Johns Hopkins-Rowan NCAA Football Notes

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The Game: Sixth-ranked Johns Hopkins (10-0) welcomes Rowan (7-3) to Homewood Field for the first round of the 2014 NCAA Division III Playoffs. Kickoff in Baltimore is set for noon on Saturday, November 22.

A Look Back: Johns Hopkins closed the regular season with a 48-17 victory against rival McDaniel last Saturday at Homewood Field. Rowan wrapped up its regular season with a 14-6 win at TCNJ.

How They Got Here: Johns Hopkins earned the Centennial Conference's automatic bid to the NCAAs, while Rowan grabbed the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) automatic bid.

A Return to the NCAAs: Johns Hopkins is making its fourth straight and sixth overall appearance in the NCAA Playoffs this season. The Blue Jays are 3-5 all-time in NCAA action with a trip to the 2009 NCAA Quarterfinals and an appearance in the second round in 2012 highlighting their playoff history.

Series History: This will be the first-ever meeting between Johns Hopkins and Rowan in football. The teams did not share a common opponent in the regular season.

All-Time vs. the NJAC: Despite the relative close proximity, Johns Hopkins has played just two games all-time against a team from the NJAC. The Blue Jays won at Kean, 35-17, on September 11. 2004 and fell at then Trenton State (now TCNJ), 28-6, on October 19, 1974.

Centennial Conference Champions: Johns Hopkins won its fourth straight outright Centennial Conference title, its sixth straight overall title (JHU shared the 2010 title • won the '09 title outright) and the 10th CC title in school history this season. All 10 CC titles have come since 2002.

Simply Perfect: Johns Hopkins completed its third 10-0 regular season in the last four years with the 48-17 win over McDaniel last Saturday. JHU also went 10-0 in 2011 and 2013. The only other time JHU went through a regular season unbeaten was in 1944, when the Blue Jays went 1-0-2.

A Perfect 10: Johns Hopkins has tied the school single-season record for victories with its 10 thus far this season. Only five times previously - 2003, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013 - 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 11 times in the last 13 years.

More 10: Johns Hopkins became the first Centennial Conference team to win 10 league titles with this year's championship. Johns Hopkins had been tied with Muhlenberg and Dickinson atop the championship roll with nine titles. All 10 Johns Hopkins titles have come since 2002. The Centennial Conference was formed as a football-only league in 1983 and became an all-sports league with play beginning in 1993.

Last to First: Johns Hopkins was the last team in Centennial Conference history to win a league title as Hopkins didn't win its first title until 2002. Despite that, JHU is the first to get to 10 league titles.

Ok, One More 10: While many were focused on Johns Hopkins' 10 victory and 10th league title, head coach Jim Margraff's team posted another impressive 10 recently as 10 Blue Jays were named to the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District Team. Johns Hopkins' 10 selections were the most of any team in the district, represented 10 of the 14 selections from the Centennial Conference and were the most in school history.
To be eligible for the award, players must be a starter or significant reserve, at least a sophomore and carry at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average. Players named to the Academic All-District Team go on the ballot for national Academic All-America honors; that team will be announced on December 2.

State of Affairs: The 2014 Johns Hopkins football roster consists of 88 players from 23 different states. The Rowan roster consists of 83 players from two states - in fact, 82 of Rowan's 83 players hail from New Jersey.

Strange: Johns Hopkins has a player named Rowan on its roster (junior offensive lineman Rowan Cade) and Rowan has a player named Hopkins on its roster (senior offensive lineman Evan Hopkins).

Poll Position: Johns Hopkins moved up one spot to sixth in this week's AFCA Division III Poll and held firm at number seven in the D3football.com Poll. The number six ranking in the AFCA Poll is the highest in school history, while the number seven ranking from D3football.com is the highest JHU has ever been ranked in that poll.
In addition to the national rankings, Johns Hopkins also checks in at #3 in this week's Lambert Meadowlands ranking of teams in the East.

Ranking Streaks: Johns Hopkins is ranked in the top 20 of the AFCA Poll for the 38th consecutive week dating back to early in the 2011 season and in the top 25 for the 39th consecutive week.

