Nov. 7, 2012

Johns Hopkins-McDaniel Football Notes

?? Johns Hopkins-McDaniel Game Links ??
Live Video ?

The Game: 16th-ranked Johns Hopkins (8-1, 7-1 Centennial) welcomes rival McDaniel (0-9, 0-8 CC) to Homewood Field for the 2012 regular season finale.

On This Date: Johns Hopkins picked up the biggest win in school history (at the time) when the unranked Blue Jays went to Westminster and shocked the ninth-ranked Green Terror, 21-14, in 2001. Senior Zach Baylin had a school-record 15 receptions and the win snapped a 33-game Centennial winning streak for the the Terror. This remains the highest-ranked team Johns Hopkins has ever defeated in football.

The Teams: Johns Hopkins slipped from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 14-12 loss at Franklin & Marshall last Saturday. The loss snapped a 22-game regular season unbeaten streak for JHU. McDaniel gave Susquehanna all it could handle before falling, 42-38.

Series History: Johns Hopkins leads the all-time series, 50-35-5, and will carry an 11-game winning streak against the Terror into this week's game. A complete series history can be found on page 2.

Seniors Playing Final Regular Season Game at Homewood Field: The seniors on the 2012 Johns Hopkins football team will play their final regular season game at Homewood Field this week against McDaniel. Since arriving, this group has helped JHU to a 36-8 record, four Centennial Conference titles, two trips to the NCAA Playoffs and one ECAC Championship. The seniors can secure a third trip to the NCAAs with a win against the Green Terror.

Seniors Tie Record: The current seniors on the Johns Hopkins football team tied the record for most wins by one class in school history with the 35-17 win at Ursinus on October 27. This year's seniors are 36-8 since arriving at JHU - this ties the record set by the 2005 and 2011 JHU seniors.
In addition, the current seniors are tied for the second-most wins by any senior class in Centennial Conference history. Only the 2000 seniors at McDaniel, who compiled a 41-5 record during their career, have won more games than JHU's current seniors.

Poll Position: Johns Hopkins is ranked 16th in this week's AFCA Division III Coaches Poll and 21st in the d3football.com Poll. The Blue Jays also check in at number nine in this week's Lambert Meadowlands Poll.
Johns Hopkins has been ranked in the top 25 of the AFCA Poll for 18 consecutive weeks dating back to the first poll of the 2011 season. Johns Hopkins is one of just nine teams in the nation that has been ranked in the AFCA's top 25 every week since the start of the 2011 season.
The Johns Hopkins office of Athletic Communications uses the AFCA Poll to reflect JHU's official ranking at the time of a game. The AFCA, D3football.com and Lambert Meadowlands Polls can be found on page 6.

Margraff Ranks Second on State Victory Chart: Johns Hopkins head coach Jim Margraff sports a career record of 155-80-3 (.658) entering this week's game vs. McDaniel. He is just the second college football coach in Maryland state history to win 150 career games. Only Morgan State's Eddie Hurt, who won 174 games from 1929-59, has won more games as the head football coach at a college or university in the state of Maryland than Margraff.

Centennial Conference Champions: Johns Hopkins claimed at least a share of its eighth Centennial Conference title with the recent win at Ursinus - all eight championships have come since 2002. JHU is tied for second in league history with its eight titles. Only Dickinson (9) and Muhlenberg (8) have as many or more titles than the Blue Jays.

What's at Stake: Three of the five Centennial Conference games this weekend could have an affect on the league championship and which team receives the automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA Playoffs. Below is a look at the three teams involved:

?? Johns Hopkins - JHU takes the title outright and claims the league's automatic bid with a win against McDaniel. The Blue Jays are the only team that controls its own path to both.

?? Franklin & Marshall - The Diplomats must beat Gettysburg and have McDaniel knock off Johns Hopkins to earn a share of the Centennial title. F&M can claim the automatic bid to the playoffs with a win and losses by Johns Hopkins and Muhlenberg. F&M can't get the automatic bid if Muhlenberg tops Moravian.

?? Muhlenberg - The Mules can grab a share of the Centennial title with a win against Moravian coupled with a loss by Johns Hopkins to McDaniel. Muhlenberg can get a share of the title, but the Mules can't get the automatic bid to the playoffs in any tie-breaking scenario.

Streaks Snapped: Johns Hopkins had several impressive winning streaks snapped with last week's 14-12 loss at Franklin & Marshall. Among them ...
? A 22-game regular season winning streak that dated to a 26-17 loss to Ursinus (10-16-2010). The 22-game run is the longest in school history and the second-longest in Centennial history.
? A 20-game Centennial Conference winning streak that dated to the same 26-17 loss to Ursinus (10-16-2010). The 20-game run is the longest in school history and the second-longest in Centennial history.
? An 11-game road winning streak that also dated to that game at Ursinus (10-16-2010). The 11-game run is the longest in school history.
? A 10-game regular season winning streak in the month of November that dated to a 19-11 loss to Franklin & Marshall (11-3-2007).

