UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio – For the second straight year, the football teams of Heidelberg University and John Carroll University squared off at JCU's Don Shula Stadium in a highly anticipated showdown between two teams ranked in the Top 25. And, for the second straight year, the Blue Streaks dominated the Student Princes. Saturday's 43-16 JCU win followed their 48-7 win in 2013.
THE KEY MOMENTS
Leading 17-0, the Blue Streaks faced 3rd-and-goal from the 2-yard line. A pass by JCU quarterback Mark Myers was picked off on the goal line by Clay Staib, who ran it back 100 yards for a touchdown. The score gave Heidelberg some new life.
The momentum shifted again on JCU's ensuing possession. Myers led a 12-play, 79-yard touchdown drive that was capped by a 13-yard pass to Jordan D'Orazio with less than 30 seconds before halftime. After HU's Ryan Malloy blocked the extra point, JCU went into intermission holding a 24-7 advantage.
THE NOTABLE STATS
Myers was 28-of-41 in his return from a preseason hand injury. He threw for 392 yards and four touchdowns.
'Berg tailback Cartel Brooks rushed for 116 yards on nine carries, though 94 of his yards came on a fourth quarter touchdown rush.
THE HEIDELBERG SCORING PLAYS
Staib's 100-yard interception return, which put HU on the board in the second quarter, was Heidelberg's bright spot for much of the contest.
In the third quarter, Jon Sandwisch replaced Michael Mees at quarterback and took the offense on an 11-play, 71-yard drive that culminated in a 21-yard field goal by Stephen Smith. It made the score 37-10.
Brooks' 94-yard scamper came with less than five minutes to play. JCU pinned the Student Princes deep with a well-executed pooch punt downed inside the one. On first down, Sandwisch pushed forward for five yards. The next play, Brooks rushed forward, found a seam in the secondary and broke down the right sideline for the touchdown. It was the second-longest rush of his career.
THE STUDENT PRINCES
- Brooks finished with 116 yards and a touchdown. He is eight yards shy of setting a new Heidelberg career record for rushing.
- Nick DeLisa and Donteea Dye each had three catches to lead the Student Princes.
- Mees was 8-of-16 for 51 yards. Saturday was just the fourth time in 33 games that Mees did not throw for a touchdown. Sandwisch was 5-of-8 passing for 51 yards.
- Safeties Cale Sandridge and Travis Hedge led Heidelberg with 12 and 11 tackles. Hedge made a nice diving play to bat the ball away from a Blue Streak receiver in the second half.
- Tim Littles also had 11 tackles, including a big hit on JCU's Aramis Greenwood in the third quarter. Staib had eight tackles to go along with his pick-six.
THE BLUE STREAKS
- With speculation about Myers' availability swirling all week, the transfer from Pitt showed why he is a premier quarterback in Division III. His four touchdowns went to four different receivers. His lone blemish was the pick-six by Staib.
- Tailback Tommy Michals enjoyed a solid day as well. Michals had an even 100 yards on 24 carries and found the end zone twice.
THE QUOTES
- Heidelberg head coach Mike Hallett on his team's performance: "It's an easy story to write. John Carroll executed very well and we did not in the first half."
- Hallett on losing to JCU again: "I thought we were going to execute better and make it a better game, but it didn't work out that way."
- Cartel Brooks on JCU's defense: "They stopped us from getting to the edge ... they have a lot of great personnel and they did a lot of great things."
- Hallett on what he told the team after the game: "Life's full of disappointments at times ... We didn't win today, so we're going to go back to work on Monday ... You learn much more from losses than you do from wins."
THE BOX SCORE & BEYOND
- Heidelberg struggled mightily on third down – converting one of 12 offensively and allowing nine of 15 defensively. The average distance to go on third for HU was 8.5 yards. John Carroll's average was 4.9.
- Staib's 100-yard return tied the school record. Adam Smith also accomplished the feat in 1994.
- Facing one of Division III's top place kickers, the Berg's special teams unit batted down three kicks. Andy Sieving and Adam Schweiterman blocked PATs and Ryan Malloy knocked down a potential 24-yard field goal.
THE NEXT GAME
- The Student Princes return home to face Ohio Northern on Fellows Day, September 27.
- The matchup is the fourth Bendo Bowl, played in memory of the late Ronnie & Jason Bendekovic. The brothers were assistants at ONU and Heidelberg at the time of their passing. Ronnie died in 2005 and Jason passed away in 2010.
- The Polar Bears will be coming off of a last-second 37-35 win over Baldwin Wallace.
- Kickoff at Hoernemann Stadium will be at 2 p.m.