has notched 10 straight wins against Baldwin Wallace, with the last being a 21-7 victory in 2022, which saw running back Evan McVay total over 100 yards on the ground while John Carroll's defense controlled the tempo of the game.

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THE OFFENSES

JCU
The offensive effort for the Blue Streaks begins with the battle in the trenches. Matt Wrather will continue to be the leader up front for JCU at the center position. Another name on the line to watch: freshman lineman Troy Mrukowski. Mrukowski made his debut for the Blue Streaks last contest, and helped protect quarterback Joe Collins.

Collins, known for his veteran presence on offense, threw for three touchdowns in the season opener against UWW, and completed 17-of-29 passes for 160 yards. With a well-rounded Baldwin Wallace defense, Head Coach Jeff Behrman '95 will turn to Collins to elevate the pass game. 

To help Collins is a dynamic receiving corps that is littered with talent. While it may have been a quiet game against UWW, Brennan Fugh and Joe Torok will be heavily emphasized, along with Tyler Mintz. This group is accompanied by a strong tight end room of Lucas D'Orazio and Jake Lang. In his debut with the Blue Streaks, D'Orazio hauled in four receptions and totaled 40 yards and a touchdown. The former defensive back at Duquesne proved that he easily transitioned into his new role with JCU.

Rounding out the offense, the one-two punch of Matthew Buser and Evan McVay will command the run game for the Blue Streaks. The two backs accounted for 216 of the 335 total yards on offense through the run and pass game. Another rusher that will see time for JCU this weekend is junior Mason Sullivan, who tallied 368 rushing yards in eight games last season.

Baldwin Wallace
The Yellow Jackets have one of the most balanced offenses in the OAC that features an explosive pass game and a strong run game on the ground. Head coach Jim Hilvert and his squad have found success this season on explosive plays, which makes them one of the highest-scoring offenses in Division III.

Baldwin Wallace's offense is led by senior quarterback Joey Marousek. The North Royalton native began his career at the University of Akron, but transferred after his sophomore season. Since then, Marousek has taken the helm for BW. Marousek has started the season on a hot streak, throwing for 570 passing yards and seven touchdowns, five coming from the victory against Wilmington. 

To set up the shot plays for Marousek and Baldwin Wallace, wide receivers Darius Stokes, Elijah Arnett, and Mikel Love will become huge factors in the offense. The speedsters are threats for a big play at any point of the game, so the Blue Streaks' secondary will have their work cut out for them.

The Blue Streak defense will also have a tough task containing the Yellow Jackets extensive running back room that features two backs in George Linberger and Victor Ford Jr. The duo combined for 184 yards on the ground last time out, which included multiple big-time runs. 

THE DEFENSES

JCU
With the diverse offense the Yellow Jackets presents, versatility will be the key for the Blue Streaks to stop the energetic offense.

Like offense, the JCU front seven will be a critical factor. Bricker Thiel and Tyler Thimons were the main pieces up front against UWW, totaling seven tackles each. Thimons also added a sack to the mix.

Chris Golson also was a huge contributor to the defensive efforts two weeks ago, adding seven tackles to his statline. And with an ample amount of speed, Elijah Chungu and the rest of the secondary will need to step up and limit the big plays from Baldwin Wallace. Coach Behrman and the rest of his staff have been vocal about Chungu's veteran presence and consistency throughout the year. 

Baldwin Wallace
Just like their offense, the Yellow Jackets are hyper-aggressive on the defensive side. A combination of a strong line with speed in the secondary can cause issues for any offense that challenges BW.

Up front for the Yellow Jackets, junior Kadyn Viancourt leads the charge. The Avon Lake native has 1.5 sacks on the year, and has forced a fumble. Behind Viancourt is linebacker Connor Miller, who has racked up 11 tackles and an interception in two games.
 
Baldwin Wallace's secondary is littered with speedy pieces. With star cornerback Anthony Kendall now on the Tennessee Titans, young defensive backs like freshman Marque Vereen will be critical for BW. Vereen has totaled six tackles and three pass breakups in two games. Freshman Kyle Langenbrunner has also been a factor in the box for Baldwin Yellow, totaling four tackles and 0.5 sacks.
 
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