Oct. 16, 2002

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

The Game: Johns Hopkins (5-0, 2-0 CC) puts its seven-game winning streak on the line as the Blue Jays host Muhlenberg (4-1, 2-1) in a key Centennial game.

The Teams: Johns Hopkins improved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Centennial Conference with a 27-9 victory at Ursinus last Saturday. Muhlenberg was idle last week. The Mules dropped their last game, 35-14 at McDaniel two weeks ago.

The Votes Are In: Johns Hopkins picked up 63 points in this week's AFCA Division III Coaches Poll. The Blue Jays are tied with Springfield for 26th in the poll. The top 25 teams are listed and Johns Hopkins and Springfield are the first teams listed among those receiving votes.

About the Ranking: This week's number 26 national ranking is the highest in Johns Hopkins football history. The complete poll can be found on page 5.

It's Been a While-I: With the win over Gettysburg, Johns Hopkins is 5-0 for the first time since 1931.

It's Been a While-II: A win over Muhlenberg would give JHU its first 6-0 start since 1931.

Streaking: Hopkins' 5-0 start this season has extended the Blue Jays' winning streak to seven games dating back to last season. This ties the JHU record for most consecutive victories. Hopkins first won seven in a row in 1892. JHU also had seven-game winning streaks that bridged the 1948-49 seasons and the 1959-60 seasons.

More Streaking: JHU's seven-game winning streak is the longest active winning streak by any team in the Centennial Conference.

A Final Streak: JHU's seven-game winning streak is the longest active winning streak by any college football team (NCAA sponsored) in the state of Maryland.

Milestone: Johns Hopkins picked up its 400th all-time victory with the win over Ursinus. The Blue Jays are 400-446-57 (.475) in their history.

The Coach: Johns Hopkins is coached by Jim Margraff (JHU `82), who is now in his 13th season as the head coach at Homewood. With the season-opening win over Washington & Lee in 2001, Margraff became the all-time winningest coach in school history and he now sports an overall record of 71-50-3 (.585). The previous record for wins by a Johns Hopkins football coach was 60 by Ray Van Orman (1920-35).

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 .581 winning percentage is second among JHU coaches who have coached 30 or more games.

With the win over Ursinus, Margraff also became just the third coach in the history of the Centennial Conference to amass 50 league victories. He ranks third all-time in CC wins (50-33-2) and sixth in all-time CC winning percentage (.600).

Cradle of Coaches: Jim Margraff is one of eight active Johns Hopkins head coaches who rank as the all-time winningest coach in school history in their respective sport.

In addition to Margraff, Bob Babb (baseball), Nancy Funk (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) all rank as the winningest coach in their sport's history at JHU.

Margraff's Resurrection: Since taking over as the head coach prior to the 1990 season, Jim Margraff has guided JHU to eight winning seasons and 71 wins. The 71 wins are five more than Hopkins accumulated in the previous 18 years combined (1972-89). During that time, Hopkins posted six winning seasons and won 66 games.

And They Shall Lead Us: The Blue Jays selected three players to serve as team captains for the 2002 season. Senior DL Pat Doyle (Wilkes Barre, PA/Bishop Hoban), senior OL Kevin Kostibos (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park) and senior LB Mike Little (Red Bank, NJ/Middletown South).

Star Quality: Hopkins returns three players who earned All-Centennial honors last season. Senior center Kevin Kostibos (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park) garnered First Team All-CC status, while senior DL Pat Doyle (Wilkes-Barre, PA/Bishop Hoban) earned Second Team All-CC honors. In addition, senior OL Leif Glynn (Croton, NY/Croton-Harmon) was named an Honorable Mention All-CC performer.

It's All Academic: Senior OL Brian Williams (Katy, TX/Strake Jesuit) and junior DL Paul Smith (Lafayette, NJ/Sparta) were both named to the 2001 Verizon District II Academic All-America Team.

More Pass Protection: Johns Hopkins became the first NCAA Division III team since 1980 to not allow a touchdown pass in an entire season when the Blue Jays turned the trick last season.

