Oct. 2, 2001
The Game: Johns Hopkins (3-1,1-0 Centennial Conference) looks to keep pace with Western Maryland in the race for the Centennial Conference Championship as the Blue Jays host Ursinus (2-2, 1-1).
The Teams: Johns Hopkins improved to 3-1, 1-0 in the Centennial with a hard-fought 14-7 victory at Gettysburg last Saturday. Ursinus was idle last week and dropped a 35-9 decision at Western Maryland two weeks ago.
Note of the Day: A win this week would give JHU its third 4-1 start in the last five years and its fourth in the last seven years. Prior to the 4-1 start in 1995, JHU hadn't started 4-1 since 1967.
Garnering Votes: For the third consecutive week, Johns Hopkins is receiving votes in the 2001 AFCA Division III Poll. The Blue Jays picked up six votes this week and are listed among schools receiving votes outside the top 25. Two weeks ago, JHU made its first appearance of the season in the poll, garnering 13 votes.
The Coaches: Johns Hopkins is coached by Jim Margraff (Johns Hopkins `82), who is now in his 12th season as the head coach at Homewood. With the season-opening win over Washington & Lee, Margraff became the all-time winningest coach in school history and he now sports an overall record of 63-48-3 (.566). He had been tied with Dr. Ray Van Orman (60-64-7) as the winningest football coaches in school history.
Margraff guided the Blue Jays to a school-record-tying seven wins in 1996, 1997, and 1998 to record the winningest three-year period in school history. Margraff's .562 winning percentage ranks third among JHU coaches who have coached 20 or more games.
In addition to ranking as the all-time winningest coach in school history, Margraff also ranks third on the all-time Centennial Conference (CC games only) victory list (44-32-2) and seventh on the all-time winning percentage list among Centennial coaches (CC games only) (.579).
All-Time Centennial Coaching Victories List
(CC Games Only)
1. Tom Gilburg (FM) 75-52-1/.590
2. Barry Streeter (G) 65-60-3/..520
3. Jim Margraff (JHU) 44-32-2/..577
4. Tim Keating (WM) 43-14-2/.746
5. Darwin Breaux (D) 39-17-1/.693
All-Time Centennial Winning Percentage
(CC Games Only)
1. Tom Lapinski (S) 11-3-0/.786
2. Tim Keating (WM) 43-14-2/.746
3. Ralph Kirchenheiter (M) 35-13-1/.724
4. Ed Sweeney (D) 38-16-2/.696
5. Darwin Breaux (D) 39-17-1/.693
6. Tom Gilburg (FM) 75-52-1/.590
7. Jim Margraff (JHU) 44-32-2/.577
Peter Gallagher is in his first season as the head coach at Ursinus. He previously spent time as an assistant at Georgetown, Wagner, Dartmouth, and Rochester and is a 1993 graduate of West Virginia Wesleyan College.
Series Information:
* Johns Hopkins leads the all-time series, 24-15-3.
* JHU has won six of the last 11 meetings, although UC has won the last two, including a 20-18 decision at Homewood Field in 1999.
* Since the Centennial Conference was formed in 1983, nine of the game between Johns Hopkins and Ursinus have been decided by eight points or less and four have been decided in the final moments.
* The road team has won two of the last three games in the series after the home team held serve every year from 1994-97.
Scouting the Bears: First-year coach Peter Gallagher has the Bears sitting at 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the Centennial Conference after a bye week. Ursinus played perennial power Washington & Jefferson tough before falling, 16-7 in the opener. After back-to-back wins over Waynesburg and Franklin & Marshall, UC fell from the ranks of the unbeaten in league play with a deceiving 35-9 loss at Western Maryland two weeks ago. The Terror led just 14-9 in the third quarter before three late touchdowns put the game away.
On offense, everything starts with versatile running back Shearrod Duncan, who leads the Centennial Conference and ranked 12th nationally in rushing last week with 148 yards per game. Through the first four games of the season, Duncan has accounted for 592 of the Bears' 614 rushing yards, while he has scored nine of their 14 touchdowns on the year.
While shutting down Duncan needs be the focus for any defensive coordinator, it's not as if the passing game is not dangerous. Junior QB Chris Rahill enters this week's game ranked third in the Centennial Conference in pass efficiency (113.3) as he has completed nearly 53% of his passes for 653 yards and six touchdowns against just four interceptions.
Rahill's favorite target is junior Chris Rahill, who is averaging a Centennial-high 6.0 receptions per game. His 24 catches have accounted for 216 yards and two touchdowns. Last season, Rahill has 31 receptions for 454 yards and two touchdowns as the Bears' possession receiver.
