Nov. 20, 2003
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The Game: Johns Hopkins (9-1) hosts King's College (7-3) in the ECAC South Atlantic Championship Game. This will be the first home playoff game in the history of the Johns Hopkins football program.
The Teams: Johns Hopkins finished the regular season with a 17-3 win at McDaniel last Saturday that clinched a share of the Centennial Conference title with Muhlenberg. King's closed the 2003 regular season with a 37-0 loss at Wilkes. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for the Monarchs.
JHU's Playoff History: Johns Hopkins has been to the post-season just once prior to this season. Last season, the Blue Jays knocked off Frostburg State, 24-21 in the ECAC Southwest Championship Game.
Centennial Champions: Johns Hopkins grabbed a share of the Centennial Conference title for the second consecutive season. Prior to last season the Blue Jays hadn't won a title of any kind in football since 1969.
It's a Record: The nine wins for the Blue Jays last season and this season are a school record. The previous school record of seven victories had been set eight times previously (1998, 1997, 1996, 1981, 1968, 1959, 1948, 1891). Jim Margraff coached the Blue Jays to three of the seven-win seasons before breaking the record in 2002.
Putting it in Perspective: Johns Hopkins has won a total of 18 games in the last two seasons. Prior to this run, Johns Hopkins had won 18 or more games in three consecutive seasons just four times in its history.
Stating the Obvious: A win over King's would give Johns Hopkins its first 10-win season in school history.
Streaking: Johns Hopkins is 18-3 since the beginning of the 2002 season, 20-3 in its last 23 games dating back to the end of the 2001 season and 24-6 since the beginning of the 2001 season. These are all, by far, the best records over that number of games in school history.
November Reign: Johns Hopkins is 8-0 in the month of November in the last three years and 9-1 in the month of November in the last four years. The last team to beat JHU in November was Western Maryland in the 2000 season finale.
In the Rankings: Johns Hopkins is ranked 17th in this week's AFCA Division III Coaches Poll. The Blue Jays have been ranked in the top 25 in eight of the 10 polls this season and were 27th in the other two.
Prior to this season, the highest Johns Hopkins had ever been ranked was 26th on October 15, 2002. JHU was ranked 32nd in the final 2002 poll This week's complete poll can be found on page 5 and JHU's week-by-week ranking is listed below:
Poll Date JHU Rank
9-16-03 RV (27th)
9-23-03 23rd
9-30-03 24th
10-7-03 19th
10-14-03 15th
10-21-03 13th
10-28-03 RV (27th)
11-4-03 22nd
11-11-03 19th
11-18-03 17th
Multi-Season Victory Records: The 18 wins in the last two years, the 24 wins in the last three years and the 29 in the last four years are all school records. The previous records were 15 (2001 & 2002), 21 (1996-98) and 27 (1995-98).
Seniors Will Be Winningest JHU Team: The seniors on the 2003 Blue Jay football team are assured of ending their careers as the winningest class in school history. The Blue Jays are 29-11 (.725) since the current seniors arrived at Homewood for the 2000 season. The football class of 1998 had been JHU's all-time winningest class as that group posted a 27-12-1 (.688) record during their career.
The Coaches: Johns Hopkins is coached by Jim Margraff (JHU `82), who is in his 14th 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 84-53-3 (.611). 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 then-school-record-tying seven wins in 1996, 1997 and 1998 before leading the Blue Jays to their first-ever playoff appearance (and victory), first-ever Centennial Conference title and a school-record nine wins in 2002. Margraff's .611 winning percentage is second among JHU coaches who have coached 30 or more games and the Blue Jays are 60-29-1 (.672) since the beginning of the 1995 season.
Rich Mannello is in his 11th season as the head coach at King's and has orchestrated the revival of the Monarch football program. King's originally had a football program that the school discontinued in 1963. Under Mannello's direction, the program was reinstated in 1993 and he has wasted little time establishing the team as force in the Middle Atlantic Conference.
He currently boasts a 48-61-1 record and the team will reach eight wins for the third consecutive season if its wins the game against the Blue Jays. He was honored by his peers as the Middle Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2002.
A 1983 graduate of Springfield College, Mannello spent time on the coaching staffs at Springfield and Division I-AA Northeastern before moving on to King's. He spent two seasons guiding the Monarchs through a JV schedule before the program regained full varsity status in 1993.
Margraff's Resurrection: Since taking over as the head coach prior to the 1990 season, Jim Margraff has guided JHU to 10 winning seasons and 84 wins. The 84 wins are one more than Hopkins accumulated in the previous 21 years combined (1969-89). During that time, Hopkins posted 10 winning seasons and won 82 games.