Streak Snapper: Washington & Lee's Peter Dean threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Taylor Callaham with 9:43 remaining in the third quarter in the season-opener vs. JHU. The TD pass was the first allowed by Johns Hopkins since the final game of the 2000 season. JHU had gone 207 consecutive pass attempts without allowing a touchdown pass.

Role Reversal: One year after leading the nation in pass efficiency defense, Johns Hopkins has become one of the more difficult teams to run against. Currently, JHU is allowing just 88.2 yards per game on the ground, tops in the Centennial Conference. The Blue Jays allowed just 24 yards rushing on 26 attempts against Rochester and 73 yards on 38 attempts against Carnegie Mellon. Last week against Ursinus the Blue Jays held Gary Sheffield to just 59 yards rushing and the Bears to a net total of just 53 yards. Sheffield entered the game averaging 131.0 yards per game on the ground.

Home Sweet Home: Since the beginning of the 1996 season, Hopkins is 24-8 (.750) at home and won 10 straight at Homewood from 1996-97. Currently, JHU has won five straight and six of its last seven at home.

The Road Most Traveled: Johns Hopkins is 6-2 in its last eight road games.

Don't Leave Early: Four of Johns Hopkins' five road games last season were decided by eight points or less with the Blue Jays winning two and losing two. Dating back to the 2000 season and including the overtime win at W&L earlier this season, six of JHU's last eight road games have been decided by eight points or less.

Point Production: Johns Hopkins scored 206 points last season, marking the fifth 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 five straight seasons.

Taking the Long Road: JHU has put together numerous impressive scoring drives in four games. Below is a breakdown of the long scoring drives the Blue Jays have had this year.

Opponent Distance Time Consuming

Washington & Lee 2-of-3 touchdown drives 60 yards or longer

Rochester 5-of-6 touchdown drives 57 yards or longer 4 scoring drives longer than 4:30

Carnegie Mellon 3-of-4 touchdown drives 54 yards or longer 2 scoring drives longer than 4:30

Gettysburg 2-of-3 scoring drives 60 yards or longer 1 scoring drive over 7:00

Ursinus 4-of-5 scoring drives 71 yards or longer 4 scoring drives over 4:00

Totals 16-of-19 scoring drives 54 yards or longer 11 scoring drives over 4:00

Not Surprisingly: For drives such as those listed above to take place, a team must excel on third down. Through five games, JHU is second in the Centennial Conference in third-down conversions as the Blue Jays are 34-of-76 (.447) on the year.

More Surprising: On the third-down attempts the Blue Jays have failed on, they have gone for it on fourth down 12 times, converting seven (.583). No other team in the Centennial has converted more than four fourth-down opportunities.

Rushing to the Front: Johns Hopkins ranks second in the Centennial Conference in rushing offense (218.4 yards per game). As a team, JHU is averaging 4.4 yards per attempt and has 12 rushing touchdowns. Hopkins also has four players who have already rushed for 190 or more yards on the year. Last season, JHU had 14 rushing touchdowns, had just three players rush for more than 160 yards and averaged 4.1 yards per attempt.

Into the Lyons Den: Freshman running back T.J. Lyons (Paramus, NJ/Paramus) wasted little time making a statement when given the opportunity to play against Gettysburg. Lyons rushed for 174 yards and one touchdown on just 18 carries to lead the way in the win. His 60-yard touchdown run with just under three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter sealed the win. He added a team-high 59 yards on just 12 carries against Ursinus and now has 240 yards and one touchdown on 31 attempts. His 7.7 yards per carry is by far the best average on the team.

More Lyons: T.J. Lyons' 174 yards against Gettysburg rank as the sixth-highest total ever by a Johns Hopkins freshman. The total also ranks as the 17th-highest single-game total in school history and he is one of just 12 players in school history to rush for 170 or more yards in a game.

A Final Lyons: T.J. Lyons' 60-yard touchdown run against Gettysburg was the longest run by a Johns Hopkins player since Adam Gentile had a 67-yard touchdown run against Kings Point on September 26, 1998.

Johnson Rolls On: Senior running back Kevin Johnson (Baltimore, MD/City) continues to enjoy a solid season as he enjoyed another productive outing against Ursinus. Johnson rushed 18 times for 52 yards and one touchdown in the win to improve his season totals to 80 rushes for 311 yards and four touchdowns. His 311 total rushing yards and 62.2 yards per game both lead the team, while his four rushing touchdowns are tied for the team lead. His 24 points on the year are tied for second on the team.

