Slaying two Division III college football powerhouses in one playoff season proved too difficult for the John Carroll football team. Three weeks ago, the Blue Streaks eliminated 13-time D-III national champion and No. 1 seed Mount Union in the second round. Trying to duplicate that feat on Dec. 20 w asn’t in the cards. On Dec. 20 in a NCAA D-III semifinal against defending national champion North Central, JCU fell into an early 14-0 hole that grew to 28-0 at halftime and bowed out, 41-21, in Naperville, Ill. The loss ended the Blue Streaks’ season at 12-2, but not after a memorable postseason in which they defeated Randolph Macon at home, won in double-overtime at Mount Union and then again on the road at Berry to make the semifinal round. “I’m proud of our players,” said JCU coach Jeff Behrman. “This was a tremendous season for us as a program. Hopefully, it brought some respect to who John Carroll football is, and where we’re at today. This team stuck together, and had a great resolve and great resilience, and I think that showed today. They never quit, they never gave up … These guys made me proud.” In the first half against powerful North Central — which improved to 14-0, won its 46th straight home game and advanced to its fifth straight Stagg Bowl — JCU could not sustain drives, gave up big plays and even saw quarterback Nick Semptimphelter throw a pick 6 that made the score 28-0 just before halftime. John Carroll quarterback Nick Semptimphelter throws a pass during the Blue Streaks' 41-21 loss at North Central Dec. 20 in an NCAA Division III semifinal. (Jose Figueroa - John Carroll Athletics) The Cardinals amassed 256 yards in the first half, and averaged 10.6 yards per play. North Central QB Garret Wilson was on target from the outset. He completed 9 of 11 passes in the first half for 168 yards and three touchdowns. Wilson finished with 324 yards, and Jack Rummel (six catches, 179 yards) was his favorite target. For the game, the Cardinals had 528 yards of offense. The game’s first TD drive was 11 plays in 87 yards, and was capped by Wilson’s 5-yard pass to Grant McAtee. The next drive went 94 pass but in just three plays as Wilson found an open Jack Rummel untouched for a 71-yard TD. Wilson and Rummel connected again for another TD — this one from 31 yards — and it was 21-0 in the second quarter. Just before halftime, the Blue Streaks’ defense got a stop with North Central pinned deep in its own territory, forced a punt and the offense got the ball near midfield. A 22-yard Semptimphelter pass to Ty Montgomery put JCU in position to get on the scoreboard at the North Central 26. On the next play, Semptimphelter was under pressure and threw a short pass into the hands of defensive lineman Eli Resneck, who secured the ball and ran 68 yards untouched to pay dirt. It was just the fourth interception thrown by Semptimphelter this season. It was that type of game for the Blue Streaks, who were trying to make their first Stagg Bowl in program history. Instead, it will be North Central vs. Wisconsin-River Falls for the D-III national championship Jan. 4 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Kickoff in Canton is 8 p.m. Three times including Dec. 20, JCU has been on the doorstep of the Stagg Bowl but each time it has come up short. In 2002, it lost in the semifinal round at Mount Union, then again at Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 2016. “It stings right now, but hopefully, I’ll get to the point where I can look back and really appreciate the season we had,” said Semptimphelter. “Giving up was never an option. We played until the final whistle.” A shutout was avoided in the third quarter when Semptimphelter threw a 71-yard touchdown to Montgomery, who went untouched to the end zone. The JCU QB added two more TD passes in the fourth quarter — an 18-yarder to tight end Kenny Rawls and 21 yards to Shane Lindstrom. On the TD pass to Lindstrom in the game’s final seconds, Semptimphelter — on the final pass of his JCU career — was hit low on his left knee and laid on the field for several minutes before needing assistance off the field. “Not great, to be honest,” said Semptimphelter in the postgame about how he was feeling. For Semptimphelter and Montgomery, they had record-setting seasons. Semptimphelter was 34 of 47 in the game for 303 yards. His 3,622 passing yards and 318 completions are single-season JCU records. His TD-to-interception rate this season was 36-4. His single-season 77.9 percent completion rate is No. 1 all-time in NCAA history, regardless of division. “He’s the best, he truly is,” said Behrman about his QB. “I’ve been coaching for 30 years, coached a lot of special players. Nick’s right up there. He’s meant a lot to us.” Montgomery had 10 receptions for 136 yards. He finished the season with 119 catches, 1,528 receiving yards and 15 TD catches – all program single-season marks. The Cardinals were effective running the ball with 202 yards, led by Donovan McNeal’s 160 yards on 18 attempts. JCU managed just 92 yards on the ground. ...read more read less