Oct. 24, 2012

Johns Hopkins-Ursinus Football Notes 

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The Last Meeting

Ursinus	9
Johns Hopkins	37

October 29, 2011
Homewood Field

Hopkins Clinches NCAA Playoff Bid With 37-9 Win Over Ursinus Host Johns Hopkins totaled 303 yards and four touchdowns on the ground to power a 37-9 win over Ursinus in a battle of the Centennial's top two teams.

Recap | Box Score

The Game: One week after playing the biggest game in the Centennial Conference to-date, Johns Hopkins (7-0, 6-0 Centennial) heads north to Ursinus (5-2, 4-2 CC) to take on the Bears in what is now the biggest game in the league to-date. Kickoff for Homecoming at Patterson Field is set for 1 pm.

On This Date: In the 1973 battle of Charles Street, Johns Hopkins earned a 33-20 victory at home against Towson. The win ignited a four-game season-ending winning streak for the Blue Jays, who finished the season at 6-3. Serving as an assistant coach for the Tigers that day - current Blue Jay assistant Gordy Combs.

The Teams: Johns Hopkins and Ursinus both took care of business last weekend to set up this week’s showdown. The Blue Jays improved to 7-0 overall and 6-0 in the Centennial Conference as they took a 49-35 decision vs. Gettysburg. Ursinus made quick work of Susquehanna and eased to a 36-0 victory against the Crusaders last Friday night to improve to 5-2 overall and 4-2 in the Centennial.

Series History: Johns Hopkins leads the all-time series 30-20-4 and took last season’s meeting, 37-9. The teams have split the last 10 meetings. A complete series history can be found on page 2.

Poll Position: Johns Hopkins is ranked 10th in this week’s AFCA Division III Coaches Poll and 15th in the d3football.com Poll. The Blue Jays also check in at number five in this week’s Lambert Meadowlands Poll. The number 10 ranking is tied for the second-highest AFCA ranking in school history. JHU was ranked eighth in the final 2009 poll.
Johns Hopkins has been ranked in the top 25 of the AFCA Poll for 16 consecutive weeks dating back to the first poll of the 2011 season. Johns Hopkins is one of just 11 teams in the nation that has been ranked in the AFCA’s top 25 every week since the start of the 2011 season. The Johns Hopkins office of Athletic Communications uses the AFCA Poll to reflect JHU’s official ranking at the time of a game. The AFCA, D3football.com and Lambert Meadowlands Polls can be found on page 6.

Margraff Ranks Second on State Victory Chart: Johns Hopkins head coach Jim Margraff improved his career record to 154-79-3 (.659) with the 49-35 win over Gettysburg last Friday. He is just the second college football coach in Maryland state history to win 150 career games. Only Morgan State’s Eddie Hurt, who won 174 games from 1929-59, has won more games as the head football coach at a college or university in the state of Maryland than Margraff.

Friday Night Lights: JHU improved to 30-13-1 (.693) at home under the Friday night lights, including 26-8-1 (.757) under head coach Jim Margraff, with last week’s 49-35 win against Gettysburg.

What’s at Stake: With three weeks remaining in the regular season, the Johns Hopkins and Franklin & Marshall football teams are the only two that control their own fate in the race for the Centennial Conference title and the league’s automatic berth in the upcoming NCAA Playoffs.
If either Johns Hopkins or F&M wins its final three games, it will earn no worse than a share of the Centennial Conference title and take the league’s automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA Playoffs.
Ursinus, Muhlenberg and Gettysburg, which each have two CC losses, can still grab at least a share of the CC title. The road to the league’s automatic bid for each of these teams is trickier, but not impossible.

What Can Happen This Week: Johns Hopkins will clinch no worse than a share of the Centennial title with a win at Ursinus coupled with a loss by F&M at Susquehanna.

What Can’t Happen This Week: The Centennial Conference’s automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA Playoffs can’t be secured by any team in the league this week.

Seniors Looking for Record: The current seniors on the Johns Hopkins football team can tie the record for most wins by one class in school history. This year’s seniors are 35-7 since arriving at JHU and will tie the record for wins by one class with another victory. The 2005 and 2011 seniors both won 36 games at JHU.