Johnson in the Record Books: Kevin Johnson moved into sole possession of 12th place on JHU's career rushing touchdowns list with his 11th. He needs just two rushing yards to move into 13th-place on Hopkins' career rushing list. He now has 1,318 career rushing yards.

Johnson Among the Leaders: Kevin Johnson ranks sixth in the Centennial Conference in rushing yards per game (62.2) and is tied for eighth in scoring (4.8 points per game).

Pressure Cooked: Sophomore RB Adam Cook (New Freedom, PA/Susquehannock) has seen limited time in the last two games while recovering from an injury, but still ranks among the team leaders in several categories. He leads the team in scoring with 26 points on four touchdowns and a two-point conversion. He also leads the team in all-purpose yards per game (74.2), ranks second in overall rushing yards (242) and rushing yards per game (48.4) and is third in receptions (11 for 70 yards).

More Pressure Cooked: Adam Cook's 176 all-purpose yards against Rochester were a career-high. His previous career-high was 172 yards against third-ranked Bridgewater last season.

Readal Breaks Out: With much of the focus on Adam Cook and Kevin Johnson, sophomore fullback Nate Readal (Allison Park, PA/Hampton) enjoyed the finest game of his career against Rochester. He rushed 13 times for a career-high 85 yards against the Yellowjackets. He added 38 yards on just six carries against CMU and 31 yards on six carries against Gettysburg. Last week he rushed nine times for 37 yards and had one reception for 37 yards as well. He is now averaging 39.6 yards per game and 5.4 yards per carry.

Trio Handles QB Role: Senior Rob Fernand (Wayne, NJ/Depaul), junior George Merrell (Bloomsburg, PA/Central Columbia) and freshman Zach DiIonno (West Caldwell, NJ/James Caldwell) have all seen time at quarterback this season with Fernand getting three starts and Merrell and DiIonno one each. Below is a brief summary of where they stand after five games:

* Fernand is 37-of-70 for 401 yards and three touchdowns with seven interceptions. He also has a pair of rushing touchdowns on the year and JHU is 3-0 in the games he has started. He threw for a career-high 239 yards and one touchdown and rushed for the game-winning touchdown in overtime in the 21-14 season-opening win over Washington & Lee.

* Merrell has played in two games with one start. He missed the second, fourth and fifth games with injuries. He is 9-of-19 for 79 yards with one touchdown and one interception and has rushed for 34 yards and one touchdown as well. He started in the 28-7 win over Carnegie Mellon.

* DiIonno earned his first start against Ursinus and earned Co-Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts. In the win, he was 14-of-27 for 180 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed six times for 24 yards. He orchestrated four scoring drives that covered 70 yards or more in the game as well. On the year, he is 17-of-34 for 215 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.

Lehman Among CC Leaders: Junior Jason Lehman (Manheim, PA/Manheim Central) enjoyed a solid outing in the win over Ursinus and continues to pace the Blue Jays in receptions. He had five receptions for 59 yards and one touchdown against the Bears to run his season totals to 18 receptions for 226 yards and two touchdowns. He ranks fifth in the Centennial Conference in receptions per game (3.6) and seventh in receiving yards per game (45.2).

Wolcott Excels: Sophomore Brian Wolcott (Harding, PA/Wyoming Area) continues to enjoy a strong season at wide receiver. He had three receptions for 54 yards in the win over Ursinus to run his season totals to 14 receptions for 203 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He had a team-high three receptions for 25 yards and one touchdown in the win over Gettysburg and added two rushes for 14 yards as well. He ranks ninth in the Centennial Conference in both receptions per game (2.8) and receiving yards per game (40.6).

More Wolcott: Brian Wolcott's 34-yard touchdown reception with 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter forced overtime against W&L. He then caught a 24-yard pass down to the W&L one-yard-line on JHU's first play of overtime to set up the game-winning touchdown.

Scouting the Offensive Line: The Johns Hopkins offensive line has lived up to its advance billing through five games as JHU ranks among the Centennial leaders in every offensive category (see JHU in the Centennial stats in box to left).

