The golden rule of football; you need the ball to score, and John Carroll its best game of keep-away in a battle of nationally ranked teams.
With double the amount of time of possession and a 313-yard edge in total offense, the No. 10 ranked Blue Streaks defeated the No. 16 Student Princes, 43-16 in front of a home crowd of 3,345 students and fans in the Don Shula Stadium.
"I think we did a really good job controlling the line of scrimmage in the run game," said head coach Tom Arth. "Tommy had a great day. The offensive line came off the ball, played hard and played physical. That's where it starts with us is up front on both sides off the ball. The lines are the heart and soul of our program. We're just really proud of the way the offensive and defensive line played."
Heidelberg, which entered the game with the nation's top ranked scoring offense, was held to 259 yards total offense and 10 points by the nation's top ranked defense. Seven of Heidelberg 16 points came curtesy of a 100-yard interception return by linebacker Clay Staib.
A game-time decision to start senior quarterback Mark Myers, also played a large part in the day's outcome. In his first start of the 2014 season, the senior was 28 of 41 for 392 yards and four touchdowns.
Said Arth, "I thought Mark played very well especially considering he hasn't had a whole lot of practice or repetitions. We thought he played really well. We played great on offense. Everybody stepped up, the offensive line and the running backs. The wide receivers stepped up and made some big plays and the tight ends were involved in the run game and pass game. I'm proud of the effort we put forth. We have a ways to go. We're not where we're capable of being. That's a challenge for us to keep getting better."
The tone was set on the first possession of the afternoon. John Carroll's defense forced a 3-and-out and the Blue Streaks offensive countered with a scoring drive. On the drive, Brenden Carozzoni and Aramis Greenwood both had receptions for 21 yards to put Kresimir Ivkovic in range for a 35-yard field goal.
After forcing a turnover on downs and a punt on Heidelberg's next two possessions, the JCU offense began to find its groove.
Starting at their own 28, the Blue Streaks closed out the quarter with a 7-play, 72-yard drive, highlighted by a 33-yard completion from Myers to Carozzoni. Tommy Michals rushed forward as the clock hit zero, putting JCU up 10-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Early in the second quarter, Marty Gibbons intercepted his second pass of the season and ninth of his career to set up John Carroll's second touchdown, a 10-yard pass from Myers to tight end Zack Strippy. JCU led 17-0 with 12:49 left in the first half.
The Blue Streak defense came through again, stopping the Student Princes on downs at the JCU 38 with 10:07 remaining on the in the half.
"The fourth down stops were absolutely critical," said Arth. "I think we installed that last year with an early fourth down stop early in the game. It was critical for us to make those plays. The great thing about that unit is they play that way every play. It doesn't matter if its first down or fourth down. They'll give it their best effort and play as hard as they possibly can. That sets the tone for us."
The Blue Streaks looked in good position to extend their lead when they moved the ball down to the Heidelberg 2-yard line. On a third-and-goal play, Myers was intercepted by Staib at the goal line, and the junior defender raced the length of the field to put the Student Princes on the score board.
In the most pivotal drive of the game, John Carroll responded with a 12-play, 79-yard drive that not only produced a touchdown, but ate up most of the time left in the first half. Myers connected with Jordan D'Orazio from 13 yards out for the score. Although the extra point was blocked, JCU held a 23-7 lead at halftime.
John Carroll took control of the third quarter with almost 11 minutes of possession and 176-37 advantage in total offense. The Blue Streaks pushed the lead to 37-7, with touchdowns by Marshall Howell (11-yard pass from Myers) and Michals (6-yard run).
Heidelberg's offense produced its first offensive points of the game with a 21-yard field goal by Stephen Smith to make the score 37-10 early in the fourth quarter. John Carroll responded on the very next offensive play when Myers threw to Greenwood for a 73-yard touchdown, making the score 43-10.
Said Arth, "That was an incredible play. Those are the things that Aramis Greenwood brings to the table. He has a tremendous amount of will. When that ball is up in the air if he makes his mind up that it's his, it's his. He's going to make his mind up to go and get it. Our quarterbacks know that. They have confidence in him. We get a 1-on-1 matchup, give him a shot because he's a competitor. He's a special football player and has the ability to make those type of plays. We are very proud of him."
The last points of the game were produced by Heidelberg All-American Cartel Brooks. Held in check for the majority of the game (22 yards on his first eight carries), Brooks burst around the right end of the John Carroll defense for a 94-yard touchdown run, with under four minutes left to play.
Michals led the rushing attack with 100 yards on 24 carries, and Myers looked toward Greenwood (six catches for 134 yards) and Howell (eight catches for 75 yards) as his top recievers.
On the defensive side, Nick Lasko led the charge with seven total tackles, followed closely by Reese Armstrong with six total. Andy Bryan led the team with 1.5 tackles for losses totaling to five yards.
John Carroll remains at home when it hosts Baldwin Wallace on homecoming on Saturday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m.
Over 40 Minutes Of Possession Leads To 43-16 Win For No. 10 Football
/seasons/2014/boxscores/20140920_ioco.xml
2014
Heidelberg
16
John Carroll
43
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heidelberg (1-1) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 16 |
| No. 6 John Carroll (2-0) | 10 | 13 | 14 | 6 | 43 |
Sep 20, 2014