Baldwin Wallace Yellow Jackets at John Carroll University Blue Streaks
Saturday, September 15, 2012
6:00 p.m.
Wasmer Field at Don Shula Stadium
Download the complete Yellow Jacket Games Notes in .pdf format by clicking HERE.
TELEVISION/ SPORTSTIME OHIO -- The BW versus JCU game will be taped by S&S Video Productions and televised by SportsTime Ohio on Saturday, September 15 at 11:00 p.m. and on Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 5:00 a.m. Three of BW's 10 games this season will be broadcast by STO. BW has televised more football, soccer and basketball games on regional cable TV than any other Division III school in the country. SportsTime Ohio at www.sportstimeohio.com.
RADIO -- BW campus radio station WBWC, 88.3 FM, broadcasts all home and away Yellow Jacket football games. You also can listen to the games live via the WBWC Internet Web site at www.wbwc.com. The pregame show generally starts 20 minutes prior to kickoff. For more information, please call the station offices at (440) 826-2145 or its listening line at (440) 826-2187. Senior Kelly Rosemond (krosemon@bw.edu) is the Sports Director.
THE MATCHUP -- The Baldwin Wallace University Yellow Jacket football team travels to University Heights to begin 2012 Ohio Athletic Conference play against cross-town rival John Carroll University in the Annual Battle for the Cuyahoga Gold Bowl Trophy. What a way to begin the OAC schedule!
The Yellow Jackets enter this game at 1-0 overall and ranked 15th nationally in the d3football.com Top-25 poll. BW opened its season last Saturday with a 45-13 victory against Bluffton University at The George Finnie Stadium in Berea. BW finished 8-2 a year ago and was picked to finish second in the OAC this season.
The Blue Streaks also are 1-0 overall following a season-opening, 40-3 win against St. Norbert (Wisc.) College on August 31 in Dublin, Ireland. JCU finished 5-5 a year ago and was tabbed to place sixth in the OAC preseason poll.
SERIES NOTES -- The Yellow Jackets and Blue Streaks have previously met 51 times on the gridiron. BW leads the all-time series, 24-23-4. This is the 24th Cuyahoga Gold Bowl Trophy game and BW leads that series, 12-11. BW has won five of the past eight meetings, including a 45-37 win last season to break a two-game losing streak to JCU. But, BW has not won at JCU since 1998. JCU's last win versus BW was in 2010 by a 43-29 count. Home field advantage has been huge lately as the victor in the last 10 games has been the home team. The series began in 1923 when the Blue Streaks defeated the Yellow Jackets, 19-13. Two notable names who have taken part in this series, B-W graduate and College Football Hall of Famer Lee Tressel and JCU grad and Pro Football Hall of Famer Don Shula.
GOLD BOWL SERIES NOTES- Annually B-W and JCU battle for the Cuyahoga Gold Bowl trophy. BW leads the series, 12-11. The Gold Bowl Trophy series dates back to 1989 and was established by former B-W Alumni Director Ted Theodore '51. The trophy is a plaque with a rock shaped like a football anchored to a wooden frame and it displays the flags of each school and a medallion that indicates the winner each year. The trophy is held until the two teams meet the following football season.
SCOUTING THE YELLOW JACKETS -- BW is 1-0 overall and returns 33 lettermen and 10 starters, including seven on offense, plus both its kicker and punter and all of its return specialists.
Offensively, the Yellow Jackets scored 45 points and amassed 460 yards of total offense, including 244 rushing and 216 passing yards, in its 45-13 victory against Bluffton. Senior quarterback Ryan O'Rourke (Avon) completed 12-of-16 passes for 216 yards and two touchdowns. In the backfield, Lohr will get the bulk of the carries and will be joined by sophomore Sebastian Zuluaga (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast), Nolan Sordyl (Gurnee, Ill./ Warren Township) and freshman Isaac Reed III (Lehigh Acres, Fla./ Lehigh). Reed led the team against Bluffton with a game-high 94 yards in nine attempts with a TD. Lohr had 77 yards in 17 attempts with a TD, Zuluaga had 37 yards in 10 attempts and Sordyl had 13 in six trips with a TD.
The receiving corps are led by junior flanker Josiah Holt (Elyria/Grafton Midview), juniors Gabe Adams (Hudson), Cory Lanterman (Streetsboro), Brandon Mahaffey (Avon) and Mike McGervey (Canton/ St. Thomas Aquinas), senior tight ends Aaron Manders (Toledo/ Cardinal Stritch) and Josh Masters (Akron/ Hoban) and sophomore Daryl Jones (Cleveland/ Villa Angela-St. Joseph). Lanterman, this week's OAC Offensive Player of the Week, led the way versus Bluffton with three catches for 72 yards and two TDs. Jones had two grabs for 31 yards and Holt had two for 21 yards. The line is anchored by senior tackle Clay Wolf (Parma Heights/ Padua) and junior guard Jason Cook (Streetsboro).
