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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
Jack McDaniels vs. Wabash 10-17-26
Jose Figueroa
17
Wabash WAB 4-2 , 3-2
24
Winner John Carroll JCU 5-1 , 4-1
Wabash WAB
4-2 , 3-2
17
Final
24
John Carroll JCU
5-1 , 4-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
WAB Wabash 7 0 3 7 17
JCU John Carroll 0 10 0 14 24

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

McDaniels Plays the Hero as Blue Streaks Beat Wabash on Homecoming

The Blue Streaks pulled out the dramatic victory late over the Little Giants

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – You can't ask for a more thrilling Homecoming game.

#16 John Carroll Football battled Wabash College on a beautiful fall Saturday afternoon with a chill in the air with plenty of grit.

Jack McDaniels played the hero, hauling in a 63-yard touchdown reception with 1 minute left. Wabash did complete a Hail Mary pass to the 1-yard line as time expired, but JCU survived in a 24-17 conquest while wearing the all-white jerseys.

"We had the stoppage of play and I confirmed with Ty what we were doing," said McDaniels. "When I saw the ball in the air, I knew I had to come down with it and then when I broke the first tackle, I thought I could get there. Then it was a footrace to the end zone and I got it."

The victory not only provided a huge win on Homecoming in front of a great crowd at Don Shula Stadium, but kept the Blue Streaks in the North Coast Athletic Conference race with a 4-1 league record. JCU stands 5-1 overall. 

"My overwhelming feeling right now is pride," said Head Coach Brian Polian '97. "I'm very proud of our team and for the way they fought. There was a lot of adversity today. In the end, we found a way. We made a couple big plays at the end. That was a helluva comeback win."

Postgame Press Conference: Brian Polian
Postgame Press Conference: Jack McDaniels, Tyler Green, Adam LaCarte

Wabash got field position early with a drive to midfield, but a deep pass was called back on replay review. On JCU's first drive, the hosts couldn't get going on offense, so the Little Giants got good field position. The visitors needed 8 plays, but they marched 43 yards to get on the board first with a ground-and-pound approach.

John Carroll halted the Wabash momentum with a blocked punt late in the first quarter by Janiere Cook. A nifty screen play to Cohen Klimak got the Blue Streaks inside the 10-yard line. But the drive stalled there, as a JCU touchdown was called off, so JCU settled for a 24-yard Colin Schuler field goal.

Midway through the second quarter, JCU started to find some success in the intermediate passing game, marching the ball down the field. In a 17-play, 84-yard drive that took up half of the frame, the Blue Streaks grabbed the lead. A 4-yard Tyler Green touchdown run with 1:02 left set the hosts ahead at half.

A short punt gave Wabash good field position inside JCU territory, and the Little Giants took advantage. The visitors tied the game with a 39-yard field goal after a huge Ben Gabrich sack.

On Wabash's first drive of the fourth quarter, the Little Giants drive down to the 1-yard line, but a personal foul backed them up. It didn't matter, though, as Wabash took the air out of the stadium with a bigtime touchdown pass on 3rd and 12 to grab a 17-10 lead. 

"We knew that was a good football team. I was confident no matter the situation that our guys would respond and they did so beautifully," said Polian. 

The teams traded quick drives before John Carroll marched down the field. On a fantastic 10-play, 96-yard drive, the Blue Streaks tied it at 17 capped off by a touchdown pass from Bryce Tubin to Quincy Newsom in the flat with 3:11 to play. The drive was most certainly the best by John Carroll's offense this season to that point. 

The John Carroll defense then stepped up with a huge stop, forcing the Little Giants to punt, giving JCU the ball at their own 27-yard line. Two plays later, McDaniels ran a beautiful skinny post and outran the Wabash secondary on a fantastic touchdown for the Blue Streaks.

The Little Giants threatened in the ensuing drive. On the last play of the game, the Little Giants tossed up a Hail Mary, which JCU knocked down into the hands of a Wabash receiver. But the Blue Streaks tackled him short and held on for the win. 

"They're a really good football team and physical up front," Green said of Wabash. "We knew it was going to be a dogfight. We wanted to stay in the fight and your players will make plays."

While the Little Giants dominated on the ground, 106-13, JCU's advantage through the air, 351-155, proved to be the difference. 

"That's a tremendous team, very well-coached," said LaCarte of Wabash. "[Cole Dickerson] ran hard, he was tough to bring down. The game plan was that you gotta get him low, get him on the ground, create piles. He still had a decent amount of yards but at the end of the day, we stopped him when we needed to."

McDaniels' 94 receiving yards on 4 catches marked a career-high, with his touchdown marking just his second of his career. Shane Lindstrom played a great game with 8 receptions for 102 yards. Green passed for 345 yards, celebrating his touchdown run with the 2016 Football Team, which was honored at halftime after being inducted to the Hall of Fame on Friday night.

"That team means a lot to this university. It was really cool to play an exciting game in front of them and pull it out," said Green.

"That 2016 team was pretty great. It was pretty special, hopefully we made them proud of us," added LaCarte. 

LaCarte led the defense with 9 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, while Tommy Tartabini also tallied 9 tackles. Ben Gabrich had a great game with 6 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and 1 sack.

"You only get to play at Homecoming once a year. There were a lot of guys who I've played with in the past who were here today," said McDaniels. "It is so huge that guys can come back after playing four years and see us win like we saw them win. It's an amazing feeling. 

Next Up
John Carroll will return home next Saturday, hosting The College of Wooster on Saturday, October 24 for a 1:05 pm kickoff live on Rock Entertainment Sports Network and Cleveland's 43.
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