Nov. 10, 2011

Johns Hopkins-McDaniel Football Notes
Additional Information Available in This Version

The Game: Johns Hopkins (9-0, 8-0 Centennial) makes the short trip to Westminster, Maryland to take on rival McDaniel (2-7, 2-6 CC) in the regular season finale. Game time at Bair Stadium is set for noon.

The Teams: Johns Hopkins improved to 9-0 overall and 8-0 in the Centennial Conference as the Blue Jays slipped past Franklin & Marshall, 28-23, at Homewood Field last Saturday. McDaniel dropped a 29-14 decision at Susquehanna last Saturday to slip to 2-7 overall and 2-6 in the Centennial Conference.

Centennial Conference Champions: Johns Hopkins clinched the outright Centennial Conference title with last week’s 28-23 win over F&M. This is the seventh CC title for the Blue Jays since 2002, including their third outright championship. JHU ranks third in league history with its seven titles. Only Dickinson (9) and Muhlenberg (8) have more titles than the Blue Jays, who are tied for third on the list with McDaniel.

Playoff Bound: With the Centennial Conference’s automatic bid in-hand, Johns Hopkins will make its third trip to the NCAA Playoffs. Hopkins first qualified for the NCAAs in 2005, when the Blue Jays fell to Thiel in the first round. The Blue Jays returned to the NCAAs in 2009 and made a stunning run to the NCAA Quarterfinals. Seeded sixth in the South Region, the Blue Jays upset third-seeded Hampden-Sydney (23-7) and second-seeded Thomas More (31-29) on the road in the first two rounds before falling in the South Region Championship Game, 12-0, at top-seeded Wesley. The bracket for the 2011 NCAA Division III Playoffs will be announced at 6 pm on Sunday, November 13 (announced live on www.ncaasports.com).

The Coaches: Johns Hopkins is coached by Jim Margraff, who is now in his 22nd year as the head coach at JHU and sports a 146-78-3 (.650) record. He is the all-time winningest coach in school history and is also the all-time winningest coach in Centennial Conference history. With last week’s win against Franklin & Marshall, Margraff became the first coach in Centennial Conference history to win 100 league games. McDaniel is coached by Tim Keating, who sports an overall record of 110-82-3 in 19 seasons with the Green Terror. Keating ranks fifth in CC history with 73 league wins to his credit. He has coached the Terror to all seven of their CC Championships.

And the Seniors Shall Lead Us: With a 24-man senior class, the Blue Jays are no doubt one of the most experienced teams in the nation. With so many key contributors among the 24, the Blue Jays have utilized game captains throughout the year instead of selecting among the group for season-long captains. By many standards, this is the class by which all future classes will be measured at Johns Hopkins. Consider:
• Johns Hopkins has compiled a record 35-9 since the current seniors arrived in 2008. The JHU record for most wins by a class is 36 (2005).
• The Blue Jays have earned at least a share of three straight Centennial Conference titles.
• Johns Hopkins will make its fourth straight post-season appearance this season (two NCAA, two ECAC). Only JHU’s class of 2005 also qualified for the post-season all four years.
• Success has come at home and on the road for the seniors. The Blue Jays are 17-4 (.810) at Homewood Field and 18-5 (.783) on the road in their career.

These are the Facts: The win against F&M improved JHU’s all-time record to 480-473-58 (.503). Johns Hopkins moved its all-time record over .500 for the first time since 1912 with the 41-0 victory at Moravian on September 17.

About the 9-0 Start: Johns Hopkins is 9-0 for the first time in school history. Prior to this season, JHU had never won more than its first seven games of a season (1892, 2003, 2005).

Streaking: Johns Hopkins closed the 2010 season with five straight wins and has run that streak to 14 with nine wins to open the 2011 season. The 14-game streak is the longest in school history, surpassing 11-game streaks that bridged the 2002-03 and 2004-05 seasons. JHU has outscored the opposition 597-154 during the winning streak. The 14-game winning streak is also tied for the longest in Centennial Conference history. Dickinson won 14 straight games from 1987-88.

More Streaking: JHU’s 14-game winning streak is the second-longest active Division III streak in the nation. Two-time defending national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater has currently won 39 straight games.

A Final Streak: In addition to boasting the second-longest active Division III winning streak in the nation, the Blue Jays also boast the third-longest active overall winning streak in college football (NCAA). Wisconsin-Whitewater’s 39-game run is the longest, while Stanford currently has a 17-game run. Johns Hopkins is one of two teams (Colorado State Pueblo - Division II) that has an active 14-game winning streak.

Ok, One More: Johns Hopkins’ current 12-game winning streak in Cenntennial Conference games is the longest in school history and is tied for the third-longest in league history.

