Sept. 17, 2002

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The Game: Johns Hopkins (1-0) hosts Rochester (0-1) in the Blue Jays' home-opener. Johns Hopkins is 8-3-1 under head coach Jim Margraff in home-openers. Currently, the Blue Jays have won three straight home-openers.

The Teams: Johns Hopkins picked up its first-ever overtime victory last week with a come-from-behind, 21-14 win at Washington & Lee. Rochester fell behind 22-0 against St. John Fisher before falling, 38-20.

Milestone-Part I: The game against Rochester will be the 900th in the history of Johns Hopkins football.

Milestone-Part II: Johns Hopkins enters the game against Rochester needing just four wins to reach 400 all-time. The Blue Jays are 396-446-57 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 67-50-3 (.571). 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 .571 winning percentage is tied for second 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 67 wins. The 67 wins are one more than Hopkins accumulated in the previous 18 years combined (1972-89). During that time, Hopkins posted six winning seasons and won 66 games.

Season-Openers: With the win over W&L, Johns Hopkins has now won five of its last six season-openers.

Sweet September: With the win over W&L, Johns Hopkins is 18-7 (.720) in games played in the month of September since 1995.

Quick Starts: A win against Rochester would give JHU its fifth 2-0 start in the last six years.

It's Been a While: The game against Rochester is the first of three straight at home for JHU. This is the first time Hopkins has played three straight games at home in the same season since the final three games of the 1979 season.

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).

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. 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.

The Road Most Traveled: Johns Hopkins is 4-2 in its last six 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, six of JHU's last seven road games have been decided by eight points or less.

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.

Something Clicked: After being held scoreless on their first 12 possessions, the Blue Jays found their grove late in the game at W&L as they scored touchdowns on each of their last three possessions. In fact, their three TDs came in a span of just nine offensive plays.

Fernand Rallies Blue Jays: Senior quarterback Rob Fernand (Wayne, NJ/Depaul) rallied the Blue Jays to the win over W&L with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Brian Wolcott with 15 seconds remaining in regulation. He then scored the game-winning touchdown on a one-yard run on Hopkins' first possession of overtime.

More Fernand: Rob Fernand's 239 passing yards were the sixth-highest total by a Johns Hopkins quarterback in a season-opener and a career-high for Fernand. Overall, he was 19-of-34 for 239 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.

Another Fernand: Rob Fernand was 5-for-7 for 108 yards and one touchdown on JHU's last drive in regulation and the one possession in overtime.

A Final Fernand: Rob Fernand ranks first in the Centennial Conference in passing yards per game (239.0), first in total offense per game (231.0) and fourth in pass efficiency (107.0).

Pressure Cooked: Sophomore RB Adam Cook (New Freedom, PA/Susquehannock) enjoyed a solid all-around game against W&L as he rushed eight times for 70 yards and one touchdown and had five receptions for 33 yards.

Another Pressure Cooked: Adam Cook ranks sixth in the Centennial Conference in rushing yards per game (70.0) and his 8.8 yards per carry average is the highest among players in the top 10.

Johnson Jumps: Senior running back Kevin Johnson (Baltimore, MD/City) rushed for 65 yards on 14 carries in the season-opener and ranks ninth in the Centennial in yards per game. He also moved into 15th place on JHU's all-time rushing list as he now has 1,072 yards in his career.

Lehman Steps Up: Junior Jason Lehman (Manheim, PA/Manheim Central) enjoyed the most productive game of his career against W&L as he had a career-high six receptions for 73 yards. His 15-yard reception jump-started JHU's game-tying drive in the final minute of regulation.

Wolcott Honored: Sophomore Brian Wolcott (Harding, PA/Wyoming Area) was named to the Centennial Conference Honor Roll after grabbing a career-high four receptions for a personal-best 75 yards and one TD in the opener.

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.

Eno Excels: Freshman wide receiver Steve Eno (El Segundo, CA/El Segundo) caught three passes for 41 yards in the season-opener. His 25-yard reception midway through the fourth quarter set up JHU's first touchdown.

The Iron Five: The strength of the Johns Hopkins offense will likely be the offensive line, which returns four starters from last year and played the same five players virtually throughout the entire game against W&L. Senior center Kevin Kostibos (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park), senior guards Brian Williams (Katy, TX/Strake Jesuit) and Ben Kail (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair) and tackles Leif Glynn (Croton, NY/Croton-Harmon) and Zack Kail (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair) paved the way for a JHU offense that generated 384 yards of total offense.

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.

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.

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. In the season-opener, he had one kickoff return for 16 yards.

More Returns: Ben Stopper ranks 10th in school history in career kickoff returns with 442 yards. He needs just 22 yards to move past Jim McNaughton (1962-64) into ninth place.

Longo Honored: Junior linebacker Paul Longo (Kensington, MD/Bethesda-Chevy Chase) registered a team-high seven tackles and had the first interception of his career in the win over W&L. For his efforts, he was named to the Centennial honor roll.

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 posted three tackles, including two for losses, in the season-opener and now has 155 career tackles to his credit. His 155 career tackles are the most of any active player.

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. He picked up a pair of solo tackles in the win over W&L.

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 last season. He registered four tackles, including two for losses, in the season-opener.

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 posted five tackles against W&L, the most among JHU defensive linemen.

Campbell Displays Versatility: Sophomore safety Matt Campbell (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) is Hopkins' lone returning starter in the secondary and he led all JHU defensive backs with five tackles against W&L. Campbell has also taken over as JHU's primary punt returner and he had six for 35 yards against the Generals. His long return on the day was a 12-yarder.

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, was up to the task in the season-opener as he had six tackles, including five solos and one for loss.

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. 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.

Whitacre Shines in Debut: One of two freshmen to start on defense in the opener, linebacker Max Whitacre (Sugarloaf, PA/Bishop Hafey) posted five tackles, including four solos and one for a loss, and one pass breakup in his collegiate debut against W&L.

Working Overtime: Junior Chris Smolyn (Randolph, NJ/Lenape Valley) has handled the JHU punting chores since he arrived as a freshman and has add the place-kicking duties this season. In the season-opener against W&L, he punted five times and averaged 33.0 yards per punt. He had a long punt of 58 yards and one of his five punts was downed inside the General 20-yard line. In addition, he nailed all three of his extra-point attempts on the day.

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 47-8-2 (.842) 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 14 straight games when holding the opposition to 14 points or less.