ONU faces Jon Carroll at 6 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 15, in Dial-Roberson Stadium.,
Here's a game preview:
Saturday's Contest: Saturday's game is the sixth game of the season and the second home contest of the year for Ohio Northern. It is also the third night game in Dial-Roberson Stadium history.
ONU Head Coach Dean Paul: Paul in his 13th season at ONU with an 86-43 record. He is 126-55 in 17 seasons overall and is 8-4 against JCU.
JCU Head Coach Tom Arth: Arth is in his fourth season at JCU with a 32-7 record. He is 3-1 against ONU.
Last Year's Meeting: Ohio Northern overcame four turnovers and a 17-point third quarter deficit to post a 30-27 victory at #11 John Carroll on a cold and rainy day. QB Will Freed hit WR Justin McCray on a 35-yard TD pass on a 4th-and-20 play with 4:22 left in the game to give the Polar Bears their only lead of the day at 30-27. Freed completed 17-of-36 passes for 321 yards and 2 TDs and RB Justin Magazine ran 25 times for 84 yards and 2 TDs and caught four passes for 78 yards and a score to lead ONU offensively. DB Will Bodden and S Dan Eller each had a career-high 11 tackles to lead the Polar Bear defense. WR Devon Price caught seven passes for 85 yards and had 206 yards of total offense for ONU. Ohio Northern trailed 24-7 after a pick-6 just one minute into the second half . But it was all ONU after that as the guests out-scored JCU 23-3 over the final 29 minutes. Jake Schaefer completed 21-of-47 passes for 211 yards and 2 TDs to lead JCU. ONU led JCU 431-326 in total offense.
ONU Last Week: Ohio Northern got 4 TD runs from freshman RB Christiaan Williams and three TD passes from sophomore QB Will Freed to post a 58-21 victory at Capital. Williams ran 23 times for 127 yards and four scores and Freed completed 16-of-26 passes for 195 yards and 3 TDs for ONU. The Polar Bears scored 27 straight second quarter points to take a 34-7 lead at halftime. Sophomore WR Chad Rex finished the day with a career-high 83 yards rushing and caught four passes for 47 yards for 130 all-purpose yards. Junior LB Zach Schmerge had 15 tackles and a half sack and senior LB Nathan Kaszei had a career-high 10 tackles in his first career start for the Northern defense. Thomas Wibbeler completed 22-of-35 passes for 232 yards and 2 TDs for CU. Ohio Northern out-gained Capital 497-310 in total offense.
ONU Leaders: The ONU running game is led by freshman RB Christiaan Williams (112 att, 660 yards, 5 TDs) and sophomore WR Chad Rex (18 att, 115 yards, 2 TDs). Sophomore QB Will Freed has completed 103-of-186 passes for 1,176 yards and 8 TDs. Sophomore WR Chad Rex (28 rec., 238 yards, 3 TDs), freshman RB Christiaan Williams (21 rec., 226 yards) and senior WR Reed Allen (17 rec, 195 yards, 1 TD) lead the ONU receivers. Senior S Dan Eller, junior LB Zach Schmerge, senior DT Scott Rapps and senior S Jason Lucas lead the defense with 46, 46, 35 and 35 tackles, respectively. Rapps leads the team with 3 sacks and 9 TFL.
JCU Last Week: John Carroll rushed for 303 yards in a 42-7 victory at Marietta. RB Ro Golphin and RB Sam Kukura led the way offensively, running for 132 yards and 3 TDs and 117 yards and 2 TDs, respectively. It is the third consecutive home game in which JCU had two 100-yard rushers. JCU led 14-0 after one quarter, 21-0 at halftime and 35-0 after three periods. John Carroll out-gained Marietta 436-256 in total offense and held the ball for more than 37 minutes.
JCU Leaders: The JCU running game is led this season by RB Sam Kukura (74 att., 445 yards, 5 TDs) and RB Ro Golphin (51 att, 423 yards, 4 TDs). QB Anthony Moeglin is 94-of-143 passing for 917 yards and 10 TDs. WR Marshall Howell (28 rec., 278 yards, 4 TDs) and WR Nico James (16 rec., 151 yards, 2 TDs) lead the JCU receivers. LB Mason McKendrick and DE Reese Armstrong lead the JCU defense with 45 and 28 tackles, respectively. DE Ray Brown leads JCU with 7.5 sacks and 10.5 TFL.