Honoring Our Seniors: Johns Hopkins held its senior day festitivies prior to the game against McDaniel. The current seniors have spearheaded one of the great four-year runs in program history. Below are a few of the accomplishments since this group arrived in 2011:

• Four Centennial Conference Championships
• Four NCAA Playoff appearances
• A cumulative record of 40-4 entering this week's game against Rowan.
• A regular season record of 39-1.

Seniors Set School Record: The seniors on the 2014 Johns Hopkins football team set a school record for most wins by one class with the 33-14 win at Franklin & Marshall on November 8. The Blue Jays are now 40-4 since this year's seniors arrived in 2011 and moved past the seniors on the 2012 and 2013 teams (38 wins). The 40 victories also rank as the second-most by one class in Centennial Conference history.

November Reign: Including the post-season, the Blue Jays are 20-5 in their last 25 games in November dating back to the 2008 season.

Can't Get More Even: The success of the Johns Hopkins football team since the start of the 2001 season has been well documented. Amazingly, that success has been nearly identical on the road and at home. Dating back to the start of the 2001 season, Johns Hopkins has played 76 home games and is 58-18 in those games. Remarkably, head coach Jim Margraff's team has been just as successful on the road as the Blue Jays are 59-17 in 76 games away from Homewood Field during that time.

Quick Starts: Johns Hopkins has jumped out to some quick starts of late as the Blue Jays have led at least 14-0 at the end of the first quarter six times in their last seven games. Cumulatively, JHU has outscored the opposition 126-14 in the first quarter of the last seven games and holds a 190-34 first-half scoring margin in those games.
Below is a look at the score of Johns Hopkins' last seven games at the end of the first quarter and at halftime:

Margraff Sets State Record: Johns Hopkins head coach Jim Margraff became the winningest college football coach in Maryland state history with the 42-14 win at Ursinus (November 1) as that gave him 175 career victories, a mark he upped to 177 with last week's win vs. McDaniel.
Margraff now sports a career record of 177-82-3 (.681) entering this week's game against Rowan. Margraff had been tied with legendary Morgan State head coach Eddie Hurt, who won 174 games from 1929-59.

Margraff Ninth on Division III Victories List: Johns Hopkins head coach Jim Margraff picked up career victory number 177 with the win last week vs. McDaniel. In addition to ranking as the winningest coach in school and Maryland state history, Margraff is also tied for ninth among active NCAA Division III coaches in career victories.

Balanced Ground Game Leading Offense: Four players are leading the Johns Hopkins ground game this season as sophomore Stuart Walters, junior Brandon Cherry, sophomore Dionisio Roman and senior Braden Anderson have combined for 1,768 yards and 29 touchdowns in 10 games.
With this group leading the way, Johns Hopkins is averaging 218.0 yards per game on the ground and has 33 rushing touchdowns on the year. JHU ranks third in the Centennial in rushing yards per game and leads the CC in rushing TDs. Below is look at JHU's three top running backs:

Stuart Walters - Leads the Blue Jays in rushing with 651 yards and also has seven touchdowns • Ranks eighth in the Centennial in rushing yards per game (72.3), fifth in kickoff return average (24.3) and eighth in all-purpose yards per game (97.7) • Ranks 20th in school history in rushing yards (1,314) • Averaging 5.5 yards per rush this season and 5.6 in his career.

Brandon Cherry - Ranks second on the team in rushing yards with 461 and has six touchdowns as well • Also has 13 receptions for 101 yards and one TD • Ranks13th in the Centennial in rushing yards per game (51.2) • Ranks 13th in school history in rushing yards (1,699) and 14th in rushing TDs (17) • Has averaged 5.9 yards per carry in his career.

Dionisio Roman - Ranks fourth on the team in rushing yards with 275 and tied for second with seven rushing TDs to his credit • Has the 2nd longest run on the team this season (46T vs. Juniata) • Has 10 rushing TDs on 91 career carries (one every 9.1 carries).

