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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Kenneth Rawls catch vs. UWW on 9-7-24
Anthony McFarlin
7
John Carroll JCU 0-1 , 0-0
34
Winner Wis.-Whitewater UWW 1-0 , 0-0
John Carroll JCU
0-1 , 0-0
7
Final
34
Wis.-Whitewater UWW
1-0 , 0-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
JCU John Carroll 0 0 0 7 7
UWW Wis.-Whitewater 14 10 0 10 34

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

#19/20 Blue Streaks Fall at #3 UW-Whitewater in Season Opener

WHITEWATER, Wisc. – Road trips to start the season pose plenty of challenges, but an 8-hour journey to face the #3 team in Division III presents an even greater obstacle. 

John Carroll Football couldn't overcome the difficult task, falling to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on a sunny, 60-degree Saturday afternoon at Perkins Stadium.

The Blue Streaks lost the team's second straight season opener to the Warhawks, this time by a score of 34-7. 

From the opening drive, the Warhawks appeared every bit of one of the top teams in the country. From start to finish, the Warhawks proved to be the better squad today. 

Receiving the ball first, the Warhawks marched down the field, slowly but surely. Tamir Thomas finished off the drive with a 1-yard rushing score, accounting for 40 of UWW's 75 yards on the opening drive. JCU's first possession was not as successful as back-to-back sacks led to a three-and-out. After a 61-yard Owen Schuckert punt, UW-Whitewater found daylight in the run game. Brian Stanton ran off left tackle and dashed 56 yards to paydirt with blockers sealing off JCU pursuers. 

Down 14-0 early, the JCU offense found a new sense of urgency. A Tyler Mintz screen and a Kenneth Rawls catch invigorated the offense, but a key UWW stop on 4th and 1 with seconds left in the first quarter ended the drive. 

The Blue Streaks responded with an excellent fourth down stop. Davon Badley made a great tackle on a toss to the running back out of the backfield, giving JCU the ball back on its own 33-yard line. The visitors again drove into Warhawks' territory, but things again did not go JCU's way. A fumble following a completion gave the ball back to the hosts, and UWW promptly hit on a 37-yard run to flip the field. Thankfully, some JCU blitzes prevented the worst, and UWW settled for a 28-yard field goal with 5:07 left in the half.  

John Carroll's final drive of the half stalled, leading to a JCU punt. Taking over with 1:35 left in the half, the Warhawks drove 87 yards in 8 plays in impressive fashion. The critical late score set the halftime margin at 24 points, much more imposing than 17 points, for sure. 

The rushing stats of the first half tell the tale of the ballgame. While the Warhawks piled up 207 yards on the ground, the Blue Streaks managed just 21 yards on 14 attempts. Nick Semptimphelter looked solid in his first half of action in a JCU uniform. 

The second half offered an opportunity to flip the script, with JCU getting the ball to start. Unfortunately, JCU's opening drive of the third quarter ended in UWW territory, as the Blue & Gold could not convert a fourth and short. 

While the Warhawks pressed the advantage and drove down the field, JCU's defense did not surrender. The Blue Streaks halted the hosts on 4th and 1 from the JCU 2-yard line, with Tony Tirado and Lamar Thomas making the stop. After JCU's ensuing drive stalled, UWW missed a lengthy field goal thanks in part to the defense allowing only three yards. But a JCU interception soon gave the ball back to UWW. On the first play of the fourth quarter, the Warhawks placed the game fully out of reach with a short TD pass. 

JCU did fight to the bitter end, avoiding the team's first shutout since 2007 with a short touchdown pass. Tyren Montgomery did the honors, hauling in a 4-yard strike from Semptimphelter on fourth down with one second on the clock. Semptimphelter finished 18-of-34 for 147 passing yards and a team-high 30 rushing yards. Montgomery and Tyler Mintz each hauled in five receptions. 

On defense, Tony Tirado led the team with 11 tackles. Lamar Thomas, Tyler Thimons, and Tommy Wasinski each tabbed nine stops. 

Looking at the team stats, the Warhawks outgained the Blue Streaks, 439-226, including on the ground, 286-79. JCU's 1-of-4 conversion rate on fourth downs proved to be critical. JCU did limit UWW to a 50% completion percentage.

Next Up
The Blue Streaks will get a chance to hit the reset button. JCU has a bye week before another stout challenge at #5 Mount Union on Saturday, September 21. 
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