A tradition at Ursinus in recent years has been a strong defense and the Bears are ranked among the Centennial leaders again this season. Currently, UC ranks first in the league in rushing defense (79.2 yards per game) and fourth in overall defense (295.8).
Headlining the unit is returning First Team All-American Eric Cowie, who led the team and the Centennial Conference and finished third nationally with 11 interceptions last season. Cowie currently has 19 tackles and four pass breakups to his credit.
The play of the UC linebackers is what makes the unit so strong as the trio of starters ranks first, second, and third on the team in tackles. Junior Jon Craig has team-highs of 40 tackles, 10 tackles for losses, and four sacks, while senior Mark Hineman and sophomore Tom Reilly have 34 and 31 tackles, respectively.
Margraff's Resurrection: Putting head coach Jim Margraff's resurrection of the Johns Hopkins football program in perspective takes only a quick look at the Hopkins record book. Since taking over as the head coach prior to the 1990 season, Margraff has guided JHU to seven winning seasons and 63 wins. The 63 wins are three more than Hopkins accumulated in the previous 17 years combined (1973-89). During that time, Hopkins posted six winning seasons and won 60 games.
The Big Picture: Jim Margraff has been associated with Johns Hopkins football as a player (1978-81), assistant coach (1982), and head coach (1990-present). During his 16 plus years at Hopkins, the Blue Jays have won a total of 82 games. This represents over 20 percent of the all-time wins in program history (392).
Getting Defensive: How good was the Johns Hopkins defense against Gettysburg? Consider:
* The Blue Jays limited the Bullets to just 136 yards of total offense on 55 plays (2.5 yards per play). The 136 yards are the fewest Hopkins has allowed since September 19, 1997, when JHU limited Swarthmore to just 120 yards.
* 59 of Gettysburg's 136 yards came on a third-quarter scoring drive.
* Gettysburg's longest play of the game was a 13-yard run. The Bullets had just two other plays of 10 yards or more.
* The Bullets amassed just eight first downs.
With its impressive early-season showings, the Blue Jays have ascended to the top or near the top of most of the statistical categories in the Centennial Conference. Below is a list of where JHU ranks in the Centennial defensive stats:
Avg. CC
Game Rank
Rushing Defense 151.5 ypg. 4th
Passing Defense 103.2 ypg. 1st
Total Defense 254.8 ypg. 1st
Scoring Defense 16.5 ppg. 1st
Pass Eff. Defense 69.4 1st
Smith Earns Centennial Honors: Sophomore nose guard Paul Smith (Lafayette, NJ/Sparta) enjoyed the finest game of his career in the 14-7 win over Gettysburg. Smith posted a career-high 11 tackles, including nine solo stops. Of his 11 tackles, three were sacks and two others were for losses. For his efforts, he was named the Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week.
Through four games, Smith ranks third on the team in tackles with 17 and leads the team with eight tackles for losses and three sacks.
Baylin Sets School Record: With all of the focus on the receiving exploits of senior wide receiver Zach Baylin (Wilmington, DE/Tatnall), few noticed that he had quietly moved into second place on Johns Hopkins' career punt return yardage list entering the game at Gettysburg. Baylin didn't stay in second place very long as he returned six punts for 76 yards to move past Harrison Bernstein into first place on the list. Baylin now has 491 career punt returns yards, surpassing Bernstein's record of 479, which had stood since 1999.
In addition to his return yards, Baylin also had a game-high six receptions for 83 yards and one touchdown in the win to improve his career totals to 156 receptions for 1,661 yards and 15 touchdowns. His TD reception moved him into sole possession of fifth place on the all-time charts at JHU.
Below is a list of where Baylin ranks on the all-time receiving lists at Johns Hopkins and the Centennial Conference
Career JHU CC
Category Total Rank Rank
Career Receptions 156 3rd 5th
Career Receiving Yards 1,661 5th 17th
Career TD Receptions 15 5th T13th
Career PR Yards 491 1st ---
Career KOR Yards 755 5th ---
Noting Zach Baylin
* Baylin enters this weeks game needing just 67 all-purpose yards to reach 3,000 in his career. He currently has 2,933.
Heleniak Moves Up: Senior QB Rob Heleniak (Philadelphia, PA/Germantown Academy) was 17-of-31 for 208 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions against Gettysburg. In the process, he moved up on two of Hopkins' career passing lists. His two touchdown passes increase his career total to 26, moving him into sole possession of sixth place on the career list at JHU. In addition, he moved into sixth place on the career passing yards list at JHU with 3,030. He also ranks sixth in career attempts (445) and career completions (247).
Heleniak currently ranks first in the Centennial Conference in passing yards per game (185.0), third in total offense (177.5 yards/game), and fifth in pass efficiency (98.2 rating).
