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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Jacob Hufnagel vs. Berg
Austin Tenzer
Jacob Hufnagel's pick-six cemented the victory for the Blue Streaks on the road. 
34
Winner John Carroll JCU 2-1 , 2-0
7
Heidelberg HEI 2-1 , 1-1
Winner
John Carroll JCU
2-1 , 2-0
34
Final
7
Heidelberg HEI
2-1 , 1-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
JCU John Carroll 10 7 17 0 34
HEI Heidelberg 7 0 0 0 7

Game Recap: Football | | Joe Ginley '16, SID

Blue Streaks Topple Student Princes in Tiffin in a Commanding Conquest

TIFFIN, Ohio – Hoernemann Stadium has been a difficult venue to play in for John Carroll Football in recent years, but not so today.

Entering Saturday, Heidelberg had won three of the last five meetings in Tiffin, despite JCU owning a 28-8 series advantage. The Student Princes scored on the opening drive of the day for a quick 7-0 lead, hinting at more trouble.

But the men of Jeff Behrman '95 dominated the remaining 55 minutes of the game in a dominant 34-7 conquest of the Student Princes to move to 2-1 on the season. 

The Blue Streaks did as they wished on offense and stood strong all day on defense, with two timely interceptions negating any shot of a Berg comeback. 

Just like Week 2, the Blue Streaks started off on defense. The Student Princes began with tough field position thanks to strong kickoff coverage by JCU, but the hosts marched down the field. Utilizing a gritty ground game and aided by an opportune pass interference call, the Student Princes finished off a 13-play, 87-yard drive with a 19-yard Montavious Yearby touchdown.  

The visitors were unfazed, as John Carroll authored a response. The Blue Streaks traveled 70 yards in 8 plays for a touchdown. During the journey, Matthew Buser picked up a 4th and 1 in critical fashion, and Brennan Fugh hauled in three Joe Collins passes for 37 yards. Tyler Mintz caught a screen pass on the right side, and got great blocks from Fugh, Matt Wrather, and Nathan Kovach to spring him for an 18-yard score. 

Penalties by JCU aided Heidelberg's offense again on the following drive. But on a key 4th and 1 at the JCU 23-yard line, the Blue Streaks held strong, turning back the Berg. On the very next play, Evan McVay continued the momentum with a 40-yard dash down the right sideline, with a Berg player just tripping him up from behind. The drive stalled in the red zone, so Yanni Volas tallied a 33-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead with 2:47 left in the first quarter. 

The score remained 10-7 JCU after the first, as the Blue Streaks shut down Heidelberg deep in its own territory, with Jake Phillips tabbing a sack to end the Berg drive. Heidelberg also settled in on defense to end a quick JCU drive on the first play of the second quarter. 

Following a Heidelberg three-and-out, John Carroll's offense got some traction with short pass plays and runs by Matthew Buser. But Berg clamped down near midfield to force a JCU punt. That posed no problem for the JCU defense, as the visitors got the ball back quickly. Evan McVay then started gashing the Berg defense.

Later on the drive, a critical 3rd and 11, Collins threaded the needle to Lucas D'Orazio on a post pattern for a beautiful 24-yard strike. D'Orazio's second TD reception of the year pushed the lead to 17-7 after the 12-play, 80-yard march.

Heidelberg looked to respond, but a Bricker Thiel sack ended that opportunity and the Blue Streaks carried a 17-7 lead into the break. 

On the first drive of the second half, John Carroll again methodically matriculated the ball down the field. Buser hauled in three receptions in the flat on the 10-play, 83-yard drive, including the finisher, a 7-yard score. 

The Blue Streaks defense stepped up on Heidelberg's next drive. Tyler Thimons deflected a Berg pass and Chris Golson hauled it in, setting JCU up at the 18-yard line. The Blue Streaks couldn't get into the end zone, but Yanni Volas converted a 31-yarder for a 27-7 advantage. 

Just a few plays later, the Blue Streaks put more points on the board. Jacob Hufnagel jumped a curl route near the JCU sideline, picking off the Heidelberg pass at the JCU 40-yard line and dashing 60 yards to paydirt. Hufnagel's first career interception inflated the JCU lead to 34-7, which stood entering the fourth quarter. 

The Blue Streaks drained most of the clock in the fourth quarter with a slow, grind-it-out kind of drive that took nothing for granted. JCU never gave Berg the ball back thanks to an 18-play final drive that lasted 11 minutes and 53 seconds. 

Joe Collins finished an excellent 24-of-30 passing for 265 yards and 3 touchdowns. Lucas D'Orazio was his favorite target today, with 6 catches for 87 yards and a score. Brennan Fugh and Matthew Buser hauled in 5 catches apiece to combine for 131 yards. Fugh ascends to fourth in program history with 2,283 receiving yards, passing Frank Ross '10, who now serves as the Houston Texans' special teams coordinator. Collins enters the program top 10 list for career passing yards with 3,106, surpassing Doug Phillips '06. 

Evan McVay helmed the ground game with 10 carries for 68 yards, while Mason Sullivan also contributed heavily with 14 carries for 63 yards. Quincy Newsom tallied the first rushes of his JCU career, too. The offensive line made it all possible with strong play up front, as they powered the way for 4.7 yards per rush and didn't surrender a sack all day.

As a team, the Blue Streaks finished with 183 rushing yards and 265 passing yards for a team total of 448, averaging 6.49 per play. Heidelberg managed just 236 yards and 3.93 yards per play. 

The JCU defense played well as a whole, Jake Phillips leading the way. The Orrville native bothered Berg off the edge, finishing with 6 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks. Chris Golson also thrived with 6 tackles and an interception. Kevin Doyle, Garrett Sparks, and Joe Thimons all registered 5 tackles, while Griffin Lidyard and Bricker Thiel tabbed a tackle for loss and a sack apiece.  

With a 2-1 mark overall and a 2-0 record in Ohio Athletic Conference play, the Blue Streaks will head home to prep for Wilmington next week. Homecoming Weekend promises to bring the return of many alumni, especially following a star-studded Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Friday evening. 
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