Good teams find a way to win. That was evident on Saturday.
Facing chilly, windy conditions and a never-quit Ohio Northern team, John Carroll needed a big fourth quarter drive to keep its perfect record intact.
Senior quarterback Mark Myers did just that leading the No. 6 Blue Streaks down the field on a 10-play, 70-yard drive midway through the fourth quarter. The drive capped by a 4-yard touchdown pass to Aramis Greenwood would put JCU up for good with 4:49 remaining.
With JCU's 17-10 win, the Blue and Gold improve to 4-0 for back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 1996-97 campaigns.
Myers found Marshall Howell for a 26-yard gain to start the game-winning drive. He would find Zach Strippy three plays later moving the ball to the ONU 17-yard line.
JCU would move up to the ONU 2-yard line on a third down play when Brian Kornowski was interfered with in the end zone.
After forcing JCU to go three-and-out on the game's first drive, ONU went right to work. The Polar Bears kept the Blue Streaks reeling scoring points on their first drive and carrying a 10-7 lead into the locker room at the half.
"Ohio Northern got off to a quick start," said head coach Tom Arth. "They went down and scored early. We made some adjustments, particularly in the second half. We really stepped it up. The really great thing about it is I hear those guys talking in the locker room. It's no big deal in their mind and we knew we weren't playing the way we're capable of playing. There was never a lack of belief and never a doubt in their minds in what their capabilities are and what we're able to do."
Patrick Angle led the Polar Bears down the field with completions of 17 and 12 yards. He would cap the drive with a 19-yard strike to Devon Price to put ONU up 7-0 in the first quarter.
Andrew DiMario would make it a 10-7 ONU lead with 57 seconds remaining in the first half. The kicker drilled a 21-yard field goal.
The Blue Streaks tied the game at seven early in the second quarter.
Myers would spark a 5-play, 54-yard drive hooking up with Greenwood for 39 yards setting the Blue Streaks up on the Polar Bear 15-yard line. Tommy Michals took over from there with a pair of 6-yard runs before capping the drive with a 3-yard touchdown plunge, his fifth score of the year.
"I think when you get a game like this, Ohio Northern played so well and two great teams were battling it out," said Arth. "I think in those times you really look to your playmakers, the guys that you know put so much into it. They've made so many sacrifices. They're the ones who are going to come up and make the plays for you in a game like that.
"Tommy ran incredibly hard. He had great, great drive. You could see his fight and see his drive. Aramis, the plays he made, some of the catches he came up with was really, really great to see."
Kresimir Ivkovic would tie the game at 10 with 13:41 remaining after a 43-yard field goal.
Said Arth, "Kresimir has shown that ability to make those big kicks in big situations. We trust him and have a belief in him. He's another one of those guys who put so much into it. When it comes down to situations like that you have to give those guys a shot. You have to give them a chance because you know what it means to them. I'm proud of them and how he stays strong mentally throughout the game. He was able to come up with that clutch kick."
ONU had one last chance to tie the game with 1:11 remaining. JCU's swarming defense came through with Jared Donovan and Anthony Christopher coming up with pass breakups to seal the game.
John Carroll's offense did drive the ball in the first half. However, the Blue Streaks could not get points on the scoreboard.
Ivkovic had a 22-yard field goal attempt bang off the left upright in the first quarter and would sail a 48-yard attempt wide left in the second.
Michals toted the ball 15 time in the first 30 minutes gaining 101 yards on the ground. Greenwood hauled in four first half passes for 103 yards. Michals would finish with 170 yards on a career-high 32 carries. Greenwood would end the afternoon with nine catches for 138 yards after having 15 receptions for 185 yards in Ada last year.
The misfortunes would continue for the JCU offense into the third quarter. Myers connected with Strippy on a 24-yard gain. ONU's Dan Eller would pry the ball loose on the ONU 1-yard line. The football would bounce out of the back of the end zone giving the Polar Bears the ball via a touchback.
On the previous drive, JCU turned the ball over on a bad snap. The Blue and Gold's defense came through with Mike Tozzi and Brody Zangaro stuffing Angle, ONU's quarterback on a fourth-and-1.
Jimmy King would finish with a game-high 12 tackles while Donovan would have three pass breakups.
John Carroll remains on the road for a 2 p.m. contest at Wilmington on Saturday, Oct. 11.
No. 6 Football Wards Off Upset Bid By Ohio Northern With 17-10 Win
/seasons/2014/boxscores/20141004_udio.xml
2014
John Carroll
17
Ohio Northern
10
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 6 John Carroll (4-0) | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
| Ohio Northern (2-2) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Oct 04, 2014