Aug. 24, 2004

The Johns Hopkins football team enters the 2004 season in unfamiliar territory. After claiming a share of the 2002 and 2003 Centennial Conference Championships the Blue Jays have been picked as the preseason favorite to win the league by the conference coaches and SIDs. This is the first time in school history the Blue Jays have entered a season as the preseason favorite, but Hopkins has higher aspirations.

Last season Hopkins spent a majority of the season ranked in the top 25, posted a 10-1 record and won the ECAC South Atlantic Championship with a dominating 41-13 victory over King’s. The Blue Jays posted a 9-2 record and won the ECAC Southwest Championship in 2002.

With 15 starters returning, including nine on offense, the Blue Jays are aiming for their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Playoffs. An outright Centennial Conference title would give JHU the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Playoffs (the Blue Jays did not hold the tie-breakers to receive the automatic bid in 2002 or 2003), but head coach Jim Margraff knows that nothing the Blue Jays have done in the last two years will matter when the season begins.

"We feel good about the personnel we have returning — it’s a nice mix of experience and youth," said Margraff, who has long been noted for seeing the value in playing a lot of players. "Even in areas where we need to replace starters we have players who have already gained playing experience. We have a hard-working group that, despite experiencing some success over the last two years, still has some goals that we have not achieved and we are using that as a motivating factor as we look forward to the season."

An offense that returns all five starting offensive linemen, its top three rushers, top three receivers and a "backup" quarterback that has played in 16 games with six starts in the last two years.

Defensively the Blue Jays count six starters among their returning players, but that number is deceiving. In addition to those six Hopkins also returns its leading tackler from last season — a player who started just three games — and a 10-game starter from two years ago who sat out last season. Quickly, the Blue Jays could count eight returning starters on defense.

Below is a position by position look at the 2004 Blue Jays with key personnel listed.

Quarterback

Junior Zach DiIonno returns for his third season and is in the driver’s seat to take over for 2003 First Team All-Centennial selection George Merrell. Merrell missed several games with injuries during the last two years, opening the door for DiIonno to gain valuable experience that should pay dividends this season.

In 10 games last season, including two starts, DiIonno threw for 432 yards and three touchdowns and has thrown for over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns in his career.

A strong-armed pocket-passer, DiIonno threw for a career-high 193 yards against Randolph-Macon as a freshman and was 18-for-25 for 192 yards and one touchdown in a win at Carnegie Mellon last season. He has demonstrated a tremendous arm in his first two seasons (his 97-yard touchdown pass to Brian Wolcott as a freshman is the longest pass play in Centennial Conference history) and will have an abundance of weapons at his disposal.

"The quarterback position is a perfect example of a position where we lost a valuable player, but we have someone who has proven he can get the job done," Margraff noted. "Zach has the most experience of our returning quarterbacks, but each brings something different to the table and that is very valuable."

Also figuring into the mix at quarterback are returnees Joe Tarsia and Shane Kibbe. Tarsia has battled back from injuries and brings senior leadership, while Kibbe looked good in the spring and looked fully recovered from a knee injury.

Junior transfer Brian Schiller comes to Hopkins after spending two seasons at Holy Cross. He gives the Blue Jays an athletic quarterback (like Merrell) who can make plays with his arm or his feet. With some college experience under his belt, he could figure into the mix.

Running Back

The Blue Jays have an abundance of riches at tailback as senior Adam Cook, junior T.J. Lyons and sophomore Mark Nesbitt all return after combining for over 1,700 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns last season. Any of the three are good enough to earn the starting spot, but all three figure to see significant playing time.

"Making it through a season with just one running back is difficult, but we have the luxury of having three players who have all excelled in crucial situations," Margraff stated of his three-headed monster. "We are fortunate to have three very talented players returning and we expect all three to have an impact this season."

Cook earned First Team All-Centennial honors last season as he set a school record with 1,047 yards and five touchdowns. Also a threat out of the backfield (21 receptions for 153 yards and two touchdowns), Cook already ranks fifth all-time at JHU in rushing yards (2,048) and sixth in all-purpose yards (3,327). He needs just 653 yards to become JHU’s all-time leading rusher and 595 all-purpose yards to become the all-time leader in that category at Hopkins. His versatility makes him one of the premier returning running backs in the nation.

Lyons finished second on the team with 370 yards rushing last year and enters the season needing just 62 yards to become the 220th player in school history to reach 1,000 career rushing yards. An Honorable Mention All-Centennial selection as a freshman, Lyons has worked hard in the offseason and provides the perfect complement to Cook.

