Jose Figueroa

NCAA Third Round Playoff Preview: JCU Football Headed to Alliance Again

12/5/2025 9:00:00 AM | By: Joe Ginley '16, SID

The #9 Blue Streaks will meet the #2 Purple Raiders for the fifth time in the NCAA Playoffs

ALLIANCE, Ohio — Familiar foes are set to meet once again on Saturday.

For the fifth time, old adversaries John Carroll and Mount Union will meet on the gridiron in the NCAA Football Playoffs. Just like the previous four matchups the #9 ranked John Carroll Blue Streaks will head to Alliance to face the #2 Purple Raiders.

Hopes are high for the Blue Streaks for this Third Round battle. John Carroll enters with a high-flying, balanced offense and a defense that suffocated #20 Randolph-Macon in the Second Round last Saturday in a dominant 35-6 victory.

The Blue Streaks, new members of the North Coast Athletic Conference, did not meet the Purple Raiders in the regular season. Mount Union roared through the campaign with a 10-0 record before steamrolling Muhlenberg in the Second Round last week at Kehres Stadium, 49-7.

Of course, the vaunted Purple Raiders have advanced to the NCAA Division III Playoffs 34 times and won the title 13 times, both the most in NCAA Division III history. Mount Union's last crown was won in 2017. This is John Carroll's ninth appearance in the playoffs. Mount Union has won all four previous playoff matchups, including a victory last season in the Second Round.

John Carroll will be seeking the program's fourth all-time quarterfinals appearance and first win in Alliance since the famed 2016 triumph.

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Game Notes

Offense

JCU
Much of the attention on offense goes to the pass game, with good reason. But the rushing attack has been quite dynamic for John Carroll this season. And to win, JCU will need to establish the ground game.

A developing offensive line with four picks to the All-NCAC team has paved the way for a strong rushing attack. Nemo Jenkins anchors the attack with 718 rushing yards, not impressive alone, but his 7.7 yards per carry is a current program record. Quincy Newsom has a team-high 95 carries, with 581 yards and 6 touchdowns. Cohen Klimak is the last runner of the triad with 332 yards plus an identical 6.1 ypc to Newsom. Keller Moten is a dangerous running threat as a change-of-pace quarterback with 8 touchdowns.

Nick Semptimphelter is one of the NCAA's most efficient quarterback, with an NCAA-best 81.57% completion rate, aided by a 31-of-33 game vs. RMC. Semptimphelter's 30 passing touchdowns rank third in a single-season in JCU history, just one behind Tom Arth's 31 in 2000 (Mark Myers holds the record with 41 in 2014). The Tennessean's 2,796 passing yards ranks sixth, just four yards behind Moeglin in fifth-place with his historic 2016 season.

Speaking of records, Tyren Montgomery continues his assault on the JCU record book. The star wideout set the program's single-season receiving yards record on Saturday, surpassing Marshall Howell's impeccable season in 2014. Montgomery rates seventh in Division III with 1,177 receiving yards this year. Montgomery's 90 receptions are already a JCU record and his 14 TD's are tied for second all-time with Howell, behind only Montgomery's record 17 in 2024.

Shane Lindstrom will be a critical cog in the passing attack for JCU on Saturday, too. The junior from South Range has 442 yards and 3 TDs this year, including 6 catches for 136 yards vs. DePauw. Kenneth Rawls is a dynamic weapon at tight end, second only behind Montgomery with 47 catches for 516 yards and 7 TDs. The running backs are also key pass catchers in this offense.

Besides being efficient in the passing attack, John Carroll has been very strong in the red zone, rating sixth in NCAA Division III in red zone offense (.938). The Blue Streaks also rank fourth in the nation in third down conversion rate (57.4%), a critical component of the game. Time of possession will be critical, and the Blue Streaks are fourth in the country with an average time of possession of 34:56.

UMU
The star of the show for the Purple Raiders on offense is undoubtedly Mikey Maloney.

The Painesville Riverside alum has been a marvel to watch in his first season as a starter. The second-year man has accumulated 2,539 yards and 30 touchdowns through the air plus 420 yards and 11 TDs on the ground. The OAC's Bob Packard Most Outstanding Offensive Back, Maloney scored a whopping 6 TDs against Muhlenberg in the playoff opener.

