Johns Hopkins-Ursinus Football Notes

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The Game: Eighth-ranked Johns Hopkins (7-0, 6-0 Centennial) welcomes Ursinus (2-5, 1-5 CC) to Homewood Field for late-season Centennial Conference game. Kickoff is set for 1 pm.

A Look Back: Johns Hopkins improved its record to 7-0 overall and 6-0 in the Centennial Conference with a 36-7 victory at Gettysburg last Saturday. Ursinus suffered its third straigth defeat last Saturday as the Bears fell at Susquehanna 48-21.

Poll Position: Johns Hopkins is ranked eighth in this week's AFCA Division III Poll and 10th in the D3football.com Poll. Ursinus is not ranked in either poll.

State of Affairs: The 2015 Johns Hopkins football roster consists of 88 players from 23 different states. The Ursinus roster counts 110 players from seven states.

At Home at Homewood: Johns Hopkins has parlayed its home field advantage into victories in recent years. In fact, the Blue Jays are 29-3 in the home blacks since the start of the 2010 season.

Road Warriors: With last week's 36-7 victory at Gettysburg, the Blue Jays extended their regular season road winning streak to 14 games. The Blue Jays last dropped a regular season road game at F&M late in the 2012 season.

The Race for the Boot: With three weeks remaining in the regular season, the race for the Boot (the Centennial Conference championship trophy) is entering the critical stage. While there is too much to breakdown to figure out all the scenarios (every team with three losses or less in league play at this point has a shot of grabbing at least a share of the title), there can be some clarity by the time the calendar flips to November on Sunday.

Here is a quick look at the most basic things that can happen this weekend as it relates to Johns Hopkins.

1 - Johns Hopkins clinches no worse than a share of the CC title with a win against Ursinus and a Moravian loss against Gettysburg.

2 - Johns Hopkins clinches no worse than a share of the title and locks up the Centennial's automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA Playoffs with a win against Ursinus and losses by Moravian and Franklin & Marshall.

In the Centennial Record Book: With the win last week against Gettysburg, Johns Hopkins continued its assault on the Centennial Conference record book. Consider ...

... The 28 straight regular season victories for JHU are just two shy of the league record. McDaniel won 30 consecutive regular season games from 1997-99.

... The 25 straight Centennial Conference victories for JHU rank as the second-longest streak in league history. McDaniel won 33 straight CC games from 1997-2001.

... The 38 wins Johns Hopkins has accumulated since the start of the 2012 season are just three shy of the CC record for most in a four-year span. McDaniel won 41 games from 1997-2000 - a mark Johns Hopkins tied from 2011-14.

Looking for 8-0: A win this week would give Johns Hopkins its fifth straight 8-0 start. Prior to starting 8-0 in 2011, Johns Hopkins had never won its first eight games in a season.

Flipping the Calendar to October: While September has been kind to Johns Hopkins of late, October has been nearly as successful for the Blue Jays. In fact, JHU will carry an 18-game October winning streak into this week's game against Ursinus. Johns Hopkins last lost a game in the month of October in 2010, when Ursinus topped the Blue Jays, 26-17.

Offense Rolling: Johns Hopkins scored 40 or more points in each of the first five games this season (52 @ RMC, 59 vs. Susquehanna, 45 @ Moravian, 49 vs. Muhlenberg, 41 @ Juniata) before 34 and 36-point efforts in its last two games. The five-game run of scoring 40+ is the longest in school history as is the seven-game streak of scoring at least 34 points.

Among the National Leaders: Entering this week's game against Ursinus, Johns Hopkins ranks in the top 30 in the nation in scoring offense (13th • 45.1 ppg), total offense (27th • 492.6 ypg), rushing offense (29th • 244.9), third-down percentage (4th • .547) and first downs (11th•186 (26.6/game)).

Quick Starts: Johns Hopkins has had 44 combined possessions in the first half of its seven games thus far. Of those 44, 28 have ended with touchdowns and three others with a field goal. In other words, Hopkins has scored on 70.5% of its first-half possessions this season.

More Quick Starts: Johns Hopkins has outscored the opposition 202-36 in the first half of its seven games this season. Included in that first-half breakdown is an 89-10 margin in the first quarter and a 113-26 margin the second quarter.

To Put it in Perspective: Johns Hopkins has scored 316 points in seven games, or an average of 45.1 points per game. The 316 points the Blue Jays have scored are already the seventh-highest single-season total in school history, while the 45.1 points per game is nearly five points per game higher than the JHU school record (40.1 in 2013).

Cherry Jumps to Seventh, Fifth: Senior running back Brandon Cherry rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns last week and continues to lead the Blue Jays in rushing (80.0 yards/game) this season. He is also tied for the team lead with seven rushing TDs.
With his recent efforts, Cherry now ranks seventh at JHU in career rushing yards (2,349), fifth in career rushing TDs (24), tied for fifth in overall touchdowns (29) and 12th in all-purpose yards (3,055). Earlier this season, Cherry added his name in the record book in another spot as he tied the Johns Hopkins record for touchdowns in a game (4) as he scored on runs of 73, 14 and six yards and added a 34-yard TD reception in a 45-23 win at Moravian.

