Oct. 9, 2002

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The Game: Johns Hopkins (4-0, 1-0 CC) hits the road for just the second time this season as the Blue Jays travel to Ursinus (1-3, 0-2 CC).

The Teams: Johns Hopkins improved to 4-0 with a 23-21 victory over Gettysburg at home last Friday night. Ursinus picked up its first win of the season with a thrilling, 27-24 win at Mt. Ida last Saturday.

It's Been a While-I: With the win over Gettysburg, Johns Hopkins is 4-0 for the first time since 1932.

It's Been a While-II: A win over Ursinus would give JHU a 5-0 record for the first time since 1931.

Streaking: Hopkins' 4-0 start this season has extended the Blue Jays' winning streak to six games dating back to last season. This is JHU's longest winning streak since a six-game winning streak in 1995.

Streaking-II: The Blue Jays' current six-game winning streak is one shy of the school record for consecutive wins. Hopkins won its first seven games in 1892 and later had seven-game winning streaks that bridged the 1948-49 and 1959-60 seasons.

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

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

Milestone: Johns Hopkins enters the game against Ursinus needing just one win to reach 400 all-time. The Blue Jays are 399-446-57 in their history.

For Openers: The win over Gettysburg was Hopkins' 12th straight Centennial Conference-opening victory. This is now the longest such streak in Centennial history. Previously, Dickinson won 11 straight Centennial openers from 1988-98.

The Votes Are In: Johns Hopkins picked up 23 points in this week's AFCA Division III Coaches Poll. The Blue Jays are one of three Centennial teams represented in the poll (McDaniel, Muhlenberg) and check in at number 34 overall.

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 70-50-3 (.581). 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.

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 (49-33-2) and sixth on the all-time winning percentage list among Centennial coaches (CC games only) (.595).

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 70 wins. The 70 wins are four 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 97.0 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.

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 5-2 in its last seven 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 seven 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 several impressive scoring drives in four games. Against Gettysburg, 2-of-3 scoring drives covered 60 or more yards (although one drive took just one play) and one of those was a stunning 17-play, 78-yard drive that opened the game. Five of the six drives that resulted in touchdowns against UR covered at least 57 yards. Against CMU, 3-of-4 touchdown drives covered 54 or more yards and two of those three took more than seven minutes off the clock. Against W&L, 2-of-3 covered 60 or more yards and the one that didn't was in overtime, when JHU got the ball at the W&L 25-yard line.

Rushing to the Front: Johns Hopkins ranks second in the Centennial Conference in rushing offense (230.0 yards per game). As a team, JHU is averaging 4.7 yards per attempt and has 11 rushing touchdowns. Hopkins also has four players who have already rushed for 160 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 runing back T.J. Lyons (Paramus, NJ/Paramus) wasted little time making a statement when given the opportunity to play last week 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.

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. For his efforts, he was named to the Centennial Conference Honor Roll.

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 Gettysburg. Johnson rushed 13 times for 65 yards in the win to improve his season totals to 62 rushes for 259 yards and three touchdowns. His 259 total rushing yards and 64-8 yards per game both lead the team, while his three rushing touchdowns rank second. His 18 points on the year are second on the team.

Johnson in the Record Books: Kevin Johnson ranks 14th on Johns Hopkins' career rushing list (1,266) and is tied for 12th in career rushing touchdowns (10).

Johnson Among the Leaders: Kevin Johnson ranks fifth in the Centennial Conference in rushing yards per game (64.8) and is tied for ninth in scoring (4.5 points per game).

Pressure Cooked: Sophomore RB Adam Cook (New Freedom, PA/Susquehannock) did not carry the ball against Gettysburg as he was recovering from an injury. He did play special teams. Cook enjoyed a solid outing in the win over Carnegie Mellon. He rushed 16 times for a game-high 75 yards and one touchdown and added a pair of receptions for 10 yards. Through four games, he ranks second on the team in rushing with 230 yards and has a team-high four rushing touchdowns as well. He has rushed for at least 70 yards and one touchdown in each game this season that he has carried the ball.

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.

Another Pressure Cooked: Adam Cook ranks seventh in the Centennial Conference in all-purpose yards per game (90.0), fourth in scoring (6.5 ppg.) and ninth in rushing yards per game (57.5).

