Following a sizable win, John Carroll Football arrived back home in University Heights on Sat., Sept. 16., but this time, with a chip on their shoulder.

The Blue Streaks secured their 11th straight Cuyahoga Gold Bowl victory over Baldwin Wallace over the weekend. This win marked a historical triumph for Head Coach Jeff Behrman ‘95 who entered at the helm of the Blue Streaks program last spring.

It was a dominant victory for John Carroll as the Blue and Gold scored 30 unanswered points at George Finnie Stadium in Berea, beating their rival by a final score of 30-7. 

In their second game of the season, the Blue Streaks went down early, conceding a touchdown to the Yellow Jackets early on. It wasn’t until the first play of the second quarter that John Carroll would even the score. A beautiful pass down the left sideline from Joe Collins (Graduate Student) to Joey Torok (Graduate Student) would result in the Blue Streaks’ first touchdown of the game. 

The next three possessions would end in punts until the Blue Streaks made it to the Baldwin Wallace four-yard line. While the Yellow Jackets defense was able to hold off the touchdown, Yanni Volas ‘25 was able to capitalize on a chance to add some points to the board, scoring a 21-yard field goal and extending John Carroll’s lead to 10-7. The Blue Streaks defense finished the quarter strong, entering the locker room with a narrow lead.

The Blue and Gold came out strong at the beginning of the third quarter, with Collins connecting passes, allowing Mason Sullivan ‘25 to gain yards. Brennan Fugh (Graduate Student) was able to gain some ground on his route, catching the ball on the two-yard line and finishing in the end zone for a 16-yard score from Collins on the 11th play of the drive. Volas was able to knock in the extra point, giving John Carroll a 17-7 lead. While the Yellow Jackets would gain some ground on their next drive, John Carroll would hold them off, not allowing them to get far. 

The Blue Streaks on the JCU 7-yard line for third and 13, Fugh would make one of the most critical plays of the game, leaping up to grab the ball at the 50-yard line, resulting in a gain of 43 yards. Following a couple of penalties against the Yellow Jackets, Matthew Buser ‘24 scored a nine-yard touchdown. This would set the Blue Streaks up with a 16-point lead going into the fourth quarter. 

The Blue Streaks would hold strong on defense, but thanks to the efforts of Chris Golson ‘25 and Jahiem Peake ‘24, the Yellow Jackets struggled to gain any traction. The next play by John Carroll’s offense would end in Buser’s second touchdown of the game, solidifying the final score at 30-7 in favor of the Blue Streaks. 

John Carroll looks to add another victory to their record on Sept. 23 at Heidelberg.