Sept. 2, 2006

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - Sophomore defensive back Matt Stack (Monroe, NY/Monroe-Woodbury) intercepted a Shane Kibbe (Montgomery, PA/Montgomery) pass and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to seal a 20-10 victory for the University of Rochester over host Johns Hopkins Saturday afternoon. The win is the first for the Yellowjackets in the six-game series and spoiled a career-high 157-yard rushing performance by the Blue Jays' Phil Roberts (Philadelphia, PA/Chestnut Hill).

Rochester took a 13-3 lead early in the fourth quarter when senior quarterback Aaron Molisani (Canandaigua, NY/Canandaigua) capped a quick four-play, 49-yard drive with a seven-yard touchdown pass to senior Pat O'Brien (Glens Falls, NY/Glens Falls), who took a pass in the flat and out-raced a pair of defenders to the corner. Molisani, who was 18-of-27 for 209 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, setup the scoring play with a 29-yard pass down the middle to junior J.J. Vanderstyne (Victor, NY/Victor) on a second-and-17 from the Blue Jay 36-yard line. He hit O'Brien one play later for the touchdown.

The 10-point lead lasted less than two minutes as Hopkins answered with a nifty five-play, 66-yad drive that took just 1:23 and was polished off by a 14-yard touchdown pass from Kibbe to senior Mark Nesbitt (Gibsonia, PA/Hampton) with 9:41 remaining. Nesbitt took in the pass at the 10, darted down the sideline and dove for the pylon to elude one final Rochester defender. The scoring drive was fueled by Roberts, who rushed for 30 yards on three carries, and a 21-yard pass from Kibbe to senior Anthony Triplin (Baltimore, MD/Gilman) that put the Blue Jays inside the Rochester 20-yard line.

The Yellowjackets milked more than five minutes off the clock on their ensuing possession and and pinned the Blue Jays inside their own 20 on a 38-yard punt by Patrick Till (Forestville, NY/Forestville Central). The Blue Jays quickly moved into scoring position as a 40-yard run by Roberts on the first play of the drive and a 16-yard pass from Kibbe to senior Evan Earnest (Lancaster, PA/Hempfield) helped move the ball to the Rochester 23. A Roberts rush for one yard and a sack of Kibbe back to the 29 gave the Blue Jays a third-and-16 that Stack capitalized on as he stepped right into Kibbe's passing lane on and raced down the near sideline for the decisive score.

A first half of missed opportunities saw the Yellojackets take a 6-0 lead on a 28-yard pass from Molisani to Vanderstyne with 14:10 remaining in the second quarter. Both teams had other scoring chances before halftime, but the Molisani-to-Vanderstyne touchdown pass was all either team could manage. The Yellowjackets had two other first-half drives that started inside the Blue Jay 40-yard line, but were forced to punt both times.

The Blue Jays orchestrated a 14-play, 69-yard drive down to the Rochester two-yard line late in the second quarter, but a fumble on fourth-and-one killed the drive. The turnover was one of two inside the Rochester five-yard line for the Blue Jays, who out-gained the Yellowjackets, 342-315.

Molisani directed a Rochester offense that held the ball for 33:56, including 9:11 in the crucial fourth quarter. Junior running back Matt Bielecki (Albany, NY/Burnt Hills) bruised his way to 108 yards on 30 carries and added five receptions for 52 yards. Vanderstyne added four receptions for 82 yards and the one touchdown. Jim Milks led the Rochester defense with 10 tackles and Jason Goeller added two of UR's three sacks in the game.

Roberts' 157-yard effort was nearly triple his previous career high of 58 yards and ranks as the second-highest total ever by a Johns Hopkins running back in a season-opener. Kibbe was 7-of-20 for 122 yards with the one touchdown and one interception. Triplin had a team-high four receptions for 49 yards and went over 2,000 career receiving yards (2,046). He is just the sixth player in school history to reach the mark. Senior DE Brian Cook was in on half a sack to move into a tie for the Johns Hopkins career sack record (21.0).

Johns Hopkins will return to action next Saturday at Randolph-Macon, while Rochester will host St. John Fisher.