November Reign: Despite last week's loss, Johns Hopkins is 9-2 in its last 11 games played in the month of November.

Best-Ever 25-Game Run: Dating back to late in the 2010 season, Johns Hopkins is 23-2 in its last 25 games. This is the best 25-game run in school history. JHU had posted a 22-3 record over a 25-game span twice previously.

Quick Starts: The Blue Jays have outscored the opposition 164-48 in the first and second quarters combined through nine games with a 63-20 mark in the first quarter and a 101-28 bulge in the second.

Move Those Chains: Johns Hopkins is 65-of-122 (.533) on third-down attempts through nine games. Johns Hopkins currently ranks third in Division III in third-down efficiency.

That's a Record: Johns Hopkins tied an NCAA Division III record and set school and Centennial Conference records with 40 first downs in the win over Moravian on September 15. This is the third time in Division III history that a team has accumulated 40 first downs in a game.

That's a First: Johns Hopkins scored 35 points in the win at Ursinus and scored at least 33 in each of its first eight games this season before being held to 12 last week at Franklin & Marshall. This was the first time in school history that JHU scored 33+ in eight straight games. The Blue Jays rank first in the Centennial Conference and 24th in the nation in scoring offense (37.4).

On Par: Johns Hopkins averaged a school-record 492.7 yards per game last season and is performing at virtually the same rate this season at 491.8 yards per game.. The Blue Jays currently rank first in the Centennial Conference and 12th nationally in total offense (491.8). JHU has topped the 500-yard mark four times in nine games and only once, at Susquehanna (389), have the Blue Jays been held under 400 yards.

Rigaud Rolling: Senior RB Jonathan Rigaud punched up his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing performance last week at Franklin & Marshall as he rushed for 114 yards and one touchdown on 23 carries. This effort came one week after the best game of his career at Ursinus.

Rigaud rushed for a career-high 238 yards and tied a Johns Hopkins single-game record with four rushing touchdowns to fuel the victory at Ursinus. Rigaud's 238 yards are the fourth-highest single-game total in school history and marked his second consecutive 200-yard game. It was also the second time in three games that he tied the JHU record for rushing touchdowns in a game. He also set a school record for yards per carry in a game (20 or more carries) with his 11.3 average. His 70-yard touchdown run in the second quarter is the fifth-longest run in school history and the longest by a JHU player since Hari Lymon went 79 yards against McDaniel on November 14, 1992.

With his effort at Franklin & Marshall, Rigaud now leads the Centennial Conference in rushing yards (1,173), rushing and overall touchdowns (18) and points per game (12.0). He also ranks second in rushing yards per game (130.3) and all-purpose yards per game (138.3). His 1,173 yards are the third-highest single-season total in school history and his 18 rushing TDs are the second best mark in JHU history. He also currently ranks 14th in the nation in rushing yards per game and ninth in points per game.
In the Johns Hopkins career record book, Rigaud jumped to third in school history in career rushing yards (2,753) with his effort at Franklin & Marshall and his 33 rushing touchdowns are second best in school history. He ranks third in career overall touchdowns with his 33 as well.

Two Jays 2K: Johns Hopkins had a rare double in the win against Muhlenberg as senior running back Jonathan Rigaud topped 2,000 career rushing yards and junior wide receiver Dan Wodicka topped 2,000 career receiving yards in the 33-21 win against the Mules.

Abbott Provides Strong Second Punch: Senior Jonathan Rigaud grabs most of the headlines when it comes to the Johns Hopkins rushing attack, but the Blue Jays actually have two of the top five rushers in the Centennial Conference. Junior JD Abbott enters this week's game vs. McDaniel averaging 74.3 yards per game and has eight touchdowns on the year as well. He rushed for 107 yards and two TDs in the win vs. Gettysburg.
Abbott's 520 rushing yards this season are nearly three times his career total entering this season (188). Combined with Rigaud's 130.3 yards per game, the duo is the top rushing tandem in the Centennial Conference at 204.6 yards per game.

Double Your Pleasure: Jonathan Rigaud (210 rushing yards) and JD Abbott (107) both topped the 100-yard rushing mark vs. Gettysburg. They are the first Johns Hopkins tandem to turn the trick since Adam Cook (149) and Mark Nesbitt (103) against F&M on October 11, 2003. JHU is 16-0 all-time when it has two players top the 100-yard rushing mark in the same game. Wodicka Among National Leaders: Junior Dan Wodicka totaled 10 receptions for 102 yards at Franklin & Marshall and pushed his season totals to 68 receptions for 646 yards and two touchdowns. His effort at F&M also boosted his career totals to 190 receptions for 2,421 yards and 10 touchdowns. He ranks sixth in school history in career receptions and fifth in career receiving yards.
Wodicka's 190 career receptions are the second most by any active Division III junior in the nation and his total is the sixth-highest total among all junior receivers in the nation (all divisions).

