Sept. 30, 2003
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The Game: Johns Hopkins (4-0, 0-0 CC) puts its school-record eight-game winning streak on the line as the Blue Jays travel to Dickinson (2-1, 0-0 CC).
The Teams: Johns Hopkins set a school record with its eighth straight victory last Saturday as the Blue Jays defeated Carnegie Mellon, 21-0. Dickinson fell from the ranks of the unbeaten as the Red Devils dropped a 21-0 decision at Kings Point.
It's a Record: The nine wins for the Blue Jays last season are a school record. Johns Hopkins broke the school record for wins in a season with its eighth of the year with the win over McDaniel. 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.
It's Another Record: The current eight-game winning streak is the longest in the history of the Johns Hopkins football program. JHU had four, seven-game winning streaks prior to the current eight-game run. The most recent seven-game winning streak for JHU prior to the current eight-game streak bridged the 2001 and 2002 seasons.
The One on Deck: JHU's current eight-game winning streak is also tied for the second-longest unbeaten streak in school history. A win over Dickinson would tie the school record for longest unbeaten streak. The two, nine-game unbeaten streaks in JHU football history are listed below:
1904-05 Game 3, 1904 through Game 4, 1905 (6-0-3)
1907-08 Game 4, 1907 through Game 5, 1908 (6-0-3)
For Openers: Johns Hopkins has won its last 12 Centennial Conference-openers. JHU is 10-0 against Swarthmore and 2-0 against Gettysburg during the current run.
It's a First: Johns Hopkins shared the 2002 Centennial Conference title with Muhlenberg and McDaniel. This was the first Centennial championship for Johns Hopkins.
More Firsts: The ECAC Southwest Championship Game victory over Frostburg last season marked several program firsts. This was the first post-season game in the history of Johns Hopkins football and, obviously, it was also the first post-season victory in the history of Johns Hopkins football.
In the Rankings: Johns Hopkins is ranked 24th in this week's AFCA Poll after being ranked a program-best 23rd in last week's poll. This is the first time a Johns Hopkins football team has ever been ranked in the top 25. Previously, 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.
Quick Starts: Johns Hopkins is 4-0 for the second straight season and can match last season's 5-0 start with a win at Dickinson. Johns Hopkins' 5-0 start last season was the best for a JHU football team since 1931, when the Blue Jays opened the season with six straight wins.
Streaking: JHU's eight-game winning streak is the longest active winning streak in the Centennial Conference and the longest active winning streak in the state of Maryland.
More Streaking: Johns Hopkins is 13-2 since the beginning of the 2002 season, 15-2 in its last 17 games dating back to the end of the 2001 season and 19-5 since the beginning of the 2001 season. The 15-2 record over the last 17 games is the best 17-game run in school history.
Outside the League: JHU finished its non-conference schedule with a 4-0 record. This is the first time JHU has gone unbeaten in non-conference action since 1991 (2-0-1) and the first time it has won all of its non-league games since 1985 (2-0). Dating back to the beginning of the 2001 season, JHU is 10-2 in its last 12 non-conference games.
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 79-52-3 (.601). 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 .601 winning percentage is second among JHU coaches who have coached 30 or more games and the Blue Jays are 55-28-1 (.661) since the beginning of the 1995 season.
Darwin Breaux is in his 11th season as the head coach at Dickinson and sports a record of 67-38-1 (.637). He guided the Red Devils to the Centennial Conference championship in 1993 and 1994 (his first two years in Carlisle) and he ranks second among active Centennial Conference coaches in overall winning percentage and winning percentage in league games.
Margraff's Resurrection: Since taking over as the head coach prior to the 1990 season, Jim Margraff has guided JHU to nine winning seasons and 79 wins. The 79 wins are two more than Hopkins accumulated in the previous 20 years combined (1970-89). During that time, Hopkins posted nine winning seasons and won 77 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). Smith and Longo were two of JHU's four Verizon District II Academic All-Americans last season.
It's All Academic: Johns Hopkins had four players earn Verizon District II Academic All-America honors (current senior captains Paul Smith and Paul Longo and the now-graduated Brian Williams and John Tiberi). The four selections were one more than the rest of the Centennial Conference teams had combined and no other school in the district had more than two players named to the team.
Home Sweet Home: Since the beginning of the 1996 season, Hopkins is 28-9 (.757) at home and won 10 straight at Homewood from 1996-97. Currently, JHU has won 10 of its last 12 at home.
The Road Most Traveled: Johns Hopkins is 10-3 in its last 13 road games and has won seven of its last eight away from home.
Comeback Kids: The Blue Jays trailed 3-0 at halftime against Rochester in the season-opener. Of Hopkins' last 14 wins (dating back to the 2001 season-finale), six have been of the come-from-behind variety.
It's Been a While: The 153 yards the Blue Jays surrendered to Randolph-Macon were the fewest Hopkins has allowed since holding Franklin & Marshall to 138 in a 41-0 win on November 3, 2001. Overall, JHU is allowing just 206.5 yards per game and ranks 12th in the nation in total defense.
It's Been Even Longer: Johns Hopkins held Washington & Lee (174) and Randolph-Macon (153) to less than 200 yards of total offense. This is the first time since the middle of the 2001 season that JHU has held back-to-back opponents to less than 200 yards of total offense (Gettysburg-136 & Ursinus-154).
Back-to-Back Shutouts: JHU has defeated Randolph-Macon (24-0) and Carnegie Mellon (21-0) in its last two games. This marks the first back-to-back shutouts for JHU since 1996, when the Blue Jays knocked off Muhlenberg (20-0) and Bridgewater (17-0).
Holding Them Down: The 16 points the Blue Jays have allowed in the first four games this season are the fewest over a four-game span since JHU allowed just six points during the final four games of the 1959 season. Johns Hopkins is currently tied for 3rd in the nation in scoring defense (4.0 ppg.).
Going the Distance: Last season, JHU had 28 scoring drives that covered 51 yards or more. In four games this season, the Blue Jays have 10 scoring drives that have covered 55 yards or more.
Quick Strike Attack: In four games, the Blue Jays have nine scoring drives that have taken less than 2:50 off the clock.
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.
Three More Interceptions: The Johns Hopkins defense came up with three more interceptions in the win over Carnegie Mellon and now has 12 in four games this season. The Blue Jays are allowing just 113.0 passing yards per game and lead the nation in pass efficiency defense (48.1 rating).
Team Notes of Interest: Johns Hopkins is an impressive 49-4 (.925) under Margraff when scoring 24 or more points...currently, the Blue Jays have won 36 of their last 38 when scoring 24 or more...at the same time, Hopkins is 55-8-2 (.862) 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 21 straight games when holding the opposition to 14 points or less.
Player Notes of Interest (Included in PDF Version)
