Sept. 12, 2002

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The Game: For the sixth consecutive season, Johns Hopkins opens the season against Washington & Lee. JHU has won four of the five meetings since the series resumed in 1997.

The Teams: Johns Hopkins posted a 6-3 record in 2001 and finished third in the Centennial Conference. W&L posted a 5-5 record last season and won four of its last six.

When We Lost Saw Them: Johns Hopkins will be playing its first game since pulling off a stunning 21-14 upset of ninth-ranked Western Maryland in the 2001 regular-season finale. The ninth-ranked Green Terror are the highest-ranked team Johns Hopkins has ever defeated in football.

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 66-50-3 (.567). He had been tied with Dr. Ray Van Orman (60-64-7) as the winningest football coaches in JHU 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 .567 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 (48-33-2) and seventh on the all-time winning percentage list among Centennial coaches (CC games only) (.590).

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 Hopkins.

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 66 wins. The 66 wins are exactly as many as Hopkins accumulated in the previous 18 years combined (1972-89). During that time, Hopkins posted six winning seasons and won 66 games.

Season-Openers: This will be the latest Johns Hopkins has opened a season since 1986. JHU has won four of its last five season-openers (all five games against W&L), but had dropped seven of nine prior the current run.

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.

JHU Defense Among Nation's Best Last Season: Under the watchful eye of first-year defensive coordinator Keith Emery, the Johns Hopkins defense ranked among the national leaders throughout the 2001 season. The Blue Jays concluded the 2001 season ranked first nationally in pass efficiency defense (64.2 rating), tied for 15th in total defense (247.7 yards per game), and 21st in scoring defense (14.0).

Pass Protection: Johns Hopkins led the nation in pass efficiency defense last season (64.2 rating).

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.

A Final Pass Protection: Dating back to the 2000 season-finale, the Blue Jays have not allowed a touchdown pass in their last 190 pass attempts defended.

The Road Most Traveled: Johns Hopkins was 3-2 on the road last season.

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, five of JHU's last six road games have been decided by eight points or less.

Lucky Number Seven: The Blue Jays held five opponents to seven points or less last season. The last time JHU held that many opponents to seven points or less was in 1996, when they also held five teams to seven points or less.

Hard to Believe: Johns Hopkins ran 702 offensive plays last season, including a school-record 91 against then third-ranked Bridgewater. By contrast, the opposition ran 151 fewer offensive plays against the Blue Jays (551). The 702 offensive plays were the most ever run by a Johns Hopkins team in a nine-game season. The overall school record for plays in a season is 731 in 1993.

It's the Little Things: The Blue Jays led the Centennial Conference in time of possession (34:11) and ranked second in third-down conversions (59-of-140/.421) last season.

Home Sweet Home: Since the beginning of the 1996 season, Hopkins is 21-8 (.724) at home and won 10 straight at Homewood from 1996-97.

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.

The Starting Line: The strength of the Johns Hopkins offense will likely be the offensive line, which returns four starters from last year (center Kevin Kostibos (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park), guard Brian Williams (Katy, TX/Strake Jesuit) and tackles John Tiberi (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA/Chadwick) and Leif Glynn (Croton, NY/Croton-Harmon)).

More Line: In addition to the four returning starters on the offensive line, the Blue Jays also return Zack Kail (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair) and Ben Kail (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair). Zack Kail started all 10 games as a freshman two years ago, while Ben Kail has been a spot starter and key reserve throughout his career.

There's Another-Part I: In addition to Zack and Ben Kail, 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.

One-Two Punch: JHU may feature the top returning running back tandem in the Centennial Conference in senior Kevin Johnson (Baltimore, MD/City) and sophomore Adam Cook (New Freedom, PA/Susquehannock). Johnson ranks among Hopkins' all-time leading rushers with 1,007 yards, while Cook burst on the scene last year and finished second on the team in rushing with 460 yards.

More One-Two Punch: Adam Cook's 460 yards rushing last season were the most by a JHU freshman since 1993.

A Final One-Two Punch: Kevin Johnson and Adam Cook both have two 100-yard rushing games to their credit. Both of Johnson's have come against Franklin & Marshall, while Cook had one against third-ranked Bridgewater and the other came against Franklin & Marshall.

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 who is expected to start in the season-opener.