About the 7-0 Start: The Blue Jays improved to 7-0 with the 49-35 win over Gettysburg last Friday. This marks the fourth time since 2003 that Johns Hopkins has won its first seven games of a season and the fifth time in school history that JHU stands at 7-0 (2012, 2011, 2005, 2003, 1892).

Eight Straight in October: Johns Hopkins will carry an eight-game winning streak in the month of October into this week’s game at Ursinus. The Blue Jays last dropped a game in October on October 16, 2010, when they fell at Ursinus (26-17).

Regular Season Roll: The Blue Jays will put a 21-game regular-season winning streak on the line this week against Ursinus. The streak, the longest such run in school history and the second-longest in Centennial Conference history, began with a 49-24 win at Susquehanna on October 23, 2010. The Blue Jays have outscored the opposition 871-275 during the 21-game run.

More Regular Season Rolls: In addition to boasting the longest regular season winning streak in school history and the second longest in CC history, JHU’s current 21-game regular season winning streak is also the sixth-longest active streak in the nation (all divisions). Mount Union has currently won 70 straight regular season games to lead the way.
There are only eight active regular season winning streaks of 17 games or more among the 651 schools playing football under the NCAA banner.

Centennial Roll: The Blue Jays will put a 19-game Centennial Conference winning streak on the line this week at Ursinus. The streak, the longest such run in school history and the second-longest in Centennial Conference history, began with a 49-24 win at Susquehanna on October 23, 2010.

Road Warriors: Johns Hopkins won its school record 10th consecutive road game with the 49-0 victory at Dickinson on October 13. The previous record of nine consecutive road victories was set from 2003-05.
The Blue Jays last dropped a road game on October 16, 2010, when Ursinus took a 26-17 decision.

Best-Ever 20-Game Run: Dating back to late in the 2010 season, Johns Hopkins is 19-1 in its last 20 games. This is the best 20-game run in school history. JHU had posted an 18-2 record over a 20-game span on four different occassions.

Quick Starts: The Blue Jays have outscored the opposition 150-38 in the first and second quarters combined through seven games with a 56-17 mark in the first quarter and a 94-21 bulge in the second.

Move Those Chains: Johns Hopkins is 55-of-94 (.585) on third-down attempts through seven games. Of the 651 schools in the NCAA that play football at the FBS, FCS, Division II and Division III levels, Johns Hopkins currently ranks first nationally in third-down efficiency.
That’s a Record: Johns Hopkins tied an NCAA Division III record and set school and Centennial Conference records with 40 first downs in the win over Moravian on September 15. This is the third time in Division III history that a team has accumulated 40 first downs in a game.

That’s a First: Johns Hopkins scored 49 points in the win over Gettysburg and has scored at least 33 in each of its seven games thus far. This is the first time in school history that JHU has scored 33+ in seven straight games. The Blue Jays rank first in the Centennial Conference and 13th in the nation in scoring offense (41.4).

On Par: Johns Hopkins averaged a school-record 492.7 yards per game last season and is running just ahead of that mark at 499.3 yards per game thus far this year. The Blue Jays currently rank first in the Centennial Conference and 12th nationally in total offense (499.3). JHU has topped the 500-yard mark four times in seven games and only once, at Susquehanna (389), have the Blue Jays been held under 400 yards.

Rigaud Rolling: One week after senior RB Jonathan Rigaud tied the JHU single-game record for rushing touchdowns with his four at Dickinson, he punched up a career-high 210 rushing yards in the 49-35 win over Gettysburg. The 210 yards are the 10th-highest single-game total in school history.
Rigaud, who was selected as the Centennial Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts vs. Dickinson and named to the D3football.com Team of the Week after the Gettysburg game, rushed 20 times for 130 yards and the four scores vs. the Red Devils and rushed 21 times for 210 yards and one score vs. GC.
Rigaud has now rushed for 821 yards (117.3/game) and 13 touchdowns on the year and ranks second in the league in rushing yards per game and all-purpose yards per game (126.1). He is also tied for the league-lead in overall touchdowns (13), points scored (78) and points per game (11.1) and his 6.6 yards per carry leads the league as well.
Rigaud’s efforts against Gettysburg boosted his career totals to 2,401 yards rushing and 28 rushing touchdowns. He jumped into sixth place on JHU’s career rushing list and ranks second on JHU’s career rushing touchdowns list. He is also just the second player in school history to rush for 11 or more touchdowns in two different seasons (Andrew Kase: 22 in 2009, 17 in 2008).

