Football Preview: Blue Streaks on the Hunt for a Win vs. Wittenberg

9/25/2026 4:58:00 PM | By: JCUSID

JCU Football will commemorate NMDP Awareness Day and honor the DiCillo Family

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – With great weather expected for Parents & Family Weekend, John Carroll Football is set to welcome Wittenberg to Don Shula Stadium on Saturday for a 1:05 pm kickoff.

The Blue Streaks bring a 3-0 record into the game, coming off a 56-7 drubbing of Kenyon College in the home opener a week ago.

Meanwhile, the Tigers are on the opposite trajectory with an 0-3 mark. But Wittenberg, with a new starting quarterback, kept it close at #22 WashU last weekend in a 31-24 loss.

Here's what to expect for JCU's second home game of the season.

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

The Offenses

JCU
The Blue Streaks took a strong lead and never looked back scoring 35 points in the first quarter against Kenyon. Tyler Green completed 13-of-15 passes for a total of 233 yards and 5 touchdowns to 5 different wide receivers. Other younger quarterbacks got some action as sophomore Bryce Tubin threw 4 completions for 53 yards, and sophomore Joey Pollock had one completion of his own on the night.
On the outside, senior WR Dorian Facen Jr. has been a rising star all season, totaling 7 receptions for 105 yards and 2 TD's. The Buffalo native wanted to come into the season strong after being medically redshirted through last year's season. In last week's Kenyon game, Facen Jr. received 40 yards, as well as one receiving touchdown from Green. Nolan Tanner hauled in his second career TD reception last week in a nice highlight.
The offensive line has been great all season. Jack McKinnon looked good in the run game last week with some spring blocks. Grant Myers and Troy Mrukowski have been the outstanding bookend tackles this season.

Wittenberg
After a pair of crushing losses to open the season (13-7 OT loss at Washington & Lee and a 31-0 loss at Wabash), the Tigers decided to make a major change on offense. Sophomore quarterback Ryan Counts got the starting nod against #22 WashU and made an excellent first start, completing 20-of-27 passes for 214 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. The Tigers kept it within one score until the four-minute mark of the fourth quarter.

But don't let that distract you from Wittenberg's true ambition, which is to run the ball. Gerald Banks is the bellcow back, with 58 carries for 227 yards and 1 touchdown in three games. The Tigers are only averaging 3.1 yards per carry, but want to pound the ball.

The offensive line is a mix of youth and experience. The left guard and center are both seniors, but the tackles are both first years. So, the JCU defense will hope to beat the tackles and put pressure on the QB.

The Defenses

JCU
Under the leadership of Dean Paul, the first stringers on defense have not allowed a point yet this season. The Blue Streaks have playmakers at every level who can scare a defense.
Justin Beck, a Pittsburgh native, played a big role last week, as the sophomore has had a strong start to the season with 6 tackles, 4 of those were against Kenyon. First year linebacker Janiere Cook had a total of 3 tackles, 2 solo and 1 assisted. Connor Roman is one to watch this week at the Mike linebacker spot.
Jacob Hufnagel picked off his first pass of the season last week. Each week, a different member of the secondary has stepped up with a big game. Gino Blasini and Greg Roman Jr. have been an outstanding tandem at safety, while the Blue Streaks are also deep at corner.

Wittenberg
The Tigers have experienced an up and down year on the defensive side, with some highs and lows.

Wittenberg has done well in preventing passing attacks from taking off, limiting foes to 362 passing yards in 3 games. The Tigers have picked off a pair of passes as well. Dravyn Oblak is the team's top defensive back, with a team-high 21 tackles plus an interception. CJ Crawford is the man to look out for on the defensive line, with a team-best 1.5 sacks.

The Tigers have scuffled in stopping opposing rushing games, allowing 6 yards per carry. Brayden Koeller tops the front seven with 18 tackles and 2 tackles for loss. Will Dix Jr. is another man to watch with 17 tackles and a tackle for loss.

Special Teams

JCU
Colin Schuler has been great so far this season for the Blue Streaks as the starting senior kicker. Tyler Wilson is the primary punter. Javi Quimba scooped up a special teams touchdown last week, as the fourth down army has two TDs in three games. Shane Lindstrom has been magic on punt returns with a leaping return last week.

Wittenberg
Nico Razo is the kicker, converting 4-of-4 extra points, though is just 1-of-4 for field goals. Drew Dossman is the punter with a 37.8 yards per punt and 4 punts inside the 20-yard line. Dre Jackson is the primary returnman.

Print Friendly Version