Oct. 22, 2005

Final Stats

ALLENTOWN, PA - The 15th-ranked Johns Hopkins football team got a 12-yard touchdown reception from junior Anthony Triplin and a 42-yard field goal from junior Ben Scott in the first 5:07 of the fourth quarter and the Blue Jay defense did the rest as Hopkins knocked off host Muhlenberg, 13-10 at rain-soaked Scotty Wood Stadium Saturday afternoon. The win, the 11th straight overall and ninth straight on the road for the Blue Jays (7-0, 4-0 Centennial Conference), secures at least a share of a fourth straight Centennial Conference championship for Johns Hopkins, which improved to 7-0 for just the second time in school history (2003).

Muhlenberg, which led 7-3 at the end of the first half, capped a 12-play, 57-yard drive with a 20-yard Jordon Grube field goal with 6:35 remaining in the third quarter to extend its lead to 10-3. That lead held until early in the fourth quarter, when the Blue Jays scored on back-to-back possessions.

After taking over on the Muhlenberg 42-yard line the Blue Jays needed just five plays to tie the game. A 19-yard completion from senior Zach DiIonno to Triplin on second-and-12 moved the ball to the Mule 26 and that combination provided the Blue Jays with a touchdown three plays later as DiIonno hit Triplin in the far corner of the end zone with the game-tying score.

Muhlenberg managed just one first down on its ensuing possession and the Blue Jays needed just over two minutes to take the lead for good. Starting at their own 30-yard line the Blue Jays quickly moved into Muhlenberg territory - a 32-yard DiIonno to Triplin pass fueling the drive - and worked their way down to the 25-yard line. Scott, whose 28 career field goals are now just one shy of JHU's all-time record, drilled a 42-yarder with 9:53 remaining to give the Blue Jays a 13-10 lead. As it turned out, it was a lead they would never relinquish.

Muhlenberg had three possessions in the final nine minutes, but could never get Grube in position to attempt a game-tying field goal. The Mules were forced to punt from their own 45 with just under eight minutes remaining and then took over at the Blue Jay 33 with just under three minutes left. After sophomore Matt Johnson completed a pass to Kyle Douglass to the Blue Jay 24 on the first play, the Hopkins defense stiffened. Adam Luke and Brian Cook sacked Johnson for a 12-yard loss on second-and-one and Johnson's pass on third down was incomplete. Facing fourth-and-13 from the JHU 36 Johnson slipped on the wet turf while rolling out to end what would be the Mules' last legitimate chance to tie the game. Hopkins took over with 2:09 remaining and punted the ball back with just under a minute to play, but Johnson's four pass attempts on Muhlenberg's final possession fell incomplete and the Blue Jays had secured a share of their fourth straight Centennial title.

Johns Hopkins opened the scoring with a 36-yard field goal by Scott with 8:18 remaining in the first quarter, but that would be all the scoring for the Blue Jays until the five-minute surge in the final period as the Muhlenberg defense held Hopkins to just 72 yards for the rest of the half.

Not to be outdone, Johns Hopkins, which entered the game ranked second in the nation in scoring defense and seventh in total defense, held the Mules to just 38 yards of offense on its first six possessions before the Mules took over at the 50 with 1:15 remaining in the first half and needed just 27 seconds and four plays to take the lead. Johnson hit Douglass down the middle for a 36-yard gain on second-and-10 from midfield and Douglass worked the same corner route Triplin did for his touchdown two plays later to give the Mules a 7-3 lead. Grube capped Muhlenberg's first possession of the second half with the 20-yard field goal, but the Mules would generate a total of just 15 yards of offense on their final six possessions to fall to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the Centennial.

The Johns Hopkins defense, which came up with a season-high seven sacks and allowed a total of just 158 yards of offense, was led by junior Matt Hagel, who posted 11 tackles, including three for losses and 1.5 sacks, and added one interception and a pass breakup. Luke chipped in with seven tackles and 1.5 sacks, while Cook and Anthony Woodard both counted two sacks on the day.

Muhlenberg's Mark Bennett had a game-high 12 tackles, while senior Dan McCall had eight tackles, including three for losses and one interception. McCall returned his interception 44 yards to the Johns Hopkins 15-yard line, but the Blue Jay defense forced a 37-yard field goal attempt that Grube shot wide to the right.

Offensively, DiIonno was 9-of 24 for 119 yards with the one touchdown and two interceptions. He also rushed for a career-high 34 yards. Senior T.J. Lyons gained 77 yards on 26 carries to lead a ground game that was just efficient enough. Triplin had four receptions for 69 yards and the one touchdown.

Johnson, who was under pressure throughout the game, was 11-of-30 for 141 yards with the one touchdown and one interception. Freshman John DeLuca rushed 14 times for 52 yards, but the Muhlenberg rushing attack accounted for just 17 net yards (sacks accounted for a loss of 51 yards). Douglass had four receptions for 56 yards and the one touchdown.

Johns Hopkins earns a share of the Centennial title with its win and losses by both Franklin & Marshall and Gettysburg. The Blue Jays are the only team remaining in the league without a Centennial loss, while all six other teams have at least two league losses. The Blue Jays can clinch their first-ever trip to the NCAA Playoffs with a win next Saturday at home against Ursinus.

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