Two Jays 2K: Johns Hopkins had a rare double in the win against Muhlenberg as senior running back Jonathan Rigaud topped 2,000 career rushing yards and junior wide receiver Dan Wodicka topped 2,000 career receiving yards in the 33-21 win against the Mules.

Abbott Provides Strong Second Punch: Senior Jonathan Rigaud grabs most of the headlines when it comes to the Johns Hopkins rushing attack, but the Blue Jays actually have two of the top six rushers in the Centennial Conference. Junior JD Abbott enters this week’s game at Ursinus averaging 74.3 yards per game and has eight touchdowns on the year as well. He rushed for 107 yards and two TDs in last week’s win vs. Gettysburg.
Abbott’s 520 rushing yards this season are nearly three times his career total entering this season (188). Combined with Rigaud’s 117.3 yards per game, the duo is the top rushing tandem in the Centennial Conference at 191.6 yards per game.

Double Your Pleasure: Jonathan Rigaud (210 rushing yards) and JD Abbott (107) both topped the 100-yard rushing mark last week vs. Gettysburg. They are the first Johns Hopkins tandem to turn the trick since Adam Cook (149) and Mark Nesbitt (103) against F&M on October 11, 2003. JHU is 16-0 all-time when it has two players top the 100-yard rushing mark in the same game.

Wodicka Among National Leaders: Junior Dan Wodicka totaled 12 receptions for 72 yards in the win vs. Gettysburg and pushed his season totals to 54 receptions for 501 yards and two touchdowns. His effort vs. GC also boosted his career totals to 176 receptions for 2,276 yards and 10 touchdowns. He ranks seventh in school history in career receptions and career receiving yards.
Wodicka’s 176 career receptions are the second most by any active Division III junior in the nation and his total is the sixth-highest total among all junior receivers in the nation (all divisions).

Cremens Has Breakout Day: Senior WR Scott Cremens entered the game vs. Juniata with nine receptions on the year (he missed the first game of the season). He matched that with nine catches for 178 yards and three TDs against the Eagles to earn Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors. He now has 21 receptions for 260 yards and three TDs on the year.
Cremens has continued his climb in the JHU record book this season. He now ranks ninth in TD receptions (15), 10th in receptions (116) and 14th in receiving yards (1,374).

D’Orazio Emerging: Junior Bob D’Orazio entered the game at Susquehanna with career totals of seven receptions for 116 yards in 14 career games played. Against the Crusaders he had a then career-high five receptions for a personal-best 122 yards and one touchdown and has continued to excel since then as he has totaled 33 receptions for 435 yards and three TDs in the last six games (includes the game at Susquehanna). He had six receptions for 78 yards at Dickinson, came back with eight receptions vs. Gettysburg and ranks second on the team in receptions and receiving yards. He is tied for seventh in the Centennial in receptions per game (4.71) and ranks eighth in receiving yards per game (62.1).

Matey Rolling: Junior Robbie Matey rushed for 59 yards and three touchdowns and was 22-of-33 for 127 yards and one INT to help the Blue Jays to the 49-35 win over Gettysburg last Friday night. He is the first Johns Hopkins quarterback to rush for more than one touchdown in game since November 16, 2002, when George Merrell rushed for two against McDaniel.
Matey is completing a Centennial-high 72.5% of his pass attempts (145-of-200) for 1,602 yards with nine TDs against 10 INTs. He ranks second in the Centennial in pass efficiency (144.6) and fourth in passing yards per game (228.9) and total offense (258.3).

Defense Continues Run: With all the talk about the Johns Hopkins offense, the Blue Jay defense continues to excel. Johns Hopkins currently ranks first in the Centennial Conference in total defense (252.1) and rushing defense (87.3) and second in scoring defense (15.9) and pass defense (164.9). JHU ranks 10th in the nation in total defense and 17th in rushing defense. The Blue Jays also rank seventh in the nation in sacks per game (3.71).
Other notes of interest about the Johns Hopkins defense ...
• JHU posted its first shutout of the season with the recent 49-0 win at Dickinson.
• The opposition is averaging just 2.5 yards per rushing attempt and 3.7 yards per play.
• JHU has surrendered exactly five offensive touchdowns in the first half this season.
• JHU has accumulated 26 sacks in seven games. Thirteen different players have been in on at least one sack thus far.