Lyons has demonstrated the ability to excel in big games as two of his three career 100-yard rushing performances have come in the playoffs. He rushed for 113 yards and one touchdown in last season’s 41-13 win over King’s in the ECAC South Atlantic Championship game.

Nesbitt wasted little time making an impact when given the opportunity. Nesbitt rushed just 44 times before suffering a midseason injury that limited him mostly to special teams action during the last four games. Still, he managed 302 yards on those 44 carries for an eye-popping 6.9-yard average. Three of his 44 rushing attempts went for touchdowns.

Sophomores Zach Rupert and Jon Bisaillon saw limited action last season, but demonstrated an ability to excel when given the opportunity. Both should see increased playing time this season.

First Team CoSIDA District II Academic All-American Nate Readal returns for his final season as the Blue Jays’ starting fullback. Readal is a solid blocker who has taken advantage of his opportunities to carry the ball and is a solid receiver as well. He rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns last season, while also catching 11 passes — one of which he took to the end zone. In his career he has rushed 112 times for 500 yards and he has been tackled for a loss just once in those 112 rushing attempts.

Sophomore Jake Wittenberg will backup Readal after playing in all 11 games last season. He caught one touchdown pass as a freshman and will look for an increased role this season.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

The Blue Jays may feature one of the top wide receiver tandems in the region in senior Brian Wolcott and sophomore Anthony Triplin, who combined for 89 receptions for 1,228 yards and 14 touchdowns last season. Both have game-breaking speed and the ability to catch the ball in traffic. With opposing teams forced to respect the Blue Jay running game, at least one of the two is likely to draw a favorable one-on-one matchup on the outside.

"Having our two starting wide receivers back after the success they enjoyed last season will be a comforting factor for whoever is playing quarterback," Margraff stated. "We certainly feel like Brian and Anthony will put pressure on the defense to make a decision on where to focus."

Wolcott earned Second Team All-Centennial honors last season after he caught 45 passes for 726 yards and nine touchdowns. His 16.1 yards per reception ranked second in the Centennial Conference in 2003 and he ranks second all-time at JHU with a 16.7 yards per reception career average. Only the legendary Joe Cowan, who averaged an amazing 21.5 yards per reception (58 for 1,248 yards) boasts a higher figure than Wolcott’s (among players with 50 or more career receptions at JHU).

Triplin wasted little time making an impact for the Blue Jays as he had 44 receptions for 506 yards and five touchdowns. His 44 receptions are a Centennial Conference freshman record and the third-highest single-season total in JHU history by a rookie. In addition his five TDs ties the CC mark for a freshman. He enjoyed his finest game of the season in a 21-0 win at Carnegie Mellon when he had eight receptions for 102 yards and one touchdown.

While Wolcott and Triplin will draw most of the attention, the Blue Jays feature a young corps of solid wide receivers who are battling for the third spot. Junior Steve Eno has great hands and is the most experienced of the remaining players, while junior Andy Albero and sophomore Evan Earnest also figure to battle for an increased role.

At tight end the Blue Jays must find a replacement for the departed Jason Lehman, who had 19 receptions for 346 yards and one touchdown last season. A trio of players figure to battle for the position, which could become a key as teams will find it difficult to single-cover Wolcott and Triplin while also accounting for the Blue Jays’ solid running game. In this scenario the tight end will almost certainly draw single coverage as Lehman often did last season.

Sophomore Kyle Miller, senior Jonathan Zimmer and junior Dan Szelingowski will all likely see time this season. Miller had one reception last season, while Zimmer had a pair of catches. Szelingowski is making the move from defensive line and rounds out a trio of big targets for whoever is playing quarterback (all three are at least 6-2 and 215 pounds).

Offensive Line

A year ago the Blue Jays entered the season with a huge question mark surrounding the offensive line. This season the offensive line may be the most stable part of the team as all five starters return after combining to start 50 games last season. The unit paved the way for an offense that averaged 28.6 points and 386.6 yards per game in 2003. The Blue Jays were the only team in the Centennial Conference that averaged over 175 yards rushing and passing per game last season.

"We were very pleased with the performance of our offensive line last season," Margraff stated of a young group that grew together as the season progressed. "The experience we have here, coupled with our returning skill-position players, should allow us to keep the balanced attack that has been successful for us in recent years."

Senior Matt Weeks will start at tackle for the second straight season after being named to a pair of All-America teams last season. A unanimous First Team All-Centennial selection, Weeks is a solid all-around tackle who excels as a pass-blocker and run blocker. Making Week’s success last season even more amazing is the fact that he only started four games as a sophomore before emerging as the dominant offensive lineman in the league last season.