Cremens Among Career Leaders: Senior WR Scott Cremens entered the game vs. Juniata with nine receptions on the year (he missed the first game of the season). He matched that with nine catches for 178 yards and three TDs against the Eagles to earn Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors. He now has 26 receptions for 322 yards and three TDs on the year.
Cremens has continued his climb in the JHU record book this season. He now ranks ninth in TD receptions (15), 10th in receptions (121) and 11th in receiving yards (1,436).

D'Orazio Emerges: Junior Bob D'Orazio entered the game at Susquehanna with career totals of seven receptions for 116 yards in 14 career games played. Against the Crusaders he had a then career-high five receptions for a personal-best 122 yards and one touchdown and has continued to excel since then as he has totaled 42 receptions for 528 yards and three TDs in the last eight games (includes the game at Susquehanna). He had six receptions for 78 yards at Dickinson, came back with eight receptions vs. Gettysburg and ranks second on the team in receptions and receiving yards. He is eighth in the Centennial in receptions per game (4.67) and ranks 11th in receiving yards per game (58.7).

Matey Rolling: Junior Robbie Matey is completing a Centennial-high 69.9% of his pass attempts (165-of-236) for 1,811 yards with nine TDs against 11 INTs. He ranks second in the Centennial in pass efficiency (137.6), fourth in passing yards per game (201.2) and sixth in total offense (228.2).
Matey rushed for 59 yards and three touchdowns and was 22-of-33 for 127 yards and one INT to help the Blue Jays to the 49-35 win over Gettysburg. He is the first Johns Hopkins quarterback to rush for more than one touchdown in game since November 16, 2002, when George Merrell rushed for two against McDaniel.

Defense Continues Run: With all the talk about the Johns Hopkins offense, the Blue Jay defense continues to excel. Johns Hopkins currently ranks first in the Centennial Conference in total defense (266.7) and rushing defense (90.9) and second in scoring defense (15.8) and pass defense (175.8). JHU ranks 13th in the nation in total defense, 22nd in rushing defense and 27th in scoring defense. The Blue Jays also rank 23rd in the nation in sacks per game (3.11).
Other notes of interest about the Johns Hopkins defense ...
? JHU posted its first shutout of the season with the recent 49-0 win at Dickinson.
? The opposition is averaging just 2.7 yards per rushing attempt and 4.0 yards per play.
? JHU has surrendered exactly six offensive touchdowns in the first half this season.
? JHU has accumulated 29 sacks in nine games. Thirteen different players have been in on at least one sack thus far.

Maciow Reaches 200, Schweyer Closing: The two most experienced players on the Blue Jay defense - seniors Taylor Maciow and Adam Schweyer - both figured to reach the 200-tackle mark late this season. Maciow got there in the recent win at Ursinus, while Schweyer enters this week's game vs. McDaniel needing just two to get there.
Maciow recorded five tackles against the Bears and came back with a career-high 15 at F&M to run his career total to 215. He ranks first on the team in tackles (70) and TFLs (7.5) and second in sacks (4.0) and has two pass breakups and one fumble recovery to his credit as well. His 42-yard fumble return for a touchdown with just under five minutes remaining sealed the 49-35 win vs. Gettysburg.
Schweyer enters this week's game vs. McDaniel with 198 career tackles. He notched his third career touchdown with an 18-yard interception return against Juniata earlier this season. All three of his career TDs have come against the Eagles. He also has 15 career TFLs, six sacks, four interceptions, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He ranks second on the team in tackles (56) this season and has 7.0 TFLs, two sacks and two interceptions.

Arena Posts Career-High: Junior LB John Arena, a neuroscience major with a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average, posted a career-high 12 tackles, including 2.0 for losses, and added a forced fumble and a pass breakup at Franklin & Marshall. Arena jumped to third on the team in tackles (52) and also counts 5.5 tackles for losses and one sack to his credit this season.
Among Arena's 12 tackles at F&M was the 100th of his career. He now has 103 tackles, 12 tackles for losses and four sacks in his career.

Youth Shall Be Served: While seniors Adam Schweyer and Taylor Maciow rank as the team's top two tacklers, the defense as a whole is one of the youngest in the Centennial Conference. In fact, there is only one senior among JHU's eight-man rotation on the defensive line and just one senior among JHU's top six defensive backs. Three of the top six players in the secondary are freshmen and three of the four starters on the defensive line are sophomores.
Consider also that of the 21 players with 10 or more tackles on the year, only five are seniors; six are juniors, six are sophomores and four are freshmen.

