One record had stood for 50 years. Another had stood for 58.
Both tumbled on a record setting day of rushing for the John Carroll football team that powered the Blue Streaks to a 66-19 road win over Wilmington College on Saturday afternoon. The Blue Streaks close out their regular season road trips, improving to 7-1 overall on the season and 6-1 in the Ohio Athletic Conference, and return to University Heights on a five-game win streak.
The Blue and Gold finished with 614 yards on the ground, as three running backs -- freshman Devin Limerick, sophomore Mike Canganelli and senior Josh DeLozier -- each exceeded 100 rushing yards in three quarters. It was the first time in program history that three running backs surpassed 100 yards rushing in the same game.
This afternoon's total rushing yardage broke a school record for most rushing yards in a single game. The previous record was 439 yards against Case Tech on October 5, 1968.
In addition to setting a new school record, the Blue and Gold eclipsed an Ohio Athletic Conference record for most rushing yards in a game. The previous mark had been 605 yards established by Muskingum in a game against Waynesburg in 1960.
Canganelli started the scoring spree for JCU just over five minutes into action, capping the opening drive. The touchdown was just one of three on the day for Canganelli, as he finished the day with 128 rushing yards. He now ranks tied for ninth all-time single season with 12 rushing touchdowns in his 2018 campaign.
On the ensuing Blue and Gold offensive drive, DeLozier dove into the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 14-0. DeLozier's touchdown was the first time crossing the goal line for a score since 2016 and it sparked a career day.
The next time the Blue Streaks were on offense, it was senior kicker Matt Danko's turn to add some points, making the score 17-0. Danko nailed a 35-yard field goal to total 25 field goals in his career at JCU. In addition, he now fifth ranks all time with 228 points in his career for the Blue and Gold following this afternoon's game.
Wilmington successfully held John Carroll from earning their third shutout against an OAC opponent this season. Kicker Tyler Butcher knocked in a pair of field goals from 35-yards and 43-yards out to provide the Fighting Quakers with six points in the opening half.
JCU took a 31-6 lead into the locker room at the break and dominated on the ground. The Blue and Gold offense totaled 289 rushing yards in the first half, while the defense held the Wilmington to just 64 total yards on offense.
To open the second half, the Fighting Quakers made a statement quickly. Kyle Barrett found Luke Richardson for a 74-yard touchdown, gaining more yards on one play than that of the total in the first half. Wilmington cut the deficit to 18 to try and change momentum in its favor.
With a quick three and out, the Fighting Quakers started driving once again but were halted before adding more points. Freshman safety Nate Leopold put momentum back in John Carroll's hands as he picked off Barrett for the first interception in his collegiate career.
Capitalizing on Leopold's efforts, JCU responded with a touchdown when junior quarterback Anthony Moeglin found DeLozier for an 8-yard reception, which his first career touchdown receiving. DeLozier would add the next two touchdowns as well, as the senior found the end zone from 20 and five yards out, respectively, to give the Blue Streaks the 52-13 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Wilmington continued to show fight, responding with a score on their second longest play of the day. De'Anta Sanon found Samuel Coleman for a 71-yard passing touchdown. The Fighting Quakers made the score 52-19.
The Blue Streaks continued to ground and pound. This time around it was senior quarterback Riley Larkin running for 69-yards to the end zone for a touchdown score.
With 8:07 left in the contest, DeLozier sprung out for one last run -- this one the longest of the day. DeLozier ran 70 yards for his fifth touchdown of the day. With his five-touchdown day, he tied the school record for most touchdowns scored in a single game, joining Bill Eredics (1929), Bruce Saban (1992), Carl Taseff (1947), and Steve Prelock (1988) for the record. DeLozier finished his career afternoon with 184 yards on 15 attempts.
Limerick also eclipsed a career high in rushing with 152 yards on 13 attempts. JCU also rushed for the second most yards in all of Division III this season, as Salisbury stands at the top after rushing for 654 in its opening game of the campaign against Albright.
On the defensive end, junior linebacker Joey Bates led the way with a career high eight tackles in the match, while sophomore linebacker Brian Robinson added a sack and tackle for loss.
Following this afternoon's win, the Blue Streaks extend their winning streak in the all-time record against Wilmington to nine games.
The Blue Streaks finish 4-1 on the road through the 2018 regular season, with their lone loss coming against Mount Union (23-10) on September 22.
Next on the slate for JCU is the Heidelberg Student Princes, as the Blue and Gold look to keep their win streak rolling. In a Sept. 23, 2017 game against the Student Princes, the Blue Streaks lost a 47-21 contest in their third match of the season. This year's game will take place at Don Shula Stadium on Nov. 3 with kick-off set for 1:30 p.m.
Record Day On The Ground Propels JCU Football To Win Over Wilmington In Final Road Game Of 2018
/seasons/2018/boxscores/20181027_sen7.xml
2018
John Carroll
66
Wilmington
19
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 8 John Carroll (7-1, 6) | 14 | 17 | 14 | 21 | 66 |
| Wilmington (1-7, 0) | 0 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 19 |
Oct 27, 2018