Johns Hopkins-Franklin & Marshall Football Notes

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The Game: Johns Hopkins (8-0, 7-0 Centennial) hits the road for the final time in the regular season as the Blue Jays venture into Pennsylvania for the fifth time this season for a game at Franklin & Marshall (5-3, 4-3 CC).

A Look Back: Johns Hopkins improved to 8-0 overall and 7-0 in the Centennial Conference with a 42-14 win at Ursinus last Saturday. Franklin & Marshall ran its winning streak to three games with a 13-8 win at Susquehanna on the same day.

Poll Position: Johns Hopkins moved up one spot to eighth in the AFCA Division III Poll and the D3football.com Poll. The #8 ranking in the AFCA Poll is tied for the highest in school history, while the #8 ranking in the D3football.com Poll is the highest JHU has ever been ranked in that poll.
In addition to the identical number eight 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 36th consecutive week dating back to early in the 2011 season and in the top 25 for the 37th consecutive week.

November Reign: Entering this week's game against Franklin & Marshall, Johns Hopkins is 14-1 in its last 15 regular season games in the month of November dating back to 2008. Including the post-season, the Blue Jays are 17-5 in their last 22 games in November (also dating to 2008).

More November: Johns Hopkins is 15-1 in its last 16 regular season home games in the month of November. Since the start of the 2001 season, JHU's only loss at home in the regular season in November came in 2007, when F&M took a 19-11 decision.

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 75 home games and is 57-18 in those games. Remarkably, head coach Jim Margraff's team has been just as successful on the road as the Blue Jays are 58-17 in 75 games away from Homewood Field during that time.

Quick Starts: Johns Hopkins is 8-0 for the fourth consecutive season. These represent the only four 8-0 starts in school history.

Quick Starts - Part II: 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 in each of their last five games. Cumulatively, JHU has outscored the opposition 91-0 in the first quarter of the last five games and holds a 139-20 first-half scoring margin in those games.

The Path to the Boot: The winner of the Centennial Conference football championship earns the coveted bronzed boot trophy, which has been in place since the league was formed in 1983 (as a football-only league - it became an all-sports league starting in the fall of 1993).
Johns Hopkins is aiming for its sixth straight Centennial Conference title as the Blue Jays own outright championships in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and shared the title in 2010 with Muhlenberg and Ursinus.
With two games remaining in the regular season, there are still three teams that can grab at least a share of the Centennial Conference title, although only two can earn the league's automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA Playoffs. Below is a look at the three teams that can still earn at least a share of the title and, if applicable, their path to the CC's automatic bid to the NCAAs:

Johns Hopkins - The Blue Jays earn the outright CC title and the automatic bid with wins in their final two games or one win coupled with a Muhlenberg loss. JHU gets the automatic bid with a win in either of its final two games.

Muhlenberg - The Mules get a share of the title with two wins and one loss by Johns Hopkins. The Mules get the automatic bid with two wins coupled with two Johns Hopkins losses. This is the only scenario where Johns Hopkins does not get the bid.

Ursinus - Ursinus gets a share of the title with two wins coupled with two losses by Johns Hopkins. There is no scenario where Ursinus gets the automatic bid.

Breaking the Ties: In the case of a tie for the CC title, the league's automatic bid will be awarded as follows:

Johns Hopkins-Muhlenberg (8-1): Bid goes to Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins-Ursinus (7-2): Bid goes to Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins-Muhlenberg-Ursinus (7-2): Bid goes to Johns Hopkins

Margraff Sets State Record: Johns Hopkins head coach Jim Margraff became the winningest college football coach in Maryland state history with last week's 42-14 win at Ursinus as that gave him 175 career victories.
Margraff now sports a career record of 175-82-3 (.679) entering this week's game at Franklin & Marshall. Margraff had been tied with legendary Morgan State head coach Eddie Hurt, who won 174 games from 1929-59.

Margraff 10th on Division III Victories List: Johns Hopkins head coach Jim Margraff picked up career victory number 175 with the win last week at Ursinus. In addition to ranking as the winningest coach in school and Maryland state history, Margraff also ranks 10th among active NCAA Division III coaches in career victories; below is a look at the top 10:

Seniors Tie School Record: The seniors on the 2014 Johns Hopkins football team tied the school record for most wins by one class with last week's 42-14 win at Ursinus. The Blue Jays are now 38-4 since this year's seniors arrived in 2011 and they are tied with the seniors on the 2012 and 2013 teams with their 38 wins. The 38 victories also rank as the second-most by one class in Centennial Conference history. Below is a look at the four winningest classes in Centennial Conference history

Most Wins in a Four-Year Period (Centennial Conference History)
1. McDaniel (41-5 • 1997-2000)
2T. Johns Hopkins (38-4 • 2011-)
2T. Johns Hopkins (38-7 • 2010-13)
2T. Johns Hopkins (38-9 • 2009-12)

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 1,500 yards and 24 touchdowns in eight games.
With this group leading the way, Johns Hopkins is averaging 220.0 yards per game on the ground and has 27 rushing touchdowns on the year. JHU ranks second 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 604 yards and also has six touchdowns • Ranks eighth in the Centennial in rushing yards per game (75.5), sixth in kickoff return average (24.3) and 11th in all-purpose yards per game (104.0) • Ranks 20th in school history in rushing yards (1,267) • Averaging 5.6 yards per rush this season and in his career.