Senior center Kevin Kostibos (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park), senior guards Brian Williams (Katy, TX/Strake Jesuit) and John Tiberi (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA/Chadwick) and tackles Leif Glynn (Croton, NY/Croton-Harmon) and Zack Kail (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair) have seen a majority of the action in the first five games.

Kostibos and Glynn both garnered All-Centennial honors last season as Kostibos earned First Team recognition, while Glynn earned Honorable Mention kudos.

There's Another-Part I: In addition to Zack and Ben Kail (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair), who started the first two games at guard before being lost to a season-ending knee injury, younger brother Jake Kail (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair) is also a member of the Johns Hopkins football team. A sophomore, Jake Kail is a backup tight end and Hopkins' long-snapper.

There's Another-Part II: Adam Cook's younger brother, Brian Cook (New Freedom, PA/Susquehannock), is a freshman defensive end for the Blue Jays. Brian Cook posted two tackles, including one for a 14-yard loss, and returned a pair of kickoffs for 12 yards in the season-opener against W&L. He set the tone early in JHU's win over Rochester as his sack and fumble recovery on the first play of the game led to JHU's first touchdown two plays later. He added two tackles and a forced fumble in the win over Carnegie Mellon. Cook, who played fullback, tailback and quarterback at different times in high school, also returned one kickoff for 26 yards against Gettysburg. Cook missed the game against Ursinus with an injury, but is due to return to the starting lineup against Muhlenberg.

Through five games, Brian Cook has eight tackles, including three for losses and the one sack, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

Positive Returns: Junior Ben Stopper (Reinholds, PA/Conrad Weiser) finished fourth in the Centennial Conference in kickoff returns as he averaged 21.8 yards per return last season. Stopper also averaged 6.9 yards on seven punt returns as the "up" man in Hopkins' return scheme. Through five games, Stopper has four kickoff returns for 81 yards (20.3 ypr.) and would rank among the top five in the Centennial with his average, except that he does not have enough returns to qualify (need to average 1.2 returns per game). Stopper also returned one punt for 16 yards against Ursinus.

More Returns: Ben Stopper moved into ninth-place on Hopkins' career kickoff return yardage list with his two returns for 43 yards against Rochester. He now has 507 kickoff return yards in his career and needs 15 more return yards to move into eighth place.

Eno in the End Zone: Freshman wide receiver Steve Eno (El Segundo, CA/El Sugundo) had just one catch for 14 yards against Ursinus, but it capped a 13-play, 71-yard drive with a touchdown. Eno has played in all five games this season and has five receptions for 94 yards and the one touchdown. His average of 18.8 yards per reception is the highest on the team.

Longo Rolls On: Junior linebacker Paul Longo (Kensington, MD/Bethesda-Chevy Chase) posted six tackles, including one for a loss, in the win over Ursinus. Longo is third on the team in tackles with 27 and is tied for second with 16 solo stops to his credit. He also leads the team with five pass breakups.

Leading the Pack: Senior Mike Little (Red Bank, NJ/Middletown South) earned a nod to the Centennial Conference Honor Roll for the second consecutive week as he posted seven tackles, including one for a loss, and recovered a fumble in the win over Ursinus. Through five games, he ranks second on the team with 31 tackles and counts four tackles for losses among his 31 stops. He had a career-high 14 tackles against Gettysburg earlier this season.

Closing in on 200: Mike Little's seven tackles against Ursinus boosted his career total to 183 tackles. His 183 tackles are the most of any player on the team. He tied for the team-lead with 59 tackles last season.

Anchoring the Middle: Senior defensive tackle Pat Doyle (Wilkes-Barre, PA/Bishop Hoban), a Second Team All-Centennial selection last season, enjoyed a solid game against Ursinus and continues to rank among Hopkins' tackle leaders. Doyle posted four tackles, including one sack, against the Bears and he has now averaged 6.0 tackles in his last three games. He is tied for fourth on the team in tackles with 25 and ranks second with his seven tackles for losses. He is also tied for first with two sacks to his credit. In his career, he now has 98 tackles, including 20 for losses.