Poll Position: For the second consecutive week, the Blue Jays check in at number two in the South Region of the official NCAA Regional Rankings. Mary Hardin-Baylor is ranked first, followed by Johns Hopkins, Trinity (TX), Wesley and McMurry. The NCAA South Region Poll can be found on page 5.

More Poll Position: Johns Hopkins is ranked 10th in this week’s AFCA Poll and has been ranked in the top 25 in each of the seven weeks since the poll debuted for the 2011 season. The Blue Jays opened at #23 on September 19 before moving up to 20th, 16th, 15th, 14th, 12th and then 11th last week.
Johns Hopkins is also ranked 12th in this week’s d3football.com poll. JHU was among the teams listed as receiving votes for the first four weeks of the d3football.com poll before moving into the top 25 on September 25.
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 Poll can be found on page 5.

A Final Poll Position: Johns Hopkins checks in at number three in this week’s Lambert Meadowlands Football Poll. The Blue Jays were ranked eight in the first Lambert Poll of the season and have steadily jumped to sixth, fifth, fourth and now third this week. The poll ranks teams in the East in all four Divisions of NCAA Football (FBS, FCS, Division II, Division III) and the team at the top of the poll at the end of the season is awarded the prestigious Lambert Cup. Johns Hopkins’ highest finish in the Lambert Poll came in 2009, when the Blue Jays finished second. The Lambert Cup Poll can be found on page 5.

Offense Rolling: The Blue Jays rank either first or second in the Centennial Conference in every major statistical category. Entering this week’s game vs. McDaniel, JHU ranks first in passing offense (301.0), scoring offense (44.2) and total offense (490.3). The Blue Jays also rank second in rushing offense (189.3).

More Offense: In addition to ranking first or second in the Centennial in every major statistical category, the Blue Jays also rank eighth in the nation in total offense (490.3), ninth in scoring offense (44.2) and 16th in passing offense (301.0).

Offense Rolls During Win Streak: Johns Hopkins has been consistent on both sides of the ball during the current 14-game winning streak. The Blue Jays have scored 24 or more points in all 14 games and have rolled up at least 365 yards in each of the wins as well. On the flip side, JHU has held 11 of those 14 opponents to less than 17 points and 285 yards of total offense.

By Air or Ground: Johns Hopkins has scored a school-record 56 touchdowns (previous record of 51 came last season) in nine games this season and those 56 are pretty well distributed. The Blue Jays have 28 rushing touchdowns, 24 passing touchdows, two via interception return and two on fumble returns.

Rigaud, Fazio Fuel Ground Attack: Junior Jonathan Rigaud and senior Nick Fazio are leading a ground game that is averaging 189.3 yards and more than three touchdowns per game.
Rigaud has rushed for a career-high 701 yards on 110 carries (6.4 yards/rush) and ranks fifth in the CC at 77.9 yards per game. He also counts 10 rushing TDs to his credit and recently became the 22nd player in school history to top 1,000 career rushing yards (1,376). Rigaud fueled JHU’s 37-9 win over Ursinus with a career-high 166 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 carries. He matched his career-long with a 69-yard touchdown run and added a 16-yard scoring run as well.
Rigaud became the first player in school history with two 60+ yard rushing touchdowns in a game as he scored on runs of 68 and 69 yards in the third quarter of the game vs. Susquehanna.
Fazio has rushed for 276 yards on 69 carries with six touchdowns. His two scoring runs against Dickinson give him 18 in his career, which ties him for ninth on JHU’s career rushing touchdowns list. He rushed for a career-high 66 yards earlier this season against Susquehanna and added 61 in the win against Franklin & Marshall.

Balanced Receiving Tough to Contain: There are currently five players in the Centennial Conference with 43 or more receptions on the year and three of those five wear the Columbia Blue and Black.
While 2010 Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Year Sam Wernick will draw most of the attention from defenses throughout the season, the Blue Jay receiving corps is deep and talented and trying to take away Wernick only leaves more space for others to operate.
Wernick leads the team and Centennial Conference with 63 receptions for 534 yards and seven scores and currently ranks third in school history in receptions (220), receiving yards (2,913) and career 100-yard receiving games (10). He also ranks second in JHU history in career TD receptions list (29) and third in school history in career all-purpose yards (4,043).
Sophomore Dan Wodicka counts 62 receptions on the year with his going for 1,003 yards and six scores. He ranks second in the league in receiving yards per game (111.4) and receptions per game (6.89). His 1,003 yards rank as the fourth-highest single-season total in school history.
Wodicka enjoyed one of the finest games of his career against Dickinson as he tied his career-high with 11 receptions for a personal-best 202 yards and a career-best 246 all-purpose yards. He did himself one better vs. Gettysburg as he tied the Johns Hopkins single-game record for receptions (15) and totaled 217 receiving yards and one touchdown. The 217 receiving yards rank fourth all-time at JHU and he is the first player in school history with consecutive 200-yard receiving games.
Rounding out JHU’s three primary receivers is junior Scott Cremens, who counts 43 receptions for 551 yards and a team-high nine TDs to his credit. He ranks sixth in the Centennial in receptions per game (4.78) and receiving yards per game (61.2). He had a career-high three TD receptions on six catches for 92 yards at Gettysburg. In all, 16 different players have at least one reception for the Blue Jays thus far and 10 of those 16 players have at least five receptions to their credit.