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. He is now averaging 40.3 yards per game and 5.8 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 one. Below is a brief summary of where they stand after four 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 and fourth 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 played in the second quarter of the 23-21 win over Gettysburg and was 3-for-7 for 35 yards in two series of action.

Lehman Among CC Leaders: Junior Jason Lehman (Manheim, PA/Manheim Central) had two receptions for 26 yards in the win over Gettysburg and continues to lead the team in receiving. He currently has 13 receptions for 167 yards and one touchdown on the year and has had at least two receptions in every game this season. He is tied for fifth in the Centennial Conference in receptions per game (3.25) and ranks seventh in receiving yards per game (41.8).

Wolcott Displays Versatility: Sophomore Brian Wolcott (Harding, PA/Wyoming Area) 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. His seven-yard touchdown reception capped a 17-play, 78-yard touchdown drive to open the game for the Blue Jays. Through four games, Wolcott has 11 receptions for 149 yards and two touchdowns and has rushed four times for 47 yards.

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 four 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 four games.

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.

Through four 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 four games, Stopper has four kickoff returns for 81 yards (20.3 ypr.) and ranks fourth in the Centennial Conference with his 20.3 average.

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.

Longo Rolls On: Junior linebacker Paul Longo (Kensington, MD/Bethesda-Chevy Chase) posted six tackles, including three solos, in the win over Gettysburg. Longo is tied for fourth on the team in tackles with 21 and is tied for first with 15 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) posted a career-high 14 tackles, including nine solo stops, against Gettysburg. Through four games, he is tied for second on the team with 24 tacles and counts three tackles for losses among his 24 stops. For his efforts against Gettysburg, he was named to the Centennial Conference Honor Roll.

Closing in on 200: Mike Little's career-high 14 tackles against Gettysburg boosted his career total to 176 tackles. His 176 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 Pat Doyle (Wilkes-Barre, PA/Bishop Hoban), a Second Team All-Centennial selection last season, enjoyed a solid game against Carnegie Mellon. Doyle posted eight tackles, including three solos and three for losses in the win over the Tartans. He followed that with a six-tackle, one-sack performance against Gettysburg. Through four games, Doyle has 21 tackles, including six tackles for losses and the one sack. He is tied for fourth on the team in tackles with 21 and ranks second with his six tackles for losses. In his career, he now has 94 career tackles, including 19 for losses.

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

Meet You in the Backfield-II: Through four games, nine of Paul Smith's 24 tackles have been for losses. The nine TFL's are the most of any player on the team, while his 24 total tackles are second.

Meet You in the Backfield-III: Including last season, 23 of Paul Smith's last 64 tackles have been for losses.

Topping the Charts: Through four games, Matt Campbell leads the team in tackles with 30, including 15 solos and one for a loss. In addition, he has one interception, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and two pass breakups to his credit. He also ranks fifth in the Centennial Conference in punt returns as he is averaging 7.1 yards per return. Against Gettysburg, he posted eight tackles and returned one punt for 14 yards.

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 and blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown in the win over Gettysburg. He now ranks sixth on the team in tackles with 17 and has two tackles for losses and one sack to his credit.

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 now has 13 tackles and three pass breakups to his credit through four 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. Through four games, he has 11 tackles, three pass breakups and one interception to his credit.

Taking Advantage: Junior linebacker Peter Botsolas (Nutley, NJ/St. Peter's Prep) has taken advantage of the most extensive playing time of his career as he has seen extensive action this season. Through four games, Botsolas has 10 tackles, including two for losses and 0.5 sacks. He also recovered a fumble in the win over Carnegie Mellon.

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 33.1 yards per punt through four games and he had a season-long punt of 58 yards against W&L. In addition, four of his 17 punts have been downed inside the opposition's 20-yard line. As JHU's primary place-kicker, he has converted 12-of-15 extra points and hit his first career field goal from 21-yards out, in the win over Gettysburg.

Team Notes of Interest: Johns Hopkins is an impressive 42-4 (.913) under Margraff when scoring 24 or more points...currently, the Blue Jays have won 30 of their last 32 when scoring 24 or more...at the same time, Hopkins is 48-8-2 (.845) 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 15 straight games when holding the opposition to 14 points or less.