Brandon Cherry - Ranks second on the team in rushing yards with 409 and has four touchdowns as well • Also has 12 receptions for 102 yards and one TD • Ranks12th in the Centennial in rushing yards per game (58.4) • Ranks 15th in school history in rushing yards (1,647) and tied for 13th in rushing TDs (15) • Has averaged 6.0 yards per carry in his career.

Dionisio Roman - Ranks fourth on the team in rushing yards with 217 and tied for first with seven rushing TDs to his credit • Has the longest run on the team this season (46T vs. Juniata) • Has 10 rushing TDs on 77 career carries (one every 7.7 carries).

Anderson Breaks Out: Senior Braden Anderson has quietly jumped up among the Centennial Conference leaders in several statistical categories with his recent efforts in wins against Muhlenberg, Juniata, Dickinson, Gettysburg and Ursinsus. On the year, Anderson is 137-of-202 (.678) for 1,788 yards with 17 touchdowns against four INTs. He has also rushed for 270 yards and seven TDs. Anderson has had a hand in 24 (17 passing • 7 rushing) of JHU's 45 touchdowns on the year.

Anderson currently leads the CC in pass efficiency (165.99) and ranks fourth in pass yards per game (223.5) and total offense (257.2). He also leads the league in completion percentage and his 17 TD passes are tied for the most in the league. Anderson has been at his best in JHU's last 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 interception.

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 16 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 234.0 yards per game. The leaders include ...

Quinn Donaldson - Ranks second on the team with 32 receptions, which have gone for a team-high 574 yards and five TDs • Ranks fifth in the Centennial in receiving yards per game (71.8) and 13th in receptions per game (4.00) • 17.9 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 33 receptions, which have gone for 493 yards and five scores • Ranks eighth in the Centennial in receptions per game (4.71) and sixth in receiving yards per game (70.4) • 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.
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 - Ranks third on the team in receptions (15) and receiving yards (157) • 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.

In Case You Didn't Notice: Johns Hopkins has 153 completed passes through eight games. Of those, 152 of the 153 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 eight games the Blue Jays are allowing just 14.0 points and 304.6 yards per game. The opposition is averaging just 3.5 yards per rushing attempt and has converted just 41-of-131 (.313) third down opportunities. JHU leads the Centennial Conference in scoring defense and ranks second in total defense and pass defense (176.5) and third in rushing defense (128.1).

More Defense: In addition to allowing just 14.0 points per game, the Blue Jay defense has forced 19 turnovers and generated 22 sacks in eight games. Hopkins' 19 caused turnovers rank second in the Centennial, while the 22 sacks also rank second.

Still More Defense: Johns Hopkins' 19 forced turnovers is eight games this season are already five 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 eight games this season, the Blue Jays already have 12 to their credit with three against Randolph-Macon, Moravian and Juniata and one against Susquehanna, Dickinson and Gettysburg.
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 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. 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.

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 138 career tackles in 28 career games played. He also counts 6.5 TFLs, four PBUs, 1.5 sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery to his credit. He posted 10 tackles at Dickinson, six against Gettysburg and nine at Ursinus to run his team-high total to 56 tackles on the year.

• Senior defensive end Michael Longo leads all defensive linemen with 37 tackles this season and also leads the team with 10.5 TFLs and 7.0 sacks. He now has 127 tackles, 30.5 TFLs and 19.5 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 109 tackles in his career, including 22 this season. In addition, his 16 career PBUs and six career INTs are the most among all active Johns Hopkins players.

• Senior Hani Annabi is JHU's active career leader in tackles with 143. He missed the first five games of the season, but has seen action in the last three games and has three tackles to his credit on the year.

Super Sophs: Two of Johns Hopkins' top three tacklers, four of the top eight and five of the 11 players on the team with 20 or more tackles on the season are all members of the sophomore class. Defensive back Jack Toner (41 tackles) and linebacker Jack Campbell (37) lead the way among the second-year players, while Pat Runger (25), Jesse Poore (24) and Garrett Spek (22) are also members of the 20-tackle club.

JHU Ties Victory Record: Johns Hopkins posted a 10-1 record in 2013 and tied the school record for victories in a season. Only four times previously - 2003, 2009, 2011 and 2012 - 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 10 times in the last 12 years.

Centennial Conference Champions: Johns Hopkins claimed its ninth Centennial Conference title last season with all nine championships coming since 2002. JHU's nine CC titles are tied for the most in league history with Dickinson and Muhlenberg.

Centennial Favorites: For the sixth consecutive year and the ninth time in the last 11 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 158 points to out-distance Muhlenberg, which checked in at number two in the poll with six first-place votes and 147 points.

A Return to the NCAAs: Johns Hopkins made its third straight and fifth overall appearance in the NCAA Playoffs last 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.

On a Roll: Johns Hopkins is 41-1 in its last 42 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 42-game regular season run began with a 49-24 win at Susquehanna on October 23, 2010.

On A Roll, Part II: Johns Hopkins is 43-4 in its last 47 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 24-3 (.889) 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 109-32 (.773) record. Taking it back farther the Blue Jays are 115-35 (.767) since the start of the 2001 season and 120-40 (.750) since the beginning of the 2000 season.

Seven's Heaven: Since the beginning of the 2003 season the Blue Jays are 100-23 (.813) when scoring more than seven points and 0-7 when they have been held to seven points or less.

- Pride and Poise -