Anderson Breaks Out: Senior Braden Anderson finished the regular season ranked among the Centennial Conference leaders in every passing category.
On the year, Anderson is 166-of-250 (.664) for 2,118 yards with 20 touchdowns against six INTs. He has also rushed for 381 yards and a team-high nine TDs. Anderson has had a hand in 29 (20 passing • 9 rushing) of JHU's 55 touchdowns on the year.
Anderson currently leads the CC in pass efficiency (159.16) and ranks fourth in pass yards per game (211.8) and third in total offense (249.9). He also ranks second in the league in completion percentage and touchdown passes.
Anderson was at his best in JHU's five wins against Mulenberg, Juniata, Dickinson, Gettysburg and Ursinus as he combined to go 92-of-130 (.708) for 1,304 yards with 16 TDs against just one intercpetion in those victories.
In addition to his statistical exploits, Anderson also became the seventh straight Johns Hopkins quarterback to win the first start of his career when JHU topped Randolph-Macon, 42-3, in the season-opener.

Deep Receiving Corps Excels: Senior quarterback Braden Anderson has done a good job spreading the ball around thus far this season as 17 different players have at least one reception and six players have 10 or more catches on the year. Like the rushing attack, there are several players fueling a passing attack that is accounting for 228.2 yards per game. The leaders include ...

Quinn Donaldson - Ranks second on the team with 38 receptions, which have gone for a 644 yards and six TDs • Ranks eighth in the Centennial in receiving yards per game (64.4) and 15th in receptions per game (3.80) • 16.9 yards per reception is second-best in the CC among players with 25 or more receptions • Had four receptions for 93 yards and two scores at Muhlenberg, four receptions for 86 yards at Dickinson and five receptions for a career-high 142 yards and two scores at Ursinus.

Bradley Munday - Leads the team with 40 receptions, which have gone for a team-high 664 yards and six scores • Ranks fifth in the Centennial in receptions per game (5.0) and fourth in receiving yards per game (73.8) • Enjoyed the best day of his career at Muhlenberg as he had 13 receptions for 150 yards and one touchdown - 13 receptions and 150 yards are both career highs, while his 56-yard TD reception with just over two minutes remaining in regulation sealed the victory. Added two receptions for 73 yards, including a 66-yard TD reception, at Dickinson ... 66-yard reception was the longest of his career ... and six receptions for 124 yards and a 50-yard TD reception vs. Gettysburg • Totaled four receptions for 77 yards and one TD at Ursinus and had seven receptions for 96 yards and one score and one kickoff return for 80 yards at Franklin & Marshall - the 80-yard KOR at F&M is tied for the 10th longest in school history and is the longest by a JHU player since Richard Hill had a 90-yard return at McDaniel in 2007.
Munday's 13 receptions against Muhlenberg are the most by a Johns Hopkins player since Dan Wodicka had 13 at McDaniel in 2011, while his 150 receiving yards are the most since Wodicka had 159 in that same game against McDaniel in 2011.

Ryan Finkel - Tied for third on the team in receptions (17) and and ranks third in receiving yards (173) • Had five receptions for 49 yards and one TD vs. Juniata and notched the 50th reception of his career in the win over the Eagles.

Boone Lewis, Jr. - Quietly tied for third on the team in receptions with 17 • 17 receptions have gone for 122 yards and one touchdown • Had just one reception for 11 yards last season.

In Case You Didn't Notice: Johns Hopkins has 187 completed passes through 10 games. Of those, 184 of the 187 have been caught by players who will return next season.

Defense Among Centennial's Best: While the Blue Jay offense grabs a lot of the headlines, the Johns Hopkins defense is enjoying a strong year as well. Through 10 games the Blue Jays are allowing just 14.3 points and 300.2 yards per game. The opposition is averaging just 3.62 yards per rushing attempt and has converted just 51-of-159 (.321) third down opportunities. JHU leads the Centennial Conference in scoring defense and pass defense (162.8) and ranks fourth in rushing defense (137.4).

More Defense: In addition to allowing just 14.3 points per game, the Blue Jay defense has forced 27 turnovers and generated 27 sacks in 10 games. Hopkins' 27 caused turnovers lead the Centennial, while the 27 sacks rank third.

