Zach Autenreib picked off a pass at the one-yard line to secure a 14-7 win for visiting Thomas More over John Carroll in front of a crowd of 2,716 who turned out for the 2009 season opener for both teams at Don Shula Stadium.

Box Score

In a game marked by missed opportunities from both teams, the biggest may have occured in the final 90 seconds of play.

When JCU freshman DaQuan Grobsmith (Syracuse, NY, Bishop Ludden)  turned the corner and raced 26 yards for a touchdown with 1:20 left on the clock, the faithful at Shula Stadium thought the home team had completed an amazing rally to tie the game

Alas, the tenth and final penalty of the game -- an illegal block -- wiped out the potential tying score.

Two plays later, Autenreib ended the drama when he intercepted Devin O'Brien (Brookfield, OH, Brookfield) pass.

The drama began for John Carroll even before the game. Jeffrey Javorek (Chesterland, OH, West Geauga), who had earned the starting quarterback job out of training camp, was unable to go due to an injury sustained in the team's final scrimmage. O'Brien, a sophomore who had yet to take a snap in a varsity game, would get the nod.

Neither team found a groove early on, but the Saints would draw first blood late in the opening quarter. After Cordario Collier's 33-yard run put Thomas More in the red zone, quarterback Trevor Stellman finished the drive when he took a snap on a field goal attempt and raced to the right for a three-yard touchdown run.

Thomas More looked to take a 10-0 lead on its next drive when Jared Kaufman lined up for a 32-yard field goal, but C.J. Seitzinger (Bethel Park, PA, Bethel Park) blocked the kick. Seizing the momentum, JCU marched 80 yards in 11 plays, and capped the drive with a Grobsmith three-yard touchdown run. Justin Fink (South Park, PA, South Park) extra point tied the score at 7-7, which is the way the first half ended.

Both teams had drives end in enemy territory on their first touches of the second half, with the Blue Streaks pinning the Saints deep on a Karl Roshong (Canton, OH, Perry) punt that was downed at the two.

Stellman would engineer an 11-play, 98-yard drive that featured a conversion on fourth-and-six to prolong the drive. On the 11th play, Stellman dropped back, then tucked the ball in and raced up the middle for a 17-yard scoring run. Kaufman would score the final point of the afternoon to give Thomas More a seven-point advantage.

Neither team threatened in the fourth quarter until the Blue Streaks commenced their final drive. Taking over at their own 30-yard line with 4:11 to play, the Blue Streaks would march to the opposite 26-yard line in just under three minutes of time, setting up the final sequence of events that ultimately decided the contest.

Thomas More (1-0) was led by Stellman, who was 11-23 for 166 yards passing, but may have hurt JCu more with his legs. he finished with 13 net yards rushing but scored both of the Saints' touchdowns on the ground. Collier was the leading rusher in the game with 73 yards on 12 carries, and led Thomas More with four catches for 20 yards.

Autenrein, Justin Smith and Aaron Monk all had interceptions for Thomas More.

Despite making his first career starts, O'Brien had solid numbers in his debut for John Carroll (0-1). he completed 20-34 for 163 ards but was hurt by the three interceptions. Frank Ross (Canfield, OH, Canfield)had game highs for catches (8) and receiving yards (91), and surpassed 1,000 yards for his career, becoming the 16th Blue Streak to reach that mark.

Grobsmith was the leading rusher for JCU with 65 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

The loss was John Carroll's first at home to a non-conference team since 1990.