Sophomore Phil Dixon was pressed into service as a freshman last season after senior Zack Kail had his season ended by an injury in the third game of the game. Dixon responded by starting the final eight games of the season and will use that experience in his battle to hold down the position. Dixon’s eight games started were the second most on the team among freshmen.

The guard spots will be in the capable hands of seniors Mike Speer and Ryan Sheare, who both completed their first season as starters last season. Sheare was a First Team CoSIDA District II Academic All-American and started nine games at right guard, while Speer was one of three offensive linemen to start all 11 games for the Blue Jays last season.

Junior Marc DeGennaro is the latest in a long line of strong centers the Blue Jays have had under Margraff. DeGennaro emerged last season after gaining valuable experience as a freshman. He earned Second Team All-Centennial honors as the anchor of what had to be the youngest offensive line in the Centennial Conference (no seniors in the two-deep after Kail went down for the season).

Depth is always crucial along the offensive line and the Blue Jays count five players who played in a combined 31 games as backups. Senior Bill Carpluk, junior John Bussanich and sophomores John Hunter and Paul Markowski figure in at the guard and tackle positions, while junior Chris Wright is the top reserve at center.

Defensive Line

The interior of the defensive line suffered a big loss when Paul Smith exhausted his eligibility after starting all four years at nose guard. A three-time District II CoSIDA Academic All-American and a First Team All-Centennial selection in 2003, Smith counted 46.5 tackles for losses and 14 sacks among his career totals and was a disruptive force in the middle.

"Anytime you have to replace a player like Paul Smith it is going to be difficult," Margraff stated of his four-year starter at nose guard. "At the same time, we have an exciting group of young players who we feel can perform at a high level and we are looking forward to watching this unit develop."

Junior Alan Cody will slide over to nose guard from his defensive end position, where he earned Honorable Mention All-Centennial honors last season. Cody counted 10 tackles for losses and a team-high 3.5 sacks among his 50 tackles last season and is one of four All-Centennial players who return on defense for the Blue Jays.

Junior Lee Everett has a leg up on the starting defensive tackle position after playing in 10 games with eight starts last season. Everett finished with 34 tackles, including four for losses and two sacks, in 2003 and will be counted on to increase his production this season.

Sophomores Chris Whitehorne and Anthony Woodard should also see extensive time on the interior of the defensive line as the Blue Jays routinely play a number of people.

The defensive end positions will be filled by a group that includes juniors Mike Aynardi and Brian Cook and sophomores Kevin Smith and Brian Nickel.

Aynardi, a Second Team CoSIDA District II Academic All-American last season, counted eight starts in 11 games and finished with 33 tackles, including five for losses. He also blocked a punt in the win over Washington & Lee and has six tackles in the season-opener at Rochester.

Cook started all 10 games as a freshman two years ago and returns to the team after sitting out last season. He tied for the national lead with five fumble recoveries as a freshman, when he had 34 tackles, including seven for losses, to his credit. His return bodes well for a unit that is young, but athletic and surprisingly experienced despite not counting a senior among the group.

Smith and Nickel are being counted on to contribute significantly this season after both spent the 2003 season in reserve roles. Smith played in six games and Nickel made three appearances.

Linebackers

Defensive coordinator Keith Emery has five returning linebackers with two slated to play inside, two outside and one who has demonstrated the versatility to play either.

"The nature of the system we play is that linebckers will be in a position to make plays," Margraff stated. "In essence we have three returning starters and five players with significant playing experience. Staying healthy here will be a key to our success."

Junior Adam Luke led the team with 71 tackles, earned Second Team All-Centennial honors and had eight tackles for losses last season and he doesn’t even count as a returning starter. Luke played in all 11 games, but the Blue Jays’ rotation last season counted him as a starter just three times. He will lineup on the inside with senior Chris Wegman, who enjoyed the finest season of his career in 2003 as he posted 53 tackles to finish sixth on the team. With all of the talk about experience, Wegman could be one of just two seniors who starts on defense, which demonstrates just how deep the unit has become.

Junior Max Whitacre, an Honorable Mention All-Centennial selection as a sophomore last season, will hold down one of the starting outside linebacker spots (technically called the strong safety position in the Blue Jays’ 4-4-3 alignment), while sophomore Matt Hagel has the inside track to the spot opposite Whitacre.

Whitacre tied for second on the team in tackles last season (65) and tied for the team lead with 12 tackles for losses. One of the those players who just seems to have a knack of being in the middle of the action, Whitacre also had three forced fumbles, one interception, one fumble recovery and returned a blocked punt 21 yards for a touchdown in the season-opening victory over Rochester.