Cook Continues to Impress: Freshman running back Adam Cook (New Freedom PA/Susquehannock) was thrust into the starting lineup when Hopkins' top two running backs went down with injuries and he has done an admirable job in his first two career starts.
In the win over Gettysburg, Cook rushed 24 times for 89 yards, added five receptions for 47 yards, and returned one kickoff for 16 yards. The 152 all-purpose yards give him two straight games with over 150 as he accounted for 172 the week before against third-ranked Bridgewater as he rushed for 120, added 25 on three receptions, and 27 on three kickoff returns.
Cook's 255 yards rushing is tops on the team, which is 63.8 yards per game ranks fourth in the Centennial Conference. He also ranks second on the team and sixth in the Centennial in all-purpose yards (95.5/game).
Lehman Emerging: Johns Hopkins head coach Jim Margraff has been looking for a wide receiver to step up opposition senior Zach Baylin. He may have found the answer in sophomore Jason Lehman (Manheim, PA/Manheim Central), who enjoyed the most productive game of his career against Bridgewater.
Lehman had a career-high four receptions for a personal best 80 yards and added the first receiving touchdown of his career. His 23-yard TD reception early in the second quarter drew the Blue Jays within 14-10. He added two receptions for 23 yards in the win over Gettysburg and now ranks third on the team with eight receptions for 117 yards and one touchdown. His 14.6 yards per reception is the highest among all players with more than one catch.
Stopper Provides All-Around Play: Sophomore Ben Stopper (Reinholds, PA/Conrad Weiser) doesn't get a lot of the recognition that other players on the team get, but he remains one of the most versatile players on the squad. Against Gettysburg, he rushed three times for seven yards, had two receptions for 20 yards, and returned one kickoff 42 yards. His 26-yard reception on the next-to-last play of the second quarter set up what proved to the game-winning touchdown pass on the next play.
Stopper currently leads the team and ranks third in the Centennial Conference with his 22.9 yards per return on kickoff return, while he also ranks fourth on the team in all-purpose yards per game (59.0).
Offensive Line Excels in Anonymity: While the Blue Jays are averaging over 25 points and 370 yards of total offense per game, the play of the offensive line has gone largely unnoticed. Despite starting just one senior and playing the first four games without perhaps the best lineman on the team, the unit has come together quickly.
Junior Kevin Kostibos (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park), a Second Team All-Centennial selection last season, anchors the unit from his center position and is in his third season as a start. Senior Wayne Bugel (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) made the move to the offensive line this season and starts at one guards spot, while junior Brian Williams (Katy, TX/Strake Jesuit) is in his second season as a starter at the other guard spot. Junior Ben Kail (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair) started the game against Gettysburg in place of Williams, who missed the game with an illness.
At tackle, junior Leif Glynn (Croton, NJ/Croton-Harmon) is in his first season as a full-time player, while junior John Tiberi (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA/Chadwick) stepped in when sophomore Zach Kail went down with an injury in preseason camp and has done an admirable job at the other tackle spot.
Andrade Leads Centennial Kickers: Senior place kicker Matt Andrade (Wyoming, DE/Caesar Rodney) converted both of his extra point attempts in the win over Gettysburg and sits at the top of three of the four statistical categories for kickers in the Centennial Conference. On the year he is now 13-for-13 on extra points and 4-for-6 on field goal attempts. His 6.2 points per game leads the league among kickers and ranks fourth in overall scoring. Andrade is the only kicker in the Centennial who has converted all of his extra points, while his four field goals are also tops in the league.
Andrade is Hopkins' second all-time leading scorer among kickers as he now has 106 career points. In his career, he is 62-of-68 (.912) on extra points.
Della Pia Rolling: Senior linebacker Marc Della Pia (West Caldwell, NJ/James Caldwell) has led the Blue Jays in tackles in each of the last two years and is currently sitting atop the tackle charts again this season. In the win over Gettysburg, Della Pia posted nine tackles, including five solos and now has a team-high 27 tackles on the season.
Little Keeping Pace: Junior linebacker Mike Little (Red Bank, NJ/Middletown South) continues to keep pace with senior Marc Della Pia in the race to lead the team in tackles. Little, who finished second on the team in tackles last season with 65, currently ranks second on the squad with 25 stops and ranks second on the team with five tackles for losses. He had six tackles and one pass breakup against Gettysburg.
Home Sweet Home: Since the beginning of the 1996 season, Hopkins is 19-8 (.704) at home and won 10 straight at Homewood from 1996-97.
