Sept. 27, 2003

Box Score

Pittsburgh, PA - Johns Hopkins junior running back Adam Cook (New Freedom, PA/Susquehannock) rushed for a game-high 141 yards and two touchdowns to lead the No. 23 Blue Jays to a 21-0 win over Carnegie Mellon Saturday afternoon in Gesling Stadium.

Hopkins which improved to 4-0 this season, won its school-record eighth straight game and posted its second consecutive shutout, while the Tartans fell to 3-1 on the year.

Cook opened the scoring with a 28-yard touchdown run with 7:48 remaining in the first quarter, capping a 10-play, 87-yard drive. The Blue Jays took the 7-0 lead into halftime and opened the second half with a 13-play, 87-yard scoring drive to make it a 14-0 game. JHU sophomore quarterback Zach DiIonno (West Caldwell, NJ/West Caldwell) connected with freshman receiver Anthony Triplin (Baltimore, MD/Gilman) for a 26-yard touchdown pass to conclude the drive.

DiIonno finished 18-for-25 for 192 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, while Triplin caught eight passes for 102 yards, both career highs.

Cook scored the final touchdown with a six-yard run in the last minute of the game.

The Blue Jay defense did the rest, posting consecutive shutouts for the first time since 1996 and the first shutout on the road since a 25-0 win at Swarthmore on September 16, 2000. Hopkins, which has now won 15 of its last 17 games dating back to the 2001 season, out-gained Carnegie Mellon, 392-228, and held a 38:28 to 21:32 advantage in time of possession. The Tartans entered the game ranked 11th in the nation by averaging 44 points in their first three games.

Sophomore safety Max Whitacre (Sugarloaf, PA/Bishop Hafey) led the Blue Jay defense with 12 tackles, while junior defensive back Matt Campbell (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) added eight tackles and one of three Hopkins interceptions on the day.

Carnegie Mellon quarterback Jarrod Highberger completed 8-of-25 passes for 88 yards along with three interceptions. Ricardo Clarke and Bard Stanley each rushed for 54 yads for the Tartans, who entered the game averaging 289 yards rushing per game but managed just 140 today.

The Blue Jays open Centennial Conference play next Saturday, October 4, with a 1 p.m. game at Dickinson.

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