Oct. 13, 2001

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- Sophomore Matt Bernardo rushed for a pair of touchdowns in the first 10 minutes of the game and Muhlenberg held off a fourth quarter rally by Johns Hopkins as the Mules picked up a 22-14 victory over the visiting Blue Jays Saturday afternoon at Scotty Wood Stadium. The win improve Muhlenberg's record to 4-2, 3-1 in the Centennial Conference, while Johns Hopkins had its two-game winning streak snapped and falls to 4-2, 2-1.

Muhlenberg led 14-7 midway through the third quarter and Johns Hopkins appeared to have the momentum before a pair of plays turned everything in favor of the Mules. Johns Hopkins quarterback Rob Heleniak was called for intentional grounding in the end zone, giving Muhlenberg a safety and a 16-7 lead with 7:51 remaining in the third quarter. Senior Josh Carter returned the ensuing free kick to the Hopkins one-yard line and junior quarterback Justin Jones punched it in two plays later to make it 22-7.

Hopkins cut the deficit to 22-14 on a 37-yard touchdown pass from Heleniak to sophomore fullback Kyle Miller with 4:44 remaining in the fourth quarter. After Muhlenberg's Chris Reed missed a 46-yard field goal attempt with 2:43 remaining that would have sealed the win, the Blue Jays had one more chance to force overtime. Taking over at their own 30-yard line, the Blue Jays moved to the Muhlenberg 46 with less than one minute to play, but Heleniak was intercepted at the Muhlenberg four-yard line by senior safety Kit Spicer and the Mules were able to run out the last 36 seconds to secure the win.

Muhlenberg appeared well on its way to an easy win in the early stages as Bernardo capped an 11-play, 73-yard drive with a one-yard scoring run on Muhlenberg's first possession of the game and added a five-yard scoring run with 5:05 to play in the first quarter to make it 14-0.

The Blue Jay defense stiffened however, and Muhlenberg, which amassed 127 yards of total offense in the first quarter, managed just 146 yards the rest of the game. Hopkins cut the deficit to 14-7 early in the second quarter when Heleniak hooked up with freshman Brian Wolcott on a 27-yard scoring pass with 10:19 remaining in the period. Hopkins had the ball inside the Muhlenberg 40-yard line on its next two possessions in the second quarter, but those drives ended with a missed field goal and a punt. That set the stage for the pivotal third quarter.

Hopkins was bolstered by the return of senior running back Scott Martorana, who rushed 12 times for a game-high 80 yards and added four receptions for 27 yards. Senior wide receiver Zach Baylin added a game-high seven receptions for 95 yards, while Heleniak was 21-of-43 for 277 yards and the two touchdowns. He was also intercepted twice. With his 277-yard effort, Heleniak tied a school record with his fourth consecutive game of 200 yards or more passing.

For the Mules, Jones was 9-of-19 for 116 yards and also rushed for 62 yards and the one touchdown. Bernardo, who entered the game averaging 124 yards per game on the ground, was limited to just 55 yards on 19 carries.

Johns Hopkins will next be in action on Saturday, October 27 when the Blue Jays will play at Dickinson. Next week's bye will mark the first time since October 13, 1979 that Johns Hopkins has had an open week during the season.

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