Quick Out of the Gate: The Blue Jays have gotten off to quick starts in recent years under head coach Jim Margraff. Since the beginning of the 1995 season, JHU is a sparkling 18-7 (.720) in the month of September.
Lucky Number Seven: Johns Hopkins has won a school-record seven games in a season eight times. Jim Margraff has been involved in a total of four of those eight seasons. As a senior quarterback in 1981, he led the Blue Jays to a 7-2 record, while he coached JHU to back-to-back-to-back 7-3 records from 1996-98.
More Seven: JHU is 3-1 after four games for the seventh straight season.
A Final Seven: JHU has held three of its first four opponents to seven points or less.
Cradle of Coaches: When Johns Hopkins defeated Washington & Lee (34-3) in the season-opener, Jim Margraff joined a rather large fraternity at JHU. With the win, Margraff became the eighth active Johns Hopkins coach to stand as the winningest coach in their sport's history. He joins Bob Babb (baseball), Nancy Blank (women's basketball), George Kennedy (women's swimming), Bill Nelson (men's basketball), Dick Oles (men's fencing), Matt Smith (men's soccer), and Leo Weil (women's soccer). Margraff, Babb, and Oles are all graduates of Johns Hopkins University.
Staff Additions: Margraff hired two new assistant football coaches during the off-season, as Frank Colaprete and Russell Wrenn both joined the staff. Colaprete will coach the defensive backs, while Wrenn will coach the outside linebackers.
In addition, fourth-year assistant coach Keith Emery takes over as the defensive coordinator in place of Dan Rattay, who left Hopkins after six years to become the defensive coordinator at Georgetown.
Captain, My Captain: The Blue Jays selected two captains for the 2001 season. Senior RB Scott Martorana (Long Valley, NJ/W. Morris Central) and senior LB Marc Della Pia (West Caldwell, NJ/James Caldwell) were selected as team captains at the conclusion of two-a-day practices. Both are in their second years as captains as they shared the honor with now-graduated Greg Gorla last season.
It's All Academic: Senior RB Scott Martorana (Long Valley, NJ/W. Morris Central) and senior WR Zach Baylin (Wilmington, DE/Tatnall) return after earning First Team Verizon District II Academic All-America honors last season.
Point Production: Johns Hopkins scored 257 points last season, marking the fourth straight season the Blue Jays have scored 200 or more points. This marks the first time in school history JHU has scored 200 or more points in four straight seasons.
In addition, the 257 points rank as the fourth-highest single-season total in school history. Below is a list of the top scoring seasons in school history.
Single-Season JHU Scoring Records
1. 306 points 1968
2. 288 points 1998
3. 268 points 1997
4. 257 points 2000
5. 248 points 1999
6. 246 points 1967
Star Quality: Johns Hopkins placed six players on the 2000 All-Centennial Conference football team, and all six return this season.
On offense, the Blue Jays boast returning First Team All-CC picks in senior RB Scott Martorana (Long Valley, NJ/W. Morris Central) and senior WR Zach Baylin (Wilmington, DE/Tatnall). In addition, Second Team All-CC center Kevin Kostibos (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park) is back to anchor the Blue Jay offensive line, while senior QB Rob Heleniak (Philadelphia, PA/Germantown Academy) returns after earning Honorable Mention All-Centennial honors last season.
Defensively, Second Team All-CC defensive end Erich Hellmold (Sayville, NY/Sayville) joins fellow second team honoree Craig Reinert (LB) (Manalapan, NJ/Manalapan).
Add in transfer Nick Loiacono (Tappan, NY/Tappan Zee), who earned Second Team All-CC status as a defensive end at Swarthmore last season, and senior LB Marc Della Pia (West Caldwell, NJ/James Caldwell), who earned Honorable Mention All-CC honors as a sophomore, and the Blue Jays boast eight players who have earned all-conference honors during their career.
It's Been a While: Johns Hopkins' 34-3 victory over Washington & Lee in the season-opener represented the largest margin of victory for Johns Hopkins in a season-opener since 1959, when the Blue Jays knocked off Franklin & Marshall, 42-0. To put that in perspective, 1959 was the year before Johns Hopkins head coach Jim Margraff was born.
Team Notes of Interest: Johns Hopkins is an impressive 39-4 (.907) under Margraff when scoring 24 or more points...currently, the Blue Jays have won 27 of their last 29 when scoring 24 or more...at the same time, Hopkins is 43-8-2 (.830) when holding the opposition to 14 points or less since Margraff arrived for the 1990 season...the last time JHU lost a game when it held the opposition to 14 points or less was on October 31, 1997, when the Blue Jays dropped a 13-7 triple-overtime decision against Dickinson... currently, the Blue Jays have won 12 straight games when holding the opposition to 14 points or less.
