Oct. 10, 2007
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The Game: Johns Hopkins and Ursinus enters Saturday's game at Homewood Field fresh off impressive Centennial Conference victories. The Blue Jays (2-4, 1-3 CC) grabbed a 20-17 victory at league-leading Dickinson last Saturday, while Ursinus (4-1, 2-1 CC) rebounded from its only loss of the season with a 31-10 win against Franklin & Marshall.
About the Coaches: Jim Margraff is now in his 18th season as the head coach at Johns Hopkins and carries a 109-67-3 (.617) record into this week's game against Ursinus. The all-time winningest coach in school history, Margraff has guided the Blue Jays to four Centennial Conference Championships, three ECAC titles and one appearance in the NCAA Playoffs. In addition to his overall totals, he also ranks among the all-time winningest coaches in the history of the Centennial Conference as he sports a 70-45-2 (.607) record in league play.
Peter Gallagher is in his seventh season as the head coach at Ursinus and carries a 28-38 (.424) record into this week's game against Johns Hopkins. After several years of implementing his own system and recruiting his own players, Gallagher has turned the UC program into a contender for the Centennial title. The Bears sport a 12-4 record since the beginning of the 2006 season and were the only team in the league to beat eventual conference champion Dickinson last season.
A Brutal Stretch: Breaking down the Blue Jays' schedule into games before their bye week (October 20) and after their bye week reveals two entirely different levels of success. JHU's first seven opponents are currently a combined 31-9 (.775), while the final three teams on the schedule are a combined 2-13 (.133).
Road Warriors: Johns Hopkins is 14-6 in its last 20 road games dating back to a 17-3 win at McDaniel in the final road game of the 2003 season.
Home Sweet Home: Since the beginning of the 1996 season Johns Hopkins is 43-17 (.717) at home and has twice enjoyed 10-game winning streaks at Homewood Field during that time.
Streaking: Since the start of the 2002 season the Blue Jays sport a 43-17 (.717) record. Taking it back farther the Blue Jays are 49-20 (.710) since the start of the 2001 season and 54-25 (.684) since the begininng of the 2000 season. The 54 wins the Blue Jays have amassed this decade are already just one shy of the school record for wins in a decade (55/1990s).
In the Zone: Johns Hopkins continues to be the most effective offensive team in the Centennial Conference in the red zone. The Blue Jays got a touchdown and a field goal on their two trips to the zone against Dickinson and are now 15-of-16 (93.8%) on the year with nine touchdowns and six field goals to their credit.
Comeback Kids: The 20-17 win at Dickinson was the latest in a long line of comebacks for the Blue Jays, who trailed 7-0 early in the first quarter. JHU has 11 come-from-behind wins to its credit since the start of the 2004 season. The Blue Jays posted an amazing six come-from-behind wins in 2004 and two more in 2005. Randolph-Macon's 14-0 lead last season was the largest overcome by the Blue Jays since JHU came back from a 14-0 deficit to knock off Ursinus, 20-14, on October 30, 2004.
Shutouts: Johns Hopkins has posted 14 shutouts in 17+ seasons under head coach Jim Margraff and the two in 2005 mark the fourth time in the Margraff era that JHU has posted two or more shutouts in one year (1992 (2), 1996 (2), 2003 (3), 2005 (2)). The Blue Jays posted 11 shutouts in the 20 seasons prior to Margraff's arrival.
Seven's Heaven: Since the beginning of the 2003 season the Blue Jays are 34-10 when scoring more than seven points and 0-5 when they have been held to seven points or less.
Keys to Success: Johns Hopkins is an impressive 64-6 (.914) under head coach Jim Margraff when scoring 24 or more points...the Blue Jays have won 51 of their last 54 when scoring 24 or more...at the same time, Hopkins is 78-10-2 (.878) when holding the opposition to 14 points or less under Margraff...the Blue Jays have won 45 of their last 47 games when holding the opposition to 14 points or less.
It's All Academic: Johns Hopkins has earned 23 CoSIDA Academic All-District selections since 2003. JHU's 23 selections in that time are more than the other CC football-playing schools combined. Taking it back even farther, Johns Hopkins has earned 49 CoSIDA Academic All-District selections since 1991. During that time the other CC football-playing schools have combined for 44 selections.
Individual Player Notes of Interest Included in PDF Version