Defensive Line Applies the Pressure: Junior Joe DiTrolio and sophomores Matthew Connery and Michael Longo have started all nine games on the defensive line and have combined for 88 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks thus far.
DiTrolio's 34 tackles lead all JHU defensive linemen, while he is tied for fourth on the team in sacks (3.0) and ranks sixth in tackles for losses (5.0).
Connery counts a team-high 8.0 tackles for losses among his 25 stops on the year and he ranks third with 3.5 sacks, while Longo has 29 tackles, including 4.5 for losses and three sacks to his credit.
Other key contributors on the defensive line include juniors Mike Zikoski (22 tackles, one sack) and Andy Laychur (17 tackles, team-high 5.5 sacks), senior Jordan Randolph (18 tackles) and sophomore Michael Rocca (15 tackles, 1.5 TFLs and one sack).

Trumbetti Picks a Pair: Freshman safety Joe Trumbetti enjoyed a solid game at Dickinson as he posted three tackles and came up with a pair of interceptions. His first INT stopped a Dickinson drive deep in Blue Jay territory midway through the first quarter.
Trumbetti now has 14 tackles and the two interceptions on the year. His two-interception game vs. the Red Devils is the first for a Johns Hopkins player since Ryan Piatek had two against Susquehanna on September 10, 2011.

Reeves, Corliss Make Sudden Impact: Freshmen TJ Reeves and Keith Corliss have made an immediate impact on the Blue Jay defense and special teams.
Reeves ranks first among all freshmen and tied for sixth overall with 29 tackles on the year after posting a career-high seven tackles at F&M.
Corliss currently leads the team with 10 special teams tackles among his 22 stops on the year. He is tied for 11th on the team with his 22 tackles thus far.

Carbone Honored: Junior kicker Richie Carbone entered the game at Muhlenberg with exactly two career field goals to his credit. He matched that total in a 10-minute span in the second quarter that turned a 7-7 tie into a 13-7 lead that the Blue Jays would never relinquish. He was good from 23 yards and a career-best 42 yards and hit all three of his extra point attempts to earn Centennial Conference Special Teams Player of the Week. This is the first time in his career he has earned the honor. For the year, Carbone is 40-of-44 on extra points and 2-for-3 on field goals. He notched the 100th point of his career vs. Gettysburg as he was 7-of-7 on extra points. He is also averaging 36.6 yards per punt.

Centennial Favorites: For the fourth consecutive year and the seventh time in the last nine years Johns Hopkins was selected as the favorite in the league's preseason poll of coaches and SIDs. The Blue Jays received 14 of 20 first-place votes and totaled 153 points to easily out-distance Ursinus, which checked in at number two in the poll.

JHU Ties Victory Record: Johns Hopkins posted a 10-1 record in 2011 and tied the school record for victories in a season. Only twice previously - 2003 & 2009 - had Hopkins won 10 games in a season. Johns Hopkins had never won more than seven games in a season prior to 2002, but the Blue Jays have posted eight or more wins nine times in the last 11 years.

NCAA History: Johns Hopkins made its third trip to the NCAA Playoffs last season with all three appearances coming since 2005 under the direction of Jim Margraff, the all-time winningest coach in school history. The Blue Jays are 2-3 all-time in the NCAAs with a run to the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2009 highlighting JHU's NCAA history. Unlike the previous four NCAA games in school history, the Blue Jays hosted the first round game last season. JHU dropped a 23-12 decision to St. John Fisher, which advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals before being eliminated.

Post-Season Regulars: JHU's appearance in the NCAAs last season was the third in school history and also the eighth time Johns Hopkins has advanced to the post-season as JHU has played in five ECAC Bowl Games since 2002. Including the 2-3 record in NCAA action, JHU sports a 6-4 all-time post-season record as the Blue Jays are 4-1 all-time in ECAC Bowl Games.

Sustained Success: Since the start of the 2002 season the Blue Jays sport an 89-30 (.748) record. Taking it back farther the Blue Jays are 95-33 (.742) since the start of the 2001 season and 100-38 (.725) since the beginning of the 2000 season. The 74 wins the Blue Jays amassed from 2000-09 are the most wins in a decade in school history. Johns Hopkins had never won more than seven games in a season prior to this decade. In the decade completed in 2009, the Blue Jays averaged more than seven wins per season (7.4).

Seven's Heaven: Since the beginning of the 2003 season the Blue Jays are 80-21 (.792) when scoring more than seven points and 0-7 when they have been held to seven points or less.

- 30 -