And They Shall Lead Us: The Blue Jays selected two players to serve as team captains for the 2003 season: senior DL Paul Smith (Lafayette, NJ/Sparta) and senior LB Paul Longo (Kensington, MD/Bethesda-Chevy Chase).
Blue Jays Boast Eight CoSIDA Academic All-Americans: The recent on-field success of the Johns Hopkins football team has been well documented, but the Blue Jays have been equally as successful in the classroom.
A school-record five Johns Hopkins football players (Paul Longo, Paul Smith, Jonas Nelson, Nate Readal and Ryan Sheare) were named First Team CoSIDA District II Academic All-Americans last week, while Jason Lehman and Mike Aynardi were named to the second team
No other school in the district had more than two players earn first team honors and only one other school had even four overall selections (Bethany). Hopkins accounted for seven of the Centennial Conference's 10 overall selections to the team and only three conferences had more than the Blue Jays' seven overall honorees.
Eight Named to CC Academic Honor Roll: The Centennial Conference recently announced the 2003 Centennial Conference Football Academic Honor Roll, and Johns Hopkins accounted for eight of the 26 players named. Mike Aynardi, Mike Barrasso, Paul Longo, Jonas Nelson, Nate Readal, Ryan Sheare, Jim Sanders and Max Whitacre were all named to the honor roll. To be named to the CC Academic Honor Roll, athletes must be at least a sophomore, be a starter or significant reserve and have a 3.40 cumulative GPA or better.
Home Sweet Home: Since the beginning of the 1996 season, Hopkins is 31-9 (.775) at home and won 10 straight at Homewood from 1996-97. Under head coach Jim Margraff, the Blue Jays are 51-17-2 (.743) at Homewood Field and JHU has won 13 of its last 15 at home.
More Home Sweet Home: The Blue Jays have been dominant at home this season in winning all five of their games at Homewood Field thus far. Hopkins has outscored its five opponents at Homewood Field this season, 173-38 for an average winning margin of 27 points.
The Road Most Traveled: Johns Hopkins is 12-5 in its last 17 road games and has won nine of its last 12 away from home.
Comeback Kids: Seven of JHU's last 19 wins have been of the come-from-behind variety.
Blue Jays Post Three Straight Shutouts: The Johns Hopkins defense posted its third straight shutout with the 30-0 victory over Dickinson earlier this season. This was the first time Johns Hopkins has posted three straight shutouts since the final three games of the 1959 season. The three straight shutouts also tied the Centennial Conference record for most consecutive shutouts (Dickinson / 1998).
Top This: Johns Hopkins reached new heights with the effort against Dickinson. The Devils rushed 45 times for 91 yards and completed two passes for 14 yards for a total of just 105 yards of offense. JHU also forced five turnovers in the victory. The 105 yards the Blue Jays allowed against DC are the fewest Johns Hopkins has allowed since head coach Jim Margraff arrived prior to the 1990 season.
A Cumulative Look: The Johns Hopkins defense has been among the nation's stingiest throughout the 2003 season. The Blue Jays ended the regular season as the top-ranked unit in the Centennial Conference in scoring defense (6.4), total defense (225.6), rushing defense (100.8), pass efficiency defense (63.11 rating), passing yards allowed (124.8), interceptions (24) and opponent third-down percentage (32-of-150/.213). In addition, the Blue Jays lead the league in turnover margin (+1.10).
The 64 points the Blue Jays allowed are the second-fewest by a Centennial Conference team since the league was formed in 1983 (regular season games only - Gettysburg allowed just 50 in 1985). JHU currently ranks first in the nation in pass efficiency defense, third in scoring defense, ninth in total defense and 19th in rushing defense.
Going the Distance: Last season, JHU had 28 scoring drives that covered 51 yards or more. In 10 games this season, the Blue Jays have 25 scoring drives that have covered 51 yards or more.
Quick Strike Attack: In 10 games, the Blue Jays have 26 scoring drives that have taken less than 2:50 off the clock. Against F&M, the Blue Jays had three touchdown drives that were longer than 50 yards that took less than two minutes.
Plus-Minus: In the first two games of the season Johns Hopkins was minus two in turnover ratio. In the last eight games, the Blue Jays are plus 13 and the defense has forced 29 turnovers in those eight games.
Offense Reaches the Half-Century Mark: Johns Hopkins out-gained Washington & Lee, 508-174 in the 36-7 win earlier this season. This marked the first time the Blue Jays have amassed 500 or more yards of total offense since November 3, 2001, when JHU had 511 in a 41-0 win over F&M.
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