Box Score

UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio—The Otterbein University football team, facing its second top-10 ranked team in two weeks, fell, 66-13, at sixth-ranked John Carroll University on a cold, dark Saturday afternoon in University Heights.
 
The Cardinals committed five turnovers, with three of them eventually leading to touchdowns, in the loss. Otterbein dropped to 5-4 overall and 5-3 in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). Otterbein is scheduled to close out the regular season next Saturday, hosting Ohio Northern University on Senior Day.
 
John Carroll, meanwhile, improved to 9-0 overall and maintained a share of first place with the University of Mount Union, each 8-0 in league play. John Carroll is scheduled to close out regular-season play at Mount Union next Saturday.
 
The Blue Streaks put the Cardinals in a hole quickly, hitting a 46-yard field goal on their opening drive, and then, in the very next series, recovering an Otterbein fumble and returning it 34 yards for a touchdown to lead, 10-0, three minutes into the game.
 
John Carroll scored again before the quarter ended, a 22-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Mark Myers to tight end Brenden Carozzoni to make it 17-0 with 1:29 to play in the first quarter.
 
Otterbein finally got on the scoreboard on its first series of the second quarter. Quarterback Brick Davis found slot receiver Ryan Thombs wide open for a 45-yard touchdown pass to cap off a nine play, 86-yard drive.
 
John Carroll scored two more times before the half ended, a 7-yard Carozonni touchdown reception and a Tommy Michals 3-yard run, to lead 31-7 at intermission.
 
The second half was all John Carroll. The Blue Streaks scored 21 unanswered points before the Cardinals could score again. Davis put together a 10 play, 65-yard drive that ended in a 2-yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Travis Laird to make it 52-13 with 10:33 to play in the game.
 
The Cardinals generated 181 yards of offense, with 156 coming through the air. The Blue Streaks threw for 326 yards and rushed for 298 yards.
 
Davis completed 14 of 29 pass attempts for 156 yards and two touchdowns. He threw two interceptions.
 
Thombs led the Cardinals with eight catches for a career-high 122 yards and one TD. Running back Tyler Hammond netted 32 yards on seven carries.
 
Safety Josh Bichsel led the Cardinal defense with 10 stops. Inside linebacker Preston Pearson made eight tackles.