Schweyer, Maciow Closing on 200: The two most experienced players on the Blue Jay defense - seniors Adam Schweyer and Taylor Maciow - are both closing quickly on 200 career tackles after they each posted nine tackles last week vs. Gettysburg. Schweyer’a nine tackles boost him to 193 career tackles. He notched his third career touchdown with an 18-yard interception return against Juniata earlier this season. All three of his career TDs have come against the Eagles. He also has 14 career TFLs, six sacks, four interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He leads the team lead in tackles (51) this season and has six TFLs and two interceptions.
Maciow punched a season-high 11 tackles against Juniata and his nine last week push his career total to 195. He ranks second on the team in tackles (50) and has five TFLs, three sacks and two pass breakups. His 42-yard fumble return for a touchdown with just under five minutes remaining sealed the 49-35 win vs. Gettysburg.

Youth Shall Be Served: While seniors Adam Schweyer and Taylor Maciow rank as the team’s top two tacklers, the defense as a whole is one of the youngest in the Centennial Conference. In fact, there is only one senior among JHU’s eight-man rotation on the defensive line and just one senior among JHU’s top six defensive backs. Three of the top six players in the secondary are freshmen and three of the four starters on the defensive line are sophomores.
Consider also that of the 20 players with 10 or more tackles on the year, only five are seniors; six are juniors, five are sophomores and four are freshmen.

Defensive Line Applies the Pressure: Junior Joe DiTrolio and sophomores Matthew Connery and Michael Longo have started all seven games on the defensive line and have combined for 77 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks thus far.
DiTrolio’s 31 tackles lead all JHU defensive linemen, while he is tied for third on the team in sacks (3.0) and tackles for losses (5.0).
Connery counts a team-high 8.0 tackles for losses among his 20 stops on the year and he ranks second with 3.5 sacks, while Longo has 26 tackles, including 3.5 for losses and two sacks to his credit.
Other key contributors on the defensive line include juniors Mike Zikoski (21 tackles, one sack), Andy Laychur (13 tackles, team-high 4.5 sacks) and Wesley Shoap (six tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 2.0 sacks), senior Jordan Randolph (17 tackles) and sophomore Michael Rocca (12 tackles, 1.5 TFLs and one sack).

Trumbetti Picks a Pair: Freshman safety Joe Trumbetti enjoyed a solid game at Dickinson as he posted three tackles and came up with a pair of interceptions. His second INT was originally ruled a forced fumble, but a review of the play actually indicates the ball never hit the ground and he caught it while falling. His first INT stopped a Dickinson drive deep in Blue Jay territory midway through the first quarter.
Trumbetti now has 12 tackles and the two interceptions on the year. His two-interception game vs. the Red Devils is the first for a Johns Hopkins player since Ryan Piatek had two against Susquehanna on September 10, 2011.

Carbone Honored: Junior kicker Richie Carbone entered the game at Muhlenberg with exactly two career field goals to his credit. He matched that total in a 10-minute span in the second quarter that turned a 7-7 tie into a 13-7 lead that the Blue Jays would never relinquish. He was good from 23 yards and a career-best 42 yards and hit all three of his extra point attempts to earn Centennial Conference Special Teams Player of the Week. This is the first time in his career he has earned the honor. For the year, Carbone is 35-of-38 on extra points and 2-for-2 on field goals. He notched the 100th point of his career last week vs. Gettysburg as he was 7-of-7 on extra points. He is also averaging 37.2 yards per punt.

Sustained Success: Since the start of the 2002 season the Blue Jays sport an 88-29 (.752) record. Taking it back farther the Blue Jays are 94-32 (.746) since the start of the 2001 season and 99-37 (.728) since the beginning of the 2000 season. The 74 wins the Blue Jays amassed from 2000-09 are the most wins in a decade in school history. Johns Hopkins had never won more than seven games in a season prior to this decade. In the decade completed in 2009, the Blue Jays averaged more than seven wins per season (7.4).

Seven’s Heaven: Since the beginning of the 2003 season the Blue Jays are 79-20 (.798) when scoring more than seven points and 0-7 when they have been held to seven points or less.

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