NCAC Kickoff Preview: JCU Football Set to Debut at Don Shula Stadium

9/18/2025 5:08:00 PM | By: Jack Stephens, Staff Writer

The JCU Football senior class (USA Foto)

The Blue Streaks will celebrate Senior Day while starting a new era in the NCAC

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS — A rematch 48 years in the making marks a historic new era for the #21 ranked Blue Streaks as John Carroll plays host to the Oberlin Yeomen.

The last time these two schools faced off was all the way back in 1977, where the Blue Streaks defeated Oberlin 21-0 at home. This marked the Blue Streaks' second straight victory to conclude that season. Flash forward to 2025, where the Blue Streaks once again play host to the Yeomen, this time in their inaugural game as a member of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC).

Both squads look to get back to winning ways in this contest. Last week, John Carroll gave third ranked Johns Hopkins all they could handle over four quarters, but the top ranked Blue Jays came out on top 27-13. Oberlin went down early against the Hiram Terriers and couldn't dig themselves out of the hole, dropping their second game of the season 58-21.

This game is also Senior Day, as 26 student-athletes and eight student assistants will be honored pregame for their sacrifice and effort to elevate the football program.

South Belvoir will close at 10 am for tailgating. With Parents and Family Weekend set to begin, the tailgate promises to be plenty fun.

Tickets
Live Stats
Live Video
TV: Live on Rock Entertainment Sports Network
Radio: Listen on WJCU 88.7 FM / WJCU.org

The Offenses

JCU
John Carroll's offense is led by D3football.com preseason Third Team All-American quarterback Nick Semptimhelter. A transfer from Bucknell, Semptimphelter was trusted with leading the JCU comeback a week ago against Johns Hopkins. He did all he could, but would eventually fall short. However, that does not take away from his stellar statistical performance. The Franklin, Tennessee native completed 28-of-39 passes for 315 yards and a touchdown against one of the nation's best secondaries. In week one, Semptimphelter broke a Division III record, with a 96.1% completion rate in a 48-14 victory over Waynesburg.

A big reason for the success of Semptimphelter is due to his tremendous supporting cast, specifically in the passing game. Former OAC Wide Receiver of the Year and Preseason First Team All-American, Tyren Montgomery, has had a historic career with JCU in just two short seasons. Through two games Montgomery has hauled in 18 receptions for 232 yards and two total touchdowns. Last week, the Nicholls State transfer caught 12 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown. Semptimphelter's security blanket, Kenneth Rawls, has also had an impressive start to the season. In week one, Rawls tallied six receptions for 97 yards and two touchdowns, both JCU career highs.

The Blue Streaks have had some struggles running in the football in their first two games, but they still have some talented rushers. Quincy Newsom and Nemo Jenkins are the leaders of the running back room after a season in which they combined for 1,096 yards and 15 touchdowns. This year, the Blue Streaks have also got some contributions from freshman Cohen Klimak, who has been a dual threat in both the passing and running game. Head Coach Jeff Behrman has been known for using multiple backs, so keep an eye out for all three tailbacks.

OBERLIN
Oberlin has struggled offensively through their first two games, but they do have some dynamic pieces that could cause some problems on Saturday. Leading the Yeomen offense will be experienced quarterback Drew Nye. The senior signal caller has thrown for 418 yards and four touchdowns through two games for the Yeomen. In his career, Nye has made 27 starts, throwing for 3,103 yards and 21 touchdowns.

On the outside, Oberlin will look to get a trio of wide receivers involved in order to get Nye going as part of the spread offense. JJ Racz, CJ Cooper II and Massimo Vliet have combined for 217 yards of Oberlin's 467 total receiving yards and all four touchdowns. Racz, a freshman from Palo Alto, California is coming off a great performance against Hiram, hauling in eight receptions for 91 yards and a touchdown.

The Yeomen have had some troubles in the ground game, but two-way athlete NuNu Samuels has been very effective receiving and rushing the ball for Oberlin. Samuels leads Oberlin with 44 rushing yards, while also hauling in 7 catches for 48 yards. He will make an impact on both sides of the ball so watch out for number three.

The Defenses

JCU
The Blue Streaks needed some guys to step up defensively after losing some key pieces to graduation, but through two games against great teams, they have held their own. Leading the bunch is senior Mason Rus, who has tallied a team-high 15 total tackles and a tackle for loss. Next to him in the linebacker room is fifth year Chris Golson. The Streetsboro alum is coming off an injury that took away his 2024 season, but he has come back with a vengeance and has been flying around the field. Golson has recorded nine total tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and a pass breakup through JCU's first two matchups.

The secondary is the Blue Streaks' deepest unit, led by senior safety Lamar Thomas. The Buffalo, New York native is coming off a great game against Johns Hopkins, recording his first interception since 2023 while also making three solo tackles. Jacob Hufnagel is another standout who has been impressive since the second she stepped on campus. In his three-year career, the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native has made 76 total tackles and captured six interceptions and 23 pass breakups. He will be tasked with shutting down Oberlin's top wideouts.

On the defensive line, the trio of Ben Day, Joe Thimons and Tommy Wasinski will be asked to rush the passer and shut down the Yeomen rushing attack. Day and Thimons have each recorded a sack through the first two games, while Wasinski's stats don't jump off the page, but his impact is still felt. The defensive line unit is facing a team that ranks 232nd in the country in sacks allowed so they have the opportunity to have a big afternoon on Saturday.

OBERLIN
Due to having a smaller roster, the Yeomen will rely on some guys to play on both sides of the ball. However that does not take away from the fact that they still have some good players on that side. Leading the pack is senior linebacker Hunter Green. The Odenton, Maryland native has stuffed the stat sheet with a team-high 19 total tackles, three and a half for loss, a sack, two quarterback hits and a fumble recovery. Alongside Green will be freshman Peyton Rough who has also been a tackle machine, with 14 on the year with two quarterback hits.

Their deepest defensive unit is their secondary, led by Jame Chikwe and Kingston Askerneese. The two defensive backs have combined for 29 tackles, three pass breakups and two tackles for loss. They will need to have a big day in order to shut down the elite JCU weapons.

Both squads are hungry to get back into the win column and will be looking to start conference play on the positive side of things. It should be an exciting afternoon and football game in University Heights on Saturday.

Special Teams
Colin Schuler knocked in a pair of field goals last week for JCU in a solid showing.

Owen Schuckert is a spotlight player as well, fresh off being named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.

Print Friendly Version