What a difference one second can make.
Mark Myers completed a 23-yard pass to Aramis Greenwood bringing the Blue Streaks to the Purple Raiders 7-yard line with two seconds remaining. Myers spiked the ball.
Per NCAA rules, a team is not allowed to spike the ball with under three seconds remaining. By rule the game was declared an official contest.
"I did (know the rule)," said head coach Tom Arth. "I didn't see what the time was. It's just a situation where you don't have anything else. You've got to take your shots when you can. … It seemed like we had a little bit more time than that."
No. 3 Mount Union hung on to top No. 6 John Carroll 31-24 in front stadium-record 9,397 at Mount Union Stadium on Saturday afternoon in Alliance, Ohio.
"It was great to see the way that we fought back and the way we responded in the second half," said Arth. "We got off to a tough start. Field position was a big factor in that. It seemed like we were inside the 10-yard line every time we got the ball to start in the first half.
"We gave them short fields. To go up against a defense like that backed up in your own end and give an offense like that a short field all the time is tough. We withstood it and we were not panicked at all at halftime."
John Carroll's defense took control keeping the Blue Streaks in the game when the offense struggled early. The offense roared back in the second half to tie the game at 24 behind 17 points.
Said Arth, "We knew this was going to be a second half game. We knew this was a game that was going to come down to the fourth quarter. We were right in that position at halftime. We stayed with our game plan and came out and executed it very well in the second half."
Myers led the Blue Streaks on a 12-play, 77-yard drive that ended with a 20-yard field goal from senior Wes Keller tying the game at 24 with 3:17 remaining. The make was Kellers' first career field goal.
Mount Union answered right back with a 9-play, 72-yard drive. Out of timeouts and with the Purple Raiders on the Blue Streaks' 8-yard line, Arth elected to let Mount Union score to give John Carroll a chance offensively.
"We were out of timeouts," said Arth. "If we stopped them they were going to run the thing down to two seconds and kick the field goal. We wouldn't have had a shot. Our only shot was to get them in the end zone."
Having 1:06 to march 68 yards, the Blue Streaks' regular season came down to a fourth-and-3 play. A 15-yard defensive facemask penalty saved the Blue Streaks setting JCU up on the UMU 30-yard line.
John Carroll's defense came through with four three-and-outs on the afternoon. For the game, the Blue Streaks held the Purple Raiders to under 50 yards on all but three drives.
Leading the way defensively was junior David Porter.
Porter came through with a team-best eight tackles including two sacks of Mount Union quarterback Kevin Burke, both on third down.
The Blue Streaks added two key takeaways. Andy Bryan and Choe Samba both forced fumbles for the Blue and Gold.
"The defensive line played phenomenal," said Arth. "It's an incredible group. They've played great all year. They are tough guys to block and did a great job creating pressure and getting to the quarterback. They affected him (Kevin Burke) early on. That's a key for us defensively. They are the heart and soul of our defense."
The defense was key in helping John Carroll's offense out. The Blue Streaks were pinned deep for most of the first half with average starting field position at their own 13-yard line.
"I think field position played a big part," said Arth. "We were backed up almost every drive we had in the first half. It's tough. They are a great team, let's not forget that."
Tommy Michals regenerated the offense midway through the second quarter ripping off a 57-yard touchdown run to put John Carroll on the board. It marked the longest play allowed by Mount Union this year.
Once the field positioning improved in the second half the offense erupted.
"It's a four quarter game," said Arth. "In a game like this with two great opponents paired against each other to give yourself a shot in the fourth quarter. That's what these games come down to."
Michals capped an 11-play, 53-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to make it a 24-14 game.
Myers connected with Marshall Howell from 45 yards out with 10:04 remaining in the game. The touchdown, Myers' 32nd for the year, set a single-season JCU record surpassing Arth's total of 31 set in 2000.
Turnovers played a big part early with Tre Jones putting the Purple Raiders on the board first with a 32-yard interception return. Three first half turnovers by John Carroll led to 14 of Mount Union's points.
Michals led the way offensively with 30 carries for 182 yards and two scores. Myers finished 33 of 49 for 294 yards and a score. The senior connected with Howell and Greenwood a combined 19 times for 206 yards.
"I promise you this group will respond," said Arth. "They are a resilient group."
John Carroll awaits to see if it will receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Selections will be announced at 6 p.m. on Sunday.
Heartbreaking Day For No. 6 Football In Tight Loss At No. 3 Mount Union
/seasons/2014/boxscores/20141115_mjgy.xml
2014
John Carroll
24
Mount Union
31
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 6 John Carroll (9-1) | 0 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
| No. 3 Mount Union (10-0) | 7 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
Nov 15, 2014