Still More Defense: Johns Hopkins' 27 forced turnovers is 10 games this season are already 13 more than the Blue Jays caused in 11 games last season.

Good Hands Team: The Johns Hopkins defense came up with just eight interceptions in 11 games during the 2013 season. Through 10 games this season, the Blue Jays already have 15 to their credit with three against Randolph-Macon, Moravian and Juniata, two against McDaniel and one against Susquehanna, Dickinson, Gettysburg and F&M.
Sophomore Jack Toner leads the way with three INTs on the year, while classmate Garrett Spek and senior Ryan Rice have a pair of intercpetions to their credit. Brady Watts, Sebastian Edwards, Keith Corliss, Curtis Antrum, Joe Trumbetti, Dan Johnson and Lance Hammand all have one thus far.

Hammond First DL in Five Years With an INT: Freshman defensive lineman Lance Hammond came up with the first interception of his career in the 42-7 win at Dickinson as his INT killed a Red Devil scoring threat at the Johns Hopkins 14-yard line. Hammond is the first Johns Hopkins defensive lineman to record an interception since Glenn Rocca had one in a 23-7 win at Hampden-Sydney in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Playoffs. Amazingly, Rocca had three interceptions that season.
Hammond is quietly enjoying a strong freshman year in the middle of the Blue Jay defensive line as he counts 25 tackles, including 3.0 for losses and 2.0 sacks, to go along with one forced fumble and his one interception.

Hitting the Century Mark: Johns Hopkins had two players reach the 100-tackle mark for their career vs. Moravian and another reach the mark in the win against Juniata. Current players with 100+ tackles ...

• Junior linebacker Keith Corliss has 152 career tackles in 30 career games played. He also counts 6.5 TFLs, four PBUs, 1.5 sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery to his credit. Recently, he posted 10 tackles at Dickinson, six against Gettysburg, nine at Ursinus and 11 at F&M and now has a team and career-high 70 on the year.

• Senior defensive end Michael Longo leads all defensive linemen with 42 tackles this season and also leads the team with 12.0 TFLs and 8.5 sacks. He now has 132 tackles, 32.0 TFLs and 21.0 sacks in his career.

• Senior safety Ryan Rice became the latest JHU player to eclipse the 100-tackle mark when he got there against Juniata. Rice now has 111 tackles in his career, including 24 this season. In addition, his 16 career PBUs and six career INTs are the most among all active Johns Hopkins players.

• Senior Hani Annabi has 150 career tackles to his credit. He missed the first five games of the season, but has seen action in the last five games and has 10 tackles on the year.

Super Sophs: Two of Johns Hopkins' top four tacklers and six of the 15 players on the team with 20 or more tackles on the season are all members of the sophomore class. Defensive back Jack Toner (53 tackles) and linebacker Jack Campbell (39) lead the way among the second-year players, while Jesse Poore (27), Pat Runger (25), Dan Johnson (25) and Garrett Spek (23) are also members of the 20-tackle club.

On a Roll: Johns Hopkins is 43-1 in its last 44 regular season games dating back to late in the 2010 season. The only team to top the Blue Jays duirng that run? Franklin & Marshall, which topped the Blue Jays, 14-12, in 2012. JHU's 44-game regular season run began with a 49-24 win at Susquehanna on October 23, 2010.

On A Roll, Part II: Johns Hopkins is 45-4 in its last 49 games overall since late in the 2010 season. Three of the Blue Jays' four losses during that time have come in the NCAA Playoffs.

At Home at Homewood: Johns Hopkins has parlayed its home field advantage into victories in recent years. In fact, the Blue Jays are 25-3 (.893) in the home blacks since the start of the 2010 season.

Sustained Success: Since the start of the 2002 season the Blue Jays sport a 111-32 (.776) record. Taking it back farther the Blue Jays are 117-35 (.770) since the start of the 2001 season and 122-40 (.753) since the beginning of the 2000 season.

Seven's Heaven: Since the beginning of the 2003 season the Blue Jays are 102-23 (.816) when scoring more than seven points and 0-7 when they have been held to seven points or less.

- Pride and Poise -