Hagel played in all 11 games last season and was a standout on special teams. He registered 13 tackles, three pass breakups and one interception and is stepping into the spot vacated by Paul Longo, a First Team All-Centennial selection last season.

Junior Mike Barrasso, another player who seems to have knack for being in the right place at the right time, could play inside or outside if needed and will push for a starting spot. He played in 10 games last season and had 27 tackles to his credit.

Defensive Backs

The secondary was hit the hardest by graduation as the Blue Jays must replace their top three cornerbacks from last season as Joe Deluzio, Rich Lamour and Jonas Nelson are all gone. The three combined for 92 tackles, 11 interceptions and 27 pass breakups last season.

Still, not too many coaches will be shedding a tear for the Blue Jays, who last season led the nation in pass efficiency defense for the second time in the last three years. Hopkins finished the 2003 season with 28 interceptions, while allowing just two touchdown passes in 11 games. In the last three years combined (31 games) the Blue Jays have allowed a total of just 16 touchdown passes and the ring leader of the secondary returns for his final season.

Senior safety Matt Campbell became one of the most decorated players in school history last season when he was named to three All-America teams, became the first Johns Hopkins player to earn Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors since 1997 and was named First Team All-Centennial for the second straight season.

Campbell tied for second on the team in tackles (65), tied the school single-season record with eight interceptions and had 11 pass breakups to his credit. He now ranks third all-time at JHU with 14 career interceptions and enters his final season with 199 career tackles.

Junior Jim Sanders has played in every game during the last two years and will serve as the top backup to Campbell at safety and could see time at cornerback as well. He had 12 tackles, six pass breakups and one interception to his credit last season.

Obviously, since the Blue Jays play a 4-4-3 alignment they will need two cornerbacks to step up quickly. Juniors Travis Reznik and Adam Colicchio and sophomores Chris Chauvin and Ian Anderson will all be given the opportunity to win one of the two jobs, but all four are likely to see playing time regardless of who starts.

Colicchio played in all 11 games and had 15 tackles last season (includes special teams tackles), while Chauvin and Anderson combined for 11 tackles in limited action last season. Anderson played in eight games and Chauvin four last season.

"Clearly the secondary is an area where we need to have a couple people step up and assert themselves," Margraff noted of a priority area as the team looks forward to the season. "Having Matt return to lead the unit is comforting, but he can’t be everywhere and the competition for playing time will be an interesting part of preseason camp."

Special Teams

Sophomore Ben Scott will take over as the place-kicker after handling mostly kickoffs last season. He did hit 7-of-8 extra-point attempts and 3-of-7 field goals as he backed up Chris Smolyn as a freshman. In the ECAC South Atlantic Championship game against King’s he hit all five of his extra points and a pair of field goals to end the season on a high note.

Scott handled the punting chores for the final game-and-a-half of the season and averaged 31.0 yards on four punts and had two of his four punts downed inside the opposition’s 20-yard line. While Scott could hold down both the place-kicking and punting duties, it is likely that the punter could be a newcomer.

Cook, Campbell and Nesbitt all have experience on returns and are the front-runners to handle those chores again.

Cook set a school record with 33 punt returns for 239 yards last season and averaged 22.8 yards on 13 kickoff returns as well. Campbell’s role on punt returns diminished last season s Cook emerged, while Nesbitt’s breakaway ability makes him a candidate to return kickoffs.

Schedule

The Blue Jays will play six of their 10 regular season games at home this season, where they are 52-17-2 (.746) under Margraff. JHU went 6-0 at home last season and is 14-2 at home since the beginning of the 2001 season.

Hopkins will open at home against Rochester before travelling to New Jersey to play at Kean. Carnegie Mellon comes to Homewood Field on September 18 before the Blue Jays have a week off to prepare for league play.

A Friday night home game (JHU is 19-7-1 at home on Friday night in 14 seasons under Margraff) against Dickinson on October 1 will be the first of five straight league games for the Blue Jays, who then hit the road at Gettysburg and Franklin & Marshall over the next two weeks.

The Blue Jays return home on October 23 to host Muhlenberg, which has defeated the Blue Jays in each of the last three years. Hopkins then travels to Ursinus before returning for a two-game homestand to close the season.

On November 6 the Blue Jays will host Hampden-Sydney in a game that will feature two of the teams that were among the top teams left out of the 2003 NCAA Playoffs. Both teams finished the 2003 regular season at 9-1 and both are ranked in the top 25 in most of the preseason polls.

The annual season-ending showdown against McDaniel at Homewood Field on November 13 will close the regular season. The Blue Jays have knocked off the Green Terror in each of the last three years.