Coming off its first win of the season, the Wilmington College football team can't revel in the victory too long as they hit the road Saturday to face the best passing game in the Ohio Athletic Conference in John Carroll. JCU is coming into the game on a four-game winning streak.
Sophomore quarterback Mark Myers, who tops the OAC with 346.2 yards per game, leads the Blue Streaks. He is leading the league by more than 125 yards per game. With such a prolific passing attack, the Blue Streaks are lighting up the scoreboard with relative frequency. John Carroll is third in the OAC with 36.6 points per game.
It will be a stout challenge for a Wilmington defense, although coming off its best game of the year, is last in scoring defense, allowing 45.6 points.
Myers' favorite target is Lane Robilotto, who is the only receiver in the league averaging more than 100 yards per game. The 6-0 senior averages 122.3 yards and is second in the conference with seven touchdowns receiving.
It's a passing threat that gets the ball in the hands of their playmakers, as they second best receiving option is running back DaQuan Grobsmith. He has 30 catches on the season, 10 behind Robilotto, for 279 yards. The junior has carried the ball 74 times for 337 yards and four touchdowns, while Sean Kuenzig has a team-high six rushing scores.
Also look out for junior Alex Kline, who is second on the team with 387 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
Defensively, the Blue Streaks are fourth in scoring, allowing 18.7 points per game. However, their pass defense is next to last, surrendering 223.7 yards per game. Sophomore Kevin Cope is third with 9.4 tackles per game, while sophomore Jimmy King is tied for sixth with 7.9 tackles.
While the Blue Streaks passing defense gives up a lot of yards, its not due to the inability to get pressure on the quarterback. Sophomore Frank Pines and senior Dan Valore are second and fourth in sacks with nine and seven sacks, respectively.
Wilmington's offense, while still for a measure of consistency, did make plays when needed in the win over Marietta. They scored on the final drive in three of the last four quarters, including a game-ending eight-play, 57-yard drive in 1:20 seconds for the winner. On the final drive, quarterback Brandon Arehart completed four straight passes to put the Quakers in position for the victory.
Kickoff from Don Shula Stadium is 1:30 p.m. Saturday.