Positive Returns: Junior Ben Stopper (Reinholds, PA/Conrad Weiser) returns after finishing fourth in the Centennial Conference in kickoff returns as he averaged 21.8 yards per return. Stopper also averaged 6.9 yards on seven punt returns as the "up" man in Hopkins' return scheme.

More Returns: Ben Stopper ranks 10th in school history in career kickoff returns with 426 yards.

Merrell or Fernand to Replace Heleniak: Heading into the season-opener, head coach Jim Margraff has not named a starting quarterback to replace now-graduated Rob Heleniak. Either junior George Merrell (Bloomsburg, PA/Central Columbia) or senior Rob Fernand (Wayne, NJ/Depaul) is expected to get the start. Sophomore Joe Tarsia (Eastchester, NY/Eastchester) may also see playing time.

More Replacing: George Merrell, who may start the season-opener at quarterback, has played in seven games with two starts in his career. He has completed 34-of-70 attempts for 387 yards. He has thrown three touchdown passes and six interceptions. In addition, he has rushed for 105 yards and two touchdowns.

Another Replace: Rob Fernand, who has served as Hopkins' punter during his career and may start the season-opener at quarterback, has seen limited action at quarterback during his career. As a sophomore, he started against Dickinson, only to get injured after scoring a touchdown early in the game. He has rushed for 70 yards and one touchdown and completed 1-of-5 passing attempts.

Big Shoes To Fill: Junior Jason Lehman (Manheim, PA/Manheim Central) may have the biggest shoes to fill on this year's team as he is Hopkins' leading returning receiver and will be looked upon to replace Zach Baylin, who finished his career as JHU's second all-time leading receiver. Last season, Lehman had 13 receptions for 190 yards and one touchdown.

More Shoes: Sophomore Brian Wolcott (Harding, PA/Wyoming Area) will team with Lehman to give JHU a talented one-two punch at wide receiver. Last season, as a freshman, Wolcott had 10 receptions for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

Leading the Pack: Senior Mike Little (Red Bank, NJ/Middletown South) returns for his final season after tying for the team-lead in tackles last season with 59. He had finished second on the team in tackles as a sophomore with a career-high 65.

Anchoring the Middle: Senior Pat Doyle (Wilkes-Barre, PA/Bishop Hoban) returns to anchor the middle of the defensive line from his tackle position after garnering Second Team All-Centennial honors as a junior. A year ago, Doyle finished sixth on the team with 32 tackles, including eight for losses and a pair of sacks.

Another Anchor: Junior Paul Smith (Lafayette, NJ/Sparta), Hopkins' starting nose guard during his first two years, returns after finishing fourth on the team, and first among defensive linemen, in tackles with 40. Among his 40 stops were team-highs of 14 tackles for losses and 5.5 sacks.

And Loiacono Makes Three: Senior defensive end Nick Loiacono (Tappan, NY/Tappan Zee) returns for his final season after finishing eighth on the team with 29 tackles last season. Included were five tackles for losses and two sacks. Loiacono is the only returning defensive end among three players (Erich Hellmold and Adam Seidman are the others) who shared the two defensive end positions last season.

Longo Excels On Field, In Classroom: Junior Paul Longo (Kensington, MD/Bethesda-Chevy Chase) will start at outside linebacker for the second straight season. Last season, he posted 30 tackles, including three for losses. Longo also boasts a 3.70 cumulative grade point average as a political science major and was named to the 2001 Centennial Academic Honor Roll.

Who Are You Guys: Sophomore safety Matt Campbell (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) is Hopkins' lone returning starter in the secondary. Last season as a freshman, he finished third on the team with 48 tackles and tied for the team-lead with three interceptions.

Working Overtime: Junior Chris Smolyn (Randolph, NJ/Lenape Valley) has handled the JHU punting chores since he arrived as a freshman and will add the place-kicking duties this season. Last year, he averaged 30.8 yards per punt on 44 punts. Nine of his punts were downed inside the 20 yard line and his longest punt of the season covered 49 yards. In two seasons, he has dropped 19 punts inside the opposition's 20-yard line.

Team Notes of Interest: Johns Hopkins is an impressive 40-4 (.909) under Margraff when scoring 24 or more points...currently, the Blue Jays have won 28 of their last 30 when scoring 24 or more...at the same time, Hopkins is 46-8-2 (.839) 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 13 straight games when holding the opposition to 14 points or less.