John Carroll knocked off Mount Union to end the Purple Raiders 112-game regular season winning streak. Now the two teams move on to the Division III playoffs.
UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Tom Arth tried not to smile, but he couldn't help it.
For the first time in 27 years, John Carroll beat Mount Union in football.
"How many times did you lose to Mount," I asked Arth, now in his fourth season as JCU's head coach.
The answer was five as a player, "One of them was in triple overtime."
Three as an assistant coach.
Four as the head coach.
It all changed last Saturday, when JCU upset Mount, 31-28, and did it on the road in Alliance.
It was the first time in 112 games that Mount had lost a regular-season game.
"It was a great moment in John Carroll history for us to play in that atmosphere," said Arth. "To see our players respond with so much on the line -- it was like a dream come true."
Mount Union entered the game ranked No. 1 in country and the defending Division III national champions.
By winning the game, JCU was the Ohio Athletic Conference champion and received an automatic bid to the D3 playoffs. They play host to Olivet at noon at Don Shula Stadium on Saturday.
It was the first time in 25 years that Mount has not won the OAC title.
"We have been coming close (against Mount Union)," said Arth. "We'd be in the game, but this time, we finished."
In 2014, Mount Union beat the Blue Streaks 31-24 in the regular season and then 36-28 in the playoffs.
In 2013, Mount was a 42-34 winner.
Arth is not gloating, he's just proud of his players and knows it's a major step for his goal of making the Blue Streaks a national D3 football power.
"Mount Union is a great team and they have dominated football in a way I don't think we'll ever see again," he said. "It's amazing what they have done."
IT'S NOT OVER
Mount Union received an at-large bid and plays Saturday at Hobart College.
I called Purple Raiders coach Vince Kehres, asking him what impact the loss had on his team.
Kehres was quiet for a moment, looking for the right words.
"It motivates us," he said. "It motivates us to get back on track. It can be a good thing. It's a loss. But it's not heart-breaking."
He paused.
"As I told our players, the sun came up again the next day and it's time to go play some more football," said Kehres.
Then he praised JCU.
"They have had the kind of talent to win a national title recently," he said. "They're getting close. We've had great games with them. Tom is doing an outstanding job."
Four years ago, Vince Kehres took over for his father Larry as Mount Union's head coach.
Four years ago, Arth moved up from a JCU assistant to head coach.
In the five years before Arth, 35, became the head coach, the Blue Streaks were 24-26. So he has been a game changer on the University Heights campus as JCU is 37-7 on his watch. This is his third trip to the D3 playoffs.
Kehres, 40, has a 55-3 record in his four seasons. He won the 2015 national title and was runner-up in 2013 and 2014. His father had won 11 titles as head coach.
Arth was able to convince Thomas Aquinas quarterback Anthony Moeglin to attend JCU. He grew up about 15 miles away from Mount Union, which also was very interested in Moeglin.
"We compete for some of the same players in recruiting," said Kehres.
D3 schools can't offer athletic scholarships, but they can talk to players and their parents about the merits of attending their colleges.
HOMEGROWN COACH
Arth is a St. Ignatius graduate. He spent three seasons as a backup quarterback to Peyton Manning in Indianapolis. He also was briefly with the Green Bay Packers.
"I owe so much to John Carroll," he said. "It's shaped who I am as a person and as a leader. It's had a tremendous impact on my life."
After being a star at JCU, Arth believes the reason he received a tryout with the Indianapolis Colts was the JCU connections. Graduates David Caldwell and Chris Polian worked in the Colts front office.
After his pro career came to an end, Arth spent a year in business.
That came from a meeting set up by former JCU coach Tony DeCarlo with a local company. Then former Blue Streak coach Regis Scafe hired Arth as quarterback coach.
Scafe has Thomas More in the D3 playoffs in his second season as that school's head coach.
Arth said JCU now has seven graduates working for the New England Patriots, led director of player personnel Nick Caserio.
"It's hard to explain all this school means to me," said Arth.
LOCAL TALENT
Many of JCU's top players are from Northeast Ohio.
Defensive lineman Ray Brown (St. Ignatius) is an All-American candidate. Mentor products Mason McKendrick and Reese Armstrong play key roles on the defense. Other defensive standouts include Jovon Dawson (Benedictine), Scott Eilerman (Kirtland) and Mike Hollins (Maple Heights).
Gilmour's Ro Golphin has rushed for 919 yards and 10 TDs. Kirtland's Sam Kukura has scored 11 TDs. Benedictine's Marshall Howell leads the team with 43 receptions.
It was freshman William Woods (John Hay) who caught what proved to be the winning TD pass against Mount Union from Moeglin, who threw three TD passes in the victory.
"We have great high school programs and coaching in Northeast Ohio," said Kehres. "It's why there are so many strong D3 programs here."
Mount Union's Matt Fichet (Conneaut) and Brian Groves (Stow) were named to the District 7 All-American Academic team. Hudson's Tim Kennedy leads the Purple Raiders with 40 receptions. Freshman Dom Davis (St. Vincent-St. Mary) is Mount's starting quarterback.
There are many more area players on both teams. I mentioned a few names just to give the flavor.
The bottom line is there are now two great D3 programs in Northeast Ohio with two relatively young coaches who should keep things interesting for a long time.