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NCAA Second Round Playoff Preview: JCU Football Set for Snowy Showdown with RMC

11/28/2025 6:50:00 PM | By: JCUSID

Nemo Jenkins

The #9 Blue Streaks are set to do battle with #20 Randolph-Macon at Don Shula Stadium at Noon Saturday

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS — Turkey time is done with. Snow football is next.

Following a Thanksgiving snow storm, Don Shula Stadium will have an extra special playoff feel on Saturday as the #9 ranked John Carroll Blue Streaks play host to the #20 ranked Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets.

Just a few flurries / snow showers are expected on Saturday for the Noon kickoff, but the Second Round of the NCAA Division III Football Playoffs will be that much more fun.

For the second consecutive year the Blue Streaks will host their first game of the tournament. Last year, JCU dominated from start to finish, routing Mount St. Joseph, 52-7, in the opening round. The next week the Blue Streaks' season would end at the hands of Mount Union. In 2025, John Carroll's first season in the North Coast Athletic Conference, the Blue Streaks went a perfect 8-0 in conference play, finishing the season 9-1 after a 1-1 start due to a loss to #3 Johns Hopkins.

Randolph-Macon's season looks a lot like John Carroll. The Yellow Jackets would begin the season 1-1, dropping a road game against a tough Central College (IA) team, 10-0. However, once conference play began, the Yellow Jackets found their stride, rattling off eight consecutive victories and their sixth straight Old Dominion Athletic Conference title. Randolph-Macon has won 29 consecutive games in the ODAC during that stretch.

These two squads have faced off in the tournament before. Back in November of 2018, the Yellow Jackets came to town and upset the #8 ranked Blue Streaks 23-20 in Don Shula Stadium. Randolph-Macon would drop their next game in the tournament to #23 Muhlenberg 35-6. RMC's head coach Pedro Arruza – the ODAC Coach of the Year – was leading the Yellow Jackets that season.

The winner of this matchup will take on the winner of Muhlenberg and #2 ranked Mount Union.

Reminders: No tailgating on Belvoir due to the snow. Be careful getting to your seats in the stadium, as some seats have been shoveled off but not all. Noisemakers are not allowed. Most importantly: Please dress warm!

Tickets
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Broadcast: ESPN+
Radio: Listen on WJCU 88.7 FM / WJCU.org

Gridiron Club:

Weekly Interview with Jeff Behrman '95
Game Notesu
Weekly Player Interview: Jack McKinnon

Offense

JCU
The Blue Streak offense is predicated on a mix of run and pass, with plenty of complex looks alongside simple but excellently executed plays.

Nick Semptimphelter is the offense's guide as an incredibly accurate quarterback. The second-year starter and graduate student is the nation's most accurate quarterback with an amazing 80% completion rate. His 27 touchdowns against just 2 interceptions demonstrate his smart reads. His top target is the much-heralded Tyren Montgomery, with a program-record 81 receptions while eclipsing 1,000 receiving yards. Tight end Kenneth Rawls plus wideout Shane Lindstrom are also very effective pass catchers.

Powered by an offensive line that has gained steam over the course of the season, the JCU running game has caught its stride. Nemo Jenkins is the leading back with a conference-best 665 rushing yards. But Quincy Newsom and Cohen Klimak are plenty good, too, and mix in frequently. Keller Moten is one to watch as the running quarterback has 7 rushing TDs.

RMC
The Yellow Jackets offense is built to do one thing: Run the ball. Randolph-Macon has attempted 413 runs vs. 108 passes this season. That tells the tale of the offense.

And when you can run for 222.67 yards per game, the strategy marks sense. Mitchell Johnson and Cameron Chatmon split the carries, with both runners at over 500 rushing yards on the season. Johnson earned First Team All-ODAC honors. As with any good run game, it starts with the big uglies up front. Myles Bridges and Chop Deaver are the ringleaders as First Team All-ODAC picks.

But the passing game is nothing to be sniffed at, to be sure. Quarterback Dante Casciola is a dual-threat senior who transferred in from Dayton prior to the 2024 season. The Charlotte, North Carolina native has 838 yards and 8 touchdowns through the air plus 256 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground. A smart player, he was awarded the ODAC/Va. Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete award.

Jason Moore is the top target in the pass game with 30 catches for 439 yards, but his top red zone target is his tight end. Landon Farriss, a First Team All-ODAC pick, has just 11 catches on the year, but four are touchdowns.

The Yellow Jackets offense is built for this type of weather, and the Blue Streaks are not overlooking the challenge, no doubt about it.

Defense

JCU
The Blue Streaks play in a conference that does not always prioritize the run, but JCU excels nonetheless in stopping the run. JCU ranks in the top five in the nation in rushing defense with just 33 yards allowed per game.

Playmakers abound at all levels. Tommy Wasinski stuffs the middle at defensive line, with edge rushers such as Ivory Travers and Ben Day who can get to the QB. This is an unheralded unit that has developed strongly over the course of the campaign.

Chris Golson is a captain and star of the linebacker core. Mason Rus is a talented Mike linebacker who will be critical tomorrow. Kenny Grobolsek is the hard-charging Will linebacker who can rack up plenty of tackles.

In the secondary, Dylan Crasi and Jacob Hufnagel form a formidable duo at cornerback. Lamar Thomas, a First Team All-NCAC pick, is a diamond in the secondary. JP Germano and Adam LaCarte are both talented players at safety, too.

RMC
Turnovers are what makes the Randolph-Macon defense special, as the Yellow Jackets lead the NCAA Division III stats with a whopping 30 turnovers. RMC ranks sixth in the nation with 19 interceptions and 11th with 11 fumble recoveries.

Linebacker Daniel Eliasek is the heartbeat of this ballhawk defense. The senior linebacker from Midlothian, Virginia was named the Lou Wacker Defensive Player of the Year by the ODAC. A preseason All-America pick, he recorded 60 tackles to lead the team. He had three forced fumbles, three pass break-ups and three quarterback hurries.

Brady Kinloch, a First Team All-ODAC selection, anchors the defensive line. The Leesburg, Virginia native solidifies a front seven that ranks eighth in the nation in rushing defense (58.9).

While statistically, RMC ranks just 79th in pass defense nationally (183.7), the Yellow Jackets have plenty of playmakers. Kindin Richardson is one of the top men, as the 5'7" senior cornerback garnered First Team All-ODAC honors.

Special Teams

As with any snow game, special teams will play a big factor.

Colin Schuler has been a trusty kicker this year, averaging over a field goal per game for JCU, including 10-of-11 from under 40 yards. He's also fired in a 46-yarder this season. Owen Schuckert is the punter, averaging 39.19 yards per punt.

For RMC, Tyler Graham and Trever Luther have split the field goal and extra point kicking duties, with each missing just one try. For punting, Jordan Etz is the man, with a booming 40.08 yards per punt, including six of 50+ yards.

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