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Top two passing teams meet Saturday

Game Leaders

Wilmington
Pa: Brandon Arehart - 109
Ru: Zak Kruer - 56
Rec: Jeremy Duncan - 59
John Carroll
Pa: Mark Myers - 363
Ru: Josh Dasch - 85
Rec: Brian Kornowski - 132

Team Stats

John Carroll
Wilmington

Passing Yards

438
143

Rushing Yards

148
52

Turnovers

1
4

Time of Poss.

35:03
24:57
full stats
Posted: Nov 02, 2013

When Wilmington and John Carroll meets 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Williams Stadiums, it will pit the top two passing offenses in the Ohio Athletic Conference.

However, don't let the robust passing numbers from JCU fool you – the Blue Streaks want to run the ball first. Led by running back DaQuan Grobsmith, John Carroll is averaging 158.9 yards per game. The 5-7 senior is second in the league with 82.7 yards per game. Junior Tommy Michals is fifth in the OAC with 72.3 yards per game.

"We have to stop the run first," said head coach Stacey Hairston. "They are going to run power, and inside/outside zone, and tell you to stop them. They have a smaller running back that is quick and shifty, and can make people miss. We've got to stop the run, and force (quarterback Mark Myers) to do what what he does – throw the ball. Hopefully, we win first and second downs so they short passes aren't that much of a concern. We've got to win first and second down; we have to stop the run. If you don't, you are in for a long day."

Junior quarterback Mark Myers, a transfer from the University of Pittsburgh, has already broke the school's single-game passing record three times in two seasons. The current record, set earlier this season, is 526 yards against St. Norbert. He also turned in a performance, where he competed 90 percent of his passes (18-of-20) – throwing for 242 yards against Capital.

John Carroll comes into the game unbeaten at 7-0 with games against Heidelberg and Mount Union on the horizon. It's possible one of those three teams will not make the NCAA playoffs this season.  For the Blue Streaks, it's quite a turnaround from a 6-4 season that left them searching for a new coach at the end of the year.

"John Carroll is as good as any team in the nation," said Hairston. "All three have their different strengths. When I look at John Carroll, overall right now, they seem like the most disciplined team. I think they are very well coached. They already had good, quality players, and for whatever reason, they weren't responding to the previous coach. You get a change at the top, and they want to play for him. They are playing hard for him. They change at the top brought that team together."
While their offense is selling the tickets and producing the excitement, their defense is putting up startling numbers. They have allowed three touchdowns all season long, and are allowing a minuscule 3.3 points per game.
 
Senior linebacker Mitch Krotz, a Division I transfer from Miami University, who is seventh in the OAC with 9.6 tackles per game, leads the JCU defense. Sophomore Brody Zangaro is third in the league with seven passes defense.
 
"Defensively they have a lot of upperclassmen that believe," said Hairston. "They actually believe they have the best defense in the nation. They fly to the ball, they fly around and will hit you. Scheme-wise they make it difficult for team's to pinpoint what they are trying to do. If you read it wrong, you can get hurt that way."
 
Senior quarterback Brandon Arehart (Wilmington, OH/Wilmington) leads the OAC with 273.7 yards per game. He had thrown 13 touchdowns, a career-high, but also has 12 an OAC-leading 12 interceptions. His primary target, sophomore Jeremy Duncan (Cincinnati, OH/Archbishop Moeller), needs 108 yards to become the first WC receiver since Jon Cain in 2000 to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in a season.
 
Defensively, sophomore Tarrell Starckey (Richmond, VA/Highland Springs) is the league leader in tackles with 12.7 tackles. He is second on the team with 8.5 tackles for loss. Senior Aaron Day (Cincinnati, OH/Walnut Hills) leads the team with nine tackles for loss and is second on the team with 7.0 tackles for game.