Meet You in the Backfield-I: Junior Paul Smith (Lafayette, NJ/Sparta), posted nine tackles, including two for losses, against Gettysburg and had one tackle (a sack) against Ursinus.

Meet You in the Backfield-II: Through five games, 10 of Paul Smith's 25 tackles have been for losses. The 10 TFL's are the most of any player on the team, while his 25 total tackles tie him for fourth on the team.

Meet You in the Backfield-III: Including last season, 24 of Paul Smith's last 65 tackles have been for losses.

Topping the Charts: Through five games, Matt Campbell leads the team in tackles with 34, including 17 solos and one for a loss. In addition, he has two interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and four pass breakups to his credit. He also ranks fifth in the Centennial Conference in punt returns as he is averaging 6.6 yards per return. Against Ursinus, he had four tackles, two pass break ups and one interception.

Slemenda Fills Big Shoes: Junior Colin Slemenda (Beaver, PA/Beaver) took over as a starter at middle linebacker for now-graduated Marc Della Pia, who had held the job for three years. Slemenda, who had seen extensive playing time in his first two years, posted six tackles, including two for losses, against Ursinus. He now ranks sixth on the team in tackles with 23 and has four tackles for losses and one sack to his credit. He also blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown against Gettysburg.

The "Old Man" Comes Up Big: Senior Mark Robinson (Wayne, NJ/Wayne Hills) is the only senior listed on the Johns Hopkins depth chart in the secondary and moved into the starting lineup at cornerback against Gettysburg. He registered two tackles in the win over the Bullets and added five in the win over Ursinus. He now has 18 tackles (tied for seventh on the team) and three pass breakups (tied for third on the team) to his credit through five games.

Robinson's experience paid off in the win over W&L as he had four tackles, including three solos, and a team-high three pass breakups. His PBU in the end zone on the last play of the game in overtime preserved the win for the Blue Jays. Robinson had six tackles, including one for a loss, against CMU.

Career High: Junior Rich Lamour (Spring Valley, NY/Don Bosco), who starts at cornerback, surpassed his previous season total for tackles in the win over Gettysburg as he had six stops to his credit. He also added a pair of pass breakups, including one on a fourth-and-seven play late in the fourth quarter with JHU clinging to a 17-14 lead. After the change of possession, JHU scored on the next play to take a 23-14 lead with less than three minutes remaining. He came back and added a career-high seven tackles in the win over Ursinus. Through five games, he has 18 tackles, three pass breakups and one interception to his credit.

Sudden Impact: Senior linebacker Jim Donohue (Hammonton, NJ/Hammonton) enjoyed the most productive game of his career in the win over Ursinus. With several players missing the game due to injury, Donohue earned the first start of his career and made it a memorable one. He posted a career-high five tackles and added an interception that he returned 15 yards. Donohue has played in four games this season.

Taylor-Made: Junior Matt Taylor (Greenwich, CT/Greenwich) saw significant action in the win over Ursinus and registered a career-high five tackles, including three solos.

Inside or Out: Sophomore Mark Oppedisano (Garden City, NY/Garden City), normally JHU's backup at defensive tackle, got the start against Ursinus at defensive end and had a solid game despite the last-minute position change due to injuries to other players. Oppedisano had three tackles in the win, including one solo stop and another tackle for a loss. On the year, he has played in all five games and has nine tackles, including two for losses, to his credit.

Working Overtime: Junior Chris Smolyn (Randolph, NJ/Lenape Valley) has handled the JHU punting chores since he arrived as a freshman and has added the place-kicking duties this season. He has averaged 32.8 yards per punt through five games and he had a season-long punt of 58 yards against W&L. In addition, four of his 19 punts have been downed inside the opposition's 20-yard line.

As JHU's primary place-kicker, he has converted 15-of-18 extra points and hit his first career field goal from 21-yards out in the win over Gettysburg. He added two field goals, from 31 and 39 yards, and hit all three of his extra points in the win over Ursinus.

Team Notes of Interest: Johns Hopkins is an impressive 43-4 (.915) under Margraff when scoring 24 or more points...currently, the Blue Jays have won 31 of their last 33 when scoring 24 or more...at the same time, Hopkins is 49-8-2 (.847) 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 16 straight games when holding the opposition to 14 points or less.