The offense and special teams have been stealing the headlines for the last few weeks for the John Carroll football team.
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On Saturday, it was the defense that stole the show.
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John Carroll held Capital to 170 offensive yards as the Blue Streaks blanked the Crusaders, 48-0, on Saturday in Bexley, Ohio.
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Andy Bryan led the way for the defense with 13 total tackles. JCU (6-1, 5-1 OAC) forced eight punts and only allowed nine first downs. Capital (2-5, 2-4 OAC) was held to just 111 yards on the ground, as the Blue Streaks stuffed the option attack. The Crusaders averaged just 2.9 yards per play on offense.
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Sophomore Ro Golphin accounted for 218 total yards, three rushing scores and a receiving touchdown. Senior quarterback Jake Schaefer completed 17-of-25 passes and tossed three touchdowns.
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Junior Marshall Howell caught a 36-yard pass from Schaefer to open the scoring with 8:03 left in the first. He would add a second touchdown catch from 27-yards out on the final play of the quarter. He finished the afternoon with seven catches for 164 yards.
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Howell now needs one score to break former teammate Aramis Greenwood's career receiving touchdown record of 27.
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Golphin would score the next four touchdowns for the Blue Streaks. His 52-yard run up the middle and 40-yard reception gave the Blue Streaks a 28-0 halftime lead.
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In the third quarter, he racked up a pair of touchdown runs; one from the 6-yard line with 12:24 left in the quarter, and a 66-yard explosion eight minutes later.
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Jonathan Brick scored the final touchdown for JCU. His 34-yard run with eight minutes left in the contest capped off the 48-0 victory.
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This is John Carroll sixth consecutive win against Capital; they improve to 20-9-1 against the Crusaders all-time.
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Next up for the Blue Streaks is a Halloween matchup with Muskingum at Don Shula Stadium at 1:00 p.m.