Florida native Davion Grant is his most dangerous target with 47 catches for 851 yards and 8 touchdowns. Nick Turner is often a weapon in the short to intermediate game with a team-best 50 receptions for 680 yards and 5 scores.

Darnell Williams anchors the ground game, leading the Purple Raiders in all categories. The graduate student from John Adams High School tops the team with 145 carries for 1,134 yards and 10 scores. The Clevelander crushed the Mules for 130 yards on just 14 carries to open the playoffs.

And you can't forget the big men up front. St. Edward grad Giovanni Kennedy is a likely All-American at left guard. Fellow senior lineman Fred Fevrier of Lehigh Acres, Florida also won First Team All-OAC honors at left tackle. The right side of the line is good, too, with right tackle Mitch Coffee winning All-OAC Second Team status and right guard Mason Fortner getting Honorable Mention status.

Most importantly for the Purple Raiders, they do not turnover the ball, with just five turnovers lost this season, second in NCAA D-III. Mount Union's 46.8 points per game is eighth in the nation, as a result.

Defense

JCU
Momentum is big, and the John Carroll defense is fresh off a strong effort in the playoff opener. John Carroll limited #20 Randolph-Macon to just 41 yards on offense, dominating the trenches. Winning the battle of the big uglies will be key on Saturday.

John Carroll is fortunate to have playmakers at all three levels. Starting up front, Tommy Wasinski is the ringleader of the defensive line as a run-stopping, quarterback-pursuing bowling ball. The Saint Ignatius grad is joined by playmakers such as Ben Day, Joe Thimons, Ivory Travers, Nathaniel Hendrix, and Hunter Kanotz up front. JCU likes to rotate defensive linemen to keep the men in the trenches fresh.

Chris Golson and Mason Rus are coming off of big games on Saturday, wreaking havoc on the Yellow Jackets' run game and disrupting the quarterback. Both were All-NCAC picks and certainly talented players capable of impacting the game.

Lamar Thomas is the most veteran man in the secondary as a consistent starter at safety. JP Germano is also no stranger as a versatile safety. Cornerbacks Dylan Crasi and Jacob Hufnagel have begun to get their due after garnering Second Team All-NCAC honors. Crasi made a punishing hit on a Yellow Jacket receiver last week that defined the defense's motto of "Be The Hammer."

As a unit, JCU rates second in the nation in rushing defense (33.3 yards per game), but will face its toughest test yet. Opponents are converting third downs at just a 28.3% rate this year, as JCU ranks 10th in NCAA Division III in this stat. Overall, JCU is allowing just 201.5 yards per game, fourth in the nation.

UMU
While the Purple Raiders are efficient as ever on offense, Mount Union is also quite effective on the defensive side of the ball, too. The hosts rank top 10 in a myriad of categories, including scoring defense (12.4 points per game), passing efficiency defense, and much more.

Kaleb Brown is the disruptor up front responsible for much of the damage. The Purple Raiders' Bandit, the La Plata, Maryland native was named the OAC's Paul J. Hoernemann Most Outstanding Defensive Lineman. The senior has notched 57 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, and 18 quarterback hurries in a remarkable campaign.

The defensive backfield, meanwhile, is led by cornerback Konstantine Thrasivoulou. The North Ridgeville native was named the OAC's Co-Lee Tressel Award Most Outstanding Defensive Back. In the regular season, the senior leads the league with 17 pass breakups and has notched four interceptions, including one against the Mules. The veteran has also added 58 tackles for the second-best passing defense in the conference.

Linebackers Keenan Cruz and Weston Arthur, both talented seniors, are the top tacklers on the team. The two veterans are tied for first on the team with 66 tackles and have combined for 10.5 tackles. Cruz has added a pair of picks to his statline.

Special Teams

A game like this can often come down to special teams. Both teams have some talented players.

Colin Schuler does the kicking for John Carroll, converting 12-of-15 field goals with a long of 46 yards plus knocking home 60-of-62 PATs. Owen Schuckert handles the punting with an average of 39.4 yards per punt, with eight of his 22 punts being pinned inside the 20-yard line. Chad Harpster is the star senior long snapper. Shane Lindstrom handles much of the return game for JCU.

Ivan Maric is the Raiders' star kicker, making 10-of-13 field goals and 64-of-68 extra points as a First Team All-OAC selection. Michael Franklin handles the punting duties, averaging 43.43 yards per boot, with nine of 21 pinned inside the 20. Mason Ashby is the primary returnman.

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