Defensively, the Yellow Jackets allowed Bluffton to score 13 points, all in the fourth quarter after it had built a 38-0 lead. The Beavers had 244 yards of total offense, including 111 on the ground and 133 through the air. The defense is led by returning senior All-OAC tackle Max Wagner (Mentor), junior tackle Addison Carbone (Hudson), senior end Joe Fitch (Elyria/Elyria Catholic) and senior cornerback Brandon Russo (Olmsted Falls). In the win, Carbone, senior linebacker Corey Meeks (Eastlake/ Willoughby South) and junior LB Michael Stacchiotti (Girard) each had five tackles. Fitch, this week's OAC Defensive Player of the Week, had three tackles and 2.5 of the five QB sacks that the Yellow Jackets compiled. Meeks and Stacchiotti each had one and Carbone combined with Fitch on one. Russo and LB Brian Ellis (Fort Mitchell, Ky./ Dayton) each had an interception. BW forced three Beaver turnovers.
On special teams, BW has one of the top return groups in Division III in Holt, fellow junior and starting CB Kevin Johnson (Maple Heights/St. Ignatius) and punt return specialists in senior WR Pat LaGuardia (Brunswick/Padua) and junior Kory Gillissie (Parma/St. Ignatius). Johnson, this week's OAC Special Teams Player of the Week, began the season in fine fashion and returned Bluffton's second half kickoff for a 94-yard TD -- the second kick return TD of his career. Holt averages 30.0 yards in 27 career returns with three TD. Last season, Gillissie averaged 14.8 yards in 14 attempts with a TD and LaGuardia ran back 16 for a 10.4-yard average. Moehler is improved and solidifies the kicking game. Junior Matt Harmon (Canfield) is the punter after averaging 38.0 yards per punt and leading the OAC with 21 punts downed inside the opposition's 20-yard line in 2011.
LAST WEEK VERSUS BLUFFTON -- Baldwin Wallace opened its season by beating Bluffton, 45-13, in the first meeting between the two schools since 1934. BW led 3-0 after one quarter, 24-0 at halftime and 38-0 after three quarters. Game details are listed in the BW Scouting Report. Junior WR Cory Lanterman received the annual Dick Miller BW Community & Family Day Most Outstanding Player award.
SCOUTING THE BLUE STREAKS -- JCU opened its season with a 40-3 win versus St. Norbert (Wisc.) College in Dublin, Ireland on August 31. The Blue Streaks return 52 lettermen and 14 starters.
Offensively, JCU scored 40 points in its opener and had 513 yards of total offense, including 30 rushing and 483 passing yards. Junior transfer QB Mark Myers completed 30-of-43 passes for a school-record 457 yards with five TDs and one interception. Senior WR Lane Robilotto caught eight passes for 116 yards and two TDs, junior WR Alex Kline caught eight balls for a team-high 143 yards and two TDs, TE Ben Madden grabbed six passes for 58 yards and junior RB Randy Greenwood caught one for a 73-yard TD. Also, look for senior WR Luke McCall to be a big part of the passing game. Junior RB DaQuan Grobsmith and Greenwood are the main RBs. Grobsmith had 11 yards in four carries with a TD and caught three passes for 25 yards. Greenwood had a team-high 14 rush yards in four attempts. All five starters are back on the offensive line.
Defensively, JCU returns five starters. Expected 2011 sack leader in senior NT Dan Valore, senior DT Scott DiBenedetto, junior MIchael Green and senior DE Chris Harding to be the mainstays up front. The linebacking corps are solid with senior Ethan Jones and sophomore Jimmy King leading the way with eight tackles each against St. Norbert. Also look for junior Matt Feeney, senior Paul Okeyo and sophomore Kevin Cope all to contribute. The secondary is led by senior D.J. Debick and sophomore Ryan Winchell while sophomore Marty Gibbons and junior Truvonte Riley each picked off a pass in Ireland.
On special teams, the Blue Streaks have two solid PKs in senior Brad Marchese and sophomore Kresimir Ivkovic. The duo combined to make 4-of-6 PATs against St. Norbert. The Blue Streaks also have a strong punter in Mike Malisheski. He was an All-OAC pick a year ago. Robilotto is the top return threat. His long kickoff return versus BW a year ago with less than two minutes to go in the game led to a TD and gave his team a chance to tie the score.
LAST GAME VERSUS ST. NORBERT -- John Carroll opened its season by beating St. Norbert, 40-3, in Dublin, Ireland on August 31. JCU trailed 3-0 after one quarter, led 27-3 at halftime and 33-3 after three quarters. Game details are listed in the JCU Scouting Report.
