Blue Streaks dominate in the trenches, tally 7 rushing touchdowns in 72-14 thrashing of Wilmington

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS – The John Carroll University football team hit the pay dirt in an offensive eruption on Saturday afternoon.

Seven rushing touchdowns fueled the outburst.

First-year head coach Rick Finotti and the Blue Streaks evened their record at 2-2 after eclipsing the 600-yard plateau in a 72-14 rout of Wilmington College at Don Shula Stadium.

The rushing unit comprised of Ro Golphin, Sam Kukura, Antwain Hamilton, Michael Canganelli and Stan Elad II combined for seven scores on the ground, while Anthony Moeglin completed 20-of-27 (74%) passes for 248 yards and a six-yard touchdown pass to William Woods.

Tyshawn Jones and Tyler Moran teamed together for two interceptions, the former of which was a 21-yard pick-six.

The 72 points were the most since notching 80 vs. Marietta on Oct. 18, 2014.

Depth of RB chart delivers

Kukura and Elad II bulldozed their way past the goal line for a pair of one-yard touchdowns in the first quarter before Hamilton and Golphin dashed toward the pylon in the second period, giving JCU a 42-14 advantage at the intermission.

With the one-sided affair staying true to form, Finotti dug deeper into his backfield corps throughout the second half.

Golphin returned the scoring column on an elusive 19-yard run before Canganelli – who made his collegiate debut – ripped off 41 and 29-yard rushing touchdowns against a demoralized defensive front.

Brian Kornowski caught eight passes for 89 yards to spearhead the roster through the air.

Stout defense holds Fightin’ Quakers scoreless in second half

Incessant pressure on senior quarterback Luke Creditt yielded two turnovers, 10 first downs and a paltry 257 offensive yards for the opposition.

Aside from Jones and Moran, the Blue and Gold welcomed contributions from Conner Bogard (seven tackles, one sack), Jimmy Thomas (six tackles, one sack), Chad Stalnaker (six tackles) and Todd Green (six tackles).

Stalnaker only punted once courtesy of the relentless defense and tenacious offense.

Weather and attendance

John Carroll (2-2, 2-1) and Wilmington (2-2, 1-2) drew 2,737 fans under mostly sunny skies and 60-degree temperatures.

OAC update

Heidelberg (4-0, 3-0) topped Muskingum (1-4, 0-4), Baldwin Wallace (2-2, 1-2) beat Marietta (2-2, 1-2), Otterbein (4-1, 3-1) took care of Capital (1-3, 1-2) and Ohio Northern (2-2, 1-2) fell to Mount Union (4-0, 3-0).

Up next

The Blue Streaks take on the Marietta Pioneers next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. from Don Drumm Stadium.

Photo credit: John Carroll University Sports Information Department

John Alfes has covered John Carroll University athletics since September of 2014. Follow him on Twitter @JohnAlfes for breaking news and in-depth coverage all season long.