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John Carroll University Athletics

home of the Blue Streaks
JCU Football Defense vs. Denison
Jose Figueroa
6
Denison DEN 6-4 , 6-3
38
Winner John Carroll JCU 8-2 , 7-2
Denison DEN
6-4 , 6-3
6
Final
38
John Carroll JCU
8-2 , 7-2
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
DEN Denison 0 0 0 6 6
JCU John Carroll 0 7 10 21 38

Game Recap: Football | | JCUSID

Blue Streaks Blast Big Red in Regular Season Finale

In rainy conditions, John Carroll dominated the line of scrimmage against Denison

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – In what Houston Texans Special Teams Coordinator Frank Ross '10 would call good weather, John Carroll Football secured a bigtime win in the last game of the regular season.

The finale, played in on-and-off rainy weather on a cold Cleveland day, played out as the Blue Streaks hoped. A Cohen Klimak ground-and-pound approach wore out the Big Red and opened airspace for Tyler Green in the second half, while the JCU Defense suffocated Denison's high-flying pass attack.

In a game that was close for three quarters, the Blue Streaks put it away with a 21-point fourth quarter in a 38-0 conquest on Saturday afternoon.

"I'm really proud of the team today. Denison had a lot to play for," said Head Coach Brian Polian '97. "I have a lot of respect for their coaching staff. They do an unbelievable job. They figure out who their guys are and they play to that style. I have a lot of respect for their team. Obviously it was a little herky jerky in the first half but we stayed with it and ended up playing really well in the second half." 

With the victory, the Blue Streaks sit at 8-2 on the year, on the outside looking in for the NCAA Division III Playoffs as one of the first four teams out. But the Blue Streaks are set to receive a bowl bid to play on Saturday, November 21 in the OpenDorse Bowl Series at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. Details will follow. 

Press Conference: Brian Polian
Press Conference: Players 

"We were alerted that depending on how things fell, we might be one of the teams eligible. We were asked if we would be playing and our answer was absolutely yes," said Polian. "For me personally, the Hall of Fame is a very special place. There are less than 400 enshrinees there and my father is one of them. To me, Canton is sacred ground. If we get the chance to go play there and the weather is nice, I would love the opportunity." 

On the opening drive of the game, the Blue Streaks drove 49 yards on 11 plays, but the drive stalled in the red zone. JCU missed a 34-yard field goal with some rain coming down. Denison replied with a 46-yard pass on their first play from scrimmage. But the Blue Streaks stood strong in a goal line stand, making Defensive Coordinator Dean Paul proud on his birthday. Denison got as close as the 1-yard line, but JCU turned away the visitors on fourth down from the 3-yard line. 

The teams traded unsuccessful drives before the Blue Streaks drove down the field to begin the second quarter. Chunk plays by Cohen Klimak and Shane Lindstrom got JCU to midfield, and JCU picked up yards in small bunches to get to the Denison 1. Klimak would not be denied, pushing his way into the end zone for the first score of the game with 7:20 on the clock in the second quarter.

The remainder of the half was filled with big hits by both teams, as the game became physical. Denison struggled on offense, failing to get into John Carroll territory. Meanwhile, Tyler Green helped to matriculate the ball down the field with time winding down in the first half. But the drive stalled, and the Blue Streaks missed a 40-yard field goal late. So, JCU headed into half with a narrow 7-0 lead.

On the opening drive of the third quarter, an Ivory Travers sack set Denison behind the sticks. JCu forced a punt and got the ball back at the 50. After a 34-yard Green to Shane Lindstrom connection, Klimak gritted his way into the end zone for another 1-yard score and a 14-0 lead. 

A quick three-and-out for Denison again gave JCU good field position. Colin Schuler helped JCU take advantage with a 36-yard field goal. The hosts carried a secure 17-0 lead into the fourth. 

Chunk plays for Lindstrom and Dorian Facen Jr setup the Blue Streaks in Klimak territory. The sophomore went to work, hauling in a 9-yard pass and then charging into the end zone from 9 yards out for a trifecta. After a Denison drive got into JCU turf but stalled, Green hammered home the nail in the coffin. The junior lofted a beautiful deep ball over the middle to Lindstrom, who made a defender miss and dashed the rest of the way for a 70-yard score. 

JCU added one more score, as a Jacob Hufnagel interception on Denison's first play setup Klimak's fourth rushing score. Klimak became the first JCU back since Quincy Newsom in 2024 vs. Capital to score four times on the ground in a game. 

With zeroes on the clock, Denison managed to break the shutout. But it did not spoil what was a masterclass by Dean Paul's defense, celebrating the defensive coordinator's birthday. The Big Red managed just 36 yards on the ground and 175 yards through the air, the second lowest total in a game this year. Hufnagel's pick marked the first interception thrown by Denison this year. 

Individually, Dylan Crasi and Ben Gabrich both logged 7 tackles, career highs for both. Adam LaCarte also tied for the team lead with seven, including 1.5 tackles for loss.

"Denison stresses your pass defense because schematically, they do some different things. They attack the field horizontally and make you defend the width of the field," said Polian. "We didn't start great, they went down the field on the opening drive. But the goal line stand was really important for this team [...] To start that way defensively had a lot to do with the outcome of this game. Our corners played really well and our pass rush was great." 

Ivory Travers was a menace with 6 tackles, 2.5 TFL, a sack, and a near-pick. Gino Blasini and Dominic Blekot also had sacks. 

"We're proud, we worked for it and trained for it through crazy weather situations in the spring to prepare for this," said Travers. "We're not going to shy away from it. We're going to sit with our heads held high going into next week ready to dominate."

Offensively, Klimak finished with 106 rushing yards and 4 TDs.

"Cohen has been great. He was nicked up with an injury earlier in the year and battled through it. The last 2-3 weeks, he's started to look like his old self again," said Polian. "When I walked over from DeCarlo, it was a monsoon. All of these great shot plays we have in our arsenal today might not come out. We knew it would be a line of scrimmage game, and we knew it would be his day. He answered the bell, and so did the O-line and the tight ends. We blocked really well."

"I feel great now, it sucked for sure," Klimak said of the injury. "It was a bad time to get hurt, but I feel good now, and I did what I could today. I'm excited to get an extra game."

Green completed 16-of-22 passes for 275 yards and a score. Lindstrom had one of his best stat games of the season, with 5 catches for 154 yards and a score. Greenm a transfer from Denison, showed no tension in a matchup with his old school. 

"It was a really good week of practice," said Green. "There was a little bit [of talk on the field] as to be expected but I just tried to block it out and play as well as I could and do what our team needed to win. That's what I was focused on." 

"The beauty of it is that he runs pretty even-keel, he's not up and down," Polian said of Green. "You never ride an emotional rollercoaster with Tyler, which in a quarterback you really appreciate. I was checking in with him throughout the week. It certainly didn't change how we prepped, but we just wanted to make sure he was okay."

Next Up
John Carroll will await official word on its bowl game status for next Saturday. 
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