Tomlin Continues Assault on JHU, Centennial Record Books: Senior Hewitt Tomlin returned to action vs. Dickinson after missing two games and picked up right where he left off - assaulting the Johns Hopkins and Centennial Conference record books with his performance against the Red Devils. He took that effort up a notch in the 83-21 win at Gettysburg.
One week after throwing for 390 yards vs. Dickinson, Tomlin was 39-of-52 for 501 yards and seven touchdowns against the Bullets. His marks for completions, yards, TD passes and total offense (505) are all school records. His seven TD passes also tied the Centennial Conference reccord. He was selected as the Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season for his efforts.
Tomlin is 159-of-235 for 1,975 yards with 21 TDs against just three INTs on the year. He currently leads the Centennial in passing yards per game (282.1), total offense (282.3) and pass efficiency (166.19).
For his career, Tomlin is 785-of-1,276 (.614) for 9,773 yards and 71 TDs. All of those marks are school records, as are his 29 career 200-yard games, 11 career 300-yard games and 9,968 yards of total offense.

Matey Leads JHU Past Muhlenberg, Juniata: With senior Hewitt Tomlin held out against Muhlenberg and Juniata with an injury, the quarterbacking duties fell to sophomore Robbie Matey, who took full advantage of his opportunity.
Matey was 25-of-31 for 251 yards with one touchdown to lead JHU to a crucial 27-17 victory over Muhlenberg on September 24. He followed that with a 17-of-31 showing for 161 yards and two touchdowns at Juniata.
His efforts continued his strong play on the year as he is now 61-of-84 (.726) for 598 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

Piatek Tops Career Active Tackle Chart: Senior LB Ryan Piatek returned to his old form in the win vs. Ursinus as he posted a season-high eight tackles to fuel a defense that held the Bears to 132 yards and nine points. Piatek, who missed JHU’s games against Juniata and Dickinson with an injury, is JHU’s career active leader in tackles with 234 after posting seven last week vs. F&M. He was named the Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the win over Susquehanna as he had a career-high two interceptions, including one in the first quarter that he returned 34 yards for a touchdown to give JHU a 7-0 lead.

Eagleson Among Career Leaders: Senior CB Sam Eagleson’s fourth quarter interception vs. Muhlenberg moved him into sole possession of fourth place on JHU’s career interceptions list with 14. The Johns Hopkins career record for interceptions is held by Brian Hepting (20), while Matt Campbell (16) and Chad Van Den Berg (15) also sit ahead of Eagleson.

Maciow Tops Tackle Chart: Playing on a defense that is loaded with seniors, it is junior Taylor Maciow that sits at the top of the tackle charts for the Blue Jays. Maciow posted a career-high 14 tackles, including 1.5 TFls and one sack, in last week’s win vs. F&M. This came one week after he posted 10 tackles in the win against Ursinus. He currently has a team and career-high 68 tackles to his credit. He also ranks second in tackles for loss (5.5) and and is tied for the team-lead in sacks (4.5) and pass breakups (4).

Milano Honored: Senior safety Michael Milano was named the Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the win over Ursinus. Milano posted seven tackles, including a sack, and had two pass breakups to lead a defense that held the Bears to 132 yards and nine points. He came back with eight tackles vs. F&M and now ranks sixth on the team in tackles (31) and fourth in tackles for loss (4.0).

Sweeney, Schweyer Just Behind Maciow: Senior DE Kale Sweeney and junior OLB Adam Schweyer rank second and third, respectively, on the team in tackles. Sweeney ranks second with 51 tackles and leads the team with 8.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. Schweyer is just behind with 50 tackles and has two sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery to his credit.

Defense Fuels Victories: While the Johns Hopkins offense has grabbed attention with the points and yards it has put up, the Blue Jay defense is also enjoying a solid season as well. Consider:
• JHU currently leads the Centennial Conference in scoring defense (10.8), total defense (222.8), passing defense (130.9) and rushing defense (91.9).
• In addition to sitting at or near the top of the Centennial Conference in all categories, JHU also ranks seventh in the nation in passing yards allowed per game (130.9), eighth in pass efficiency defense (90.21 rating), fourth in total defense (222.8) and seventh in scoring defense (10.8).
• The Blue Jays’ first nine opponents have had 123 combined possessions against JHU - only 10 have resulted in touchdowns. Two of the 12 overall TDs JHU has allowed have been scored by the opposition’s defense/special teams.
• The Blue Jays forced two turnovers vs. USMMA and three vs. Susquehanna, Moravian and Muhlenberg before coming back with two more vs. Juniata and Dickinson and three vs. Gettysburg. Hopkins has forced two or more turnovers in 28 of its last 34 games.
• JHU has forced at least one turnover in 34 of its last 36 games.
• JHU has at least one interception in 28 of the last 35 games.
• JHU is allowing an average of 3.5 yards per play. Muhlenberg ranks second in the CC in yards allowed per play (4.4).
• Hopkins held Susquehanna to 179 yards of total offense and Moravian to just 194. This is the first time since late in the 2009 season that JHU has held consecutive opponents to less than 200 yards of total offense.

Tomlin Is JHU’s Winningest QB: Senior Hewitt Tomlin became JHU’s career leader in wins by a starting quarterback with the 44-10 win against Dickinson on October 8, 2010. Tomlin, who is now 32-8 in 40 career starts at Johns Hopkins, passed JHU Hall of Famer Mark Campbell for most career wins by a JHU starting QB. Campbell played from 1982-85 and was also an All-American pitcher for the Blue Jay baseball team.

Tomlin Now Second in Victories Among CC Quarterbacks: In addition to ranking as the winningest quarterback in Johns Hopkins history, Hewitt Tomlin also ranks among the leaders in Centennial Conference history. In fact, with the season-opening win at Merchant Marine, Tomlin moved past Muhlenberg’s Eric Santagato for sole possession of second place on the Centennial Conference’s all-time victories list among quarterbacks.

Offense Rolls in Victory at Gettysburg: The Johns Hopkins offense was nearly unstoppable in the 83-21 victory at Gettysburg on Oct. 22. The Blue Jays set school records for total offense (731), passing yards (545), plays from scrimmage (100), pass attempts (56), completions (43), touchdown passes (7) and first downs (39). The 39 first downs are one shy of the NCAA Division III single-game record.

Where The Points Rank: The 83 points Johns Hopkins scored at Gettysburg are the most ever by a Centennial Conference team (since league was formed in 1983) and the second most in school history. Only an 87-point showing against Loyola in 1924 sits ahead of the 83 points JHU hung on Gettysburg. The 83 points are the second-highest single-game total by a Division III team this season (North Central scored 86 in an 86-14 win over Olivet).

Defense Shines at GC as Well: While the eye-popping numbers Johns Hopkins posted at Gettysburg are sure to jump out at people, the Blue Jay defense was nearly as effective against one of the top offensive units in the nation. The 21 points Gettysburg scored were half of the Bullets’ season average entering the game (42.2), while GC’s 335 yards of total offense were nearly 200 less than the Bullets had been averaging (525.3). Of note, Gettysburg totaled just 77 rushing yards after averaging 253.8 through the first six games.
The Blue Jays also forced three turnovers at Gettysburg to run their season-opening streak of consecutive games forcing two or more turnovers to seven. That streak came to an end against Ursinus (0 forced).

JHU Rolls Up 1,363 Yards vs. Dickinson & Gettysburg: Johns Hopkins rolled up a then season-high 632 yards of total offense against Dickinson (10-14) only to follow that with a school-record 731-yard performance at Gettysburg. Those two totals rank among the top four single-game totals in school history.
In addition, the 443 yards passing by the Blue Jays against the Red Devils ranked third in JHU history for one week until it was bumped to fourth by a school-record 545-yard effort at Gettysburg.

A Program First: Johns Hopkins rushed for 269 yards and passed for 290 yards in the win against Susquehanna (9-10-11). This marked the first time in school history that JHU has rushed and passed for more than 250 yards in a game. JHU has gone over 200 yards passing and rushing 29 times, but the game against Susquehanna was the first time the Blue Jays went for 250-250 in a game.

Another First: One week after generating 290 yards rushing and 269 passing vs. Susquehanna, the Blue Jays got 269 yards passing and 202 rushing at Moravian. This marks the first time in school history JHU has ever had consecutive games with 200 or more rushing and passing yards.

Road Warriors: JHU is 22-6 on the road since the start of the 2007 season and 44-15 on the road since the start of the 2001 season.

Sustained Success: Since the start of the 2002 season the Blue Jays sport a 80-28 (.741) record. Taking it back farther the Blue Jays are 86-31 (.735) since the start of the 2001 season and 91-36 (.717) 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 71-19 (.789) when scoring more than seven points and 0-7 when they have been held to seven points or less.

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