Walters Closing on 2,000: Junior Stuart Walters rushed for 83 yards and one TD against Gettysburg and ranks second on the team in rushing (71.9) and tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns (7). Walters pushed his career totals to 1,895 yards and 20 rushing TDs with his effort at Gettysburg. He ranks 11th in school history in career rushing yards and rushing TDs.
Walters also has 2,469 career all-purpose yards and 24 overall touchdowns to his credit. His 24 overall TDs are tied for 12th in school history.

Germano Among National Leaders: Junior quarterback Jonathan Germano has gotten off to a quick start this season as he has guided the Blue Jays to seven victories in his first seven career starts. Through seven games, Germano is 134-of-184 (.728) for 1,641 yards with 20 touchdowns against just six interceptions. In addition, he has rushed for 298 yards and four more scores.
Germano currently ranks first in the nation in completion percentage (.728), seventh in the nation in pass efficiency (177.09) and 15th in touchdown passes (20). Germano's 20 touchdown passes this season are already the fourth-best total in school history and he is just the third JHU quarterback to throw 20 or more touchdowns in one season.
In the 59-7 victory against Susquehanna earlier this season, Germano became the first Johns Hopkins quarterback since 1989 to rush for 100 yards in a game as he rushed 15 times for 105 yards and one TD.

Balanced Rushing Attack: With an average of 244.9 yards per game on the ground, Johns Hopkins ranks 29th in the nation in rushing offense.
Unlike many of the top rushing teams in the nation, Johns Hopkins doesn't have an individual ranked among the top 100 in the nation in rushing yards per game.
What the Blue Jays do have is five players who have rushed for 115 or more yards in seven games. Senior RB Brandon Cherry (80.0), junior RB Stuart Walters (71.9) and junior QB Jonathan Germano (42.6) all account for at least 40 yards per game. In addition, Ryan Cary (21.4) and Tyler Messinger (19.5) are also contributing to a ground game that ranks among the nation's best.
The five players above have combined for 21 of Johns Hopkins' 22 rushing touchdowns thus far and fuel a rushing game that is averaging 5.3 yards per attempt.

Picking Up Where He Left Off: Junior wide receiver Bradley Munday picked up right where he left off last season as he had 10 receptions for 155 yards and two touchdowns and totaled 229 all-purpose yards in the win at Randolph-Macon. The 155 receiving yards and 229 all-purpose yards are both career highs. Through seven games, Munday leads the team in receptions (52), receiving yards (634) and all-purpose yards (823). He ranks second in the Centennial in receptions per game (7.43), first in receiving yards per game (90.6) and seventh in all-purpose yards per game (117.6).
Munday now has career totals of 150 receptions for 1,792 yards and 14 touchdowns. He ranks eighth in school history in receptions and 11th in receiving yards.

Donaldson Tops 1,000: Junior Quinn Donaldson became the 23rd player in school history to reach 1,000 career receiving yards as he had three receptions for 62 yards against Susquehanna. Through the game against Gettysburg he now has career totals of 74 receptions for 1,181 yards and 15 TDs. He is tied for 10th in school history in career TD receptions, ranks 20th in receiving yards and tied for 21st in receptions.

Spreading the Wealth: Through seven games, Johns Hopkins has 15 different players who have at least one reception on the year. Perhaps the most exciting part for Blue Jay fans is the top of the receiving chart, which shows three juniors (Bradley Munday, Quinn Donaldson, Boone Lewis, Jr.) and one sophomore (David Brookhart) among the top six. Those four have combined for 88 receptions for 1,127 yards (12.8 yards/reception) and 16 touchdowns.

Campbell Named Centennial Defensive Player of the Week: Junior Jack Campbell earned Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts in last week's 36-7 win at Gettysburg. Campbell posted a career-high 15 tackles, was in on half a sack and 1.5 tackles for losses, forced one fumble and recovered two others in the victory. This is the first time Campbell has earned the honor in his career and he continues to lead the team in tackles with 52.

Fresh Troops: The Johns Hopkins defense has long been known for playing deep into its bench and this season has been no different thus far. Through seven games, 18 different players have 10 or more tackles; with that depth and the ability to keep players fresh, only one JHU player ranks among the top 25 in the Centennial Conference in tackles per game, yet the Blue Jays rank among the CC leaders in virtually every statistica category.
Junior Jack Campbell leads the team in tackles with a career-high 52, while senior Keith Corliss (44), junior Dan Johnson (42) and sophomore Keonte Henson (41) all count 40 or more tackles to their credit. Rounding out Johns Hopkins' top five tacklers is freshman Addison Quinones (32).

It's Been a While: The Johns Hopkins defense has allowed a total of just 19 points in the last three games as the Blue Jays topped Juniata (41-5), Dickinson (34-7) and Gettysburg (36-7) in their last three outings. This is the first time JHU has held three straight opponents to seven points or less since the first three games of the 2005 season. For the record, the last time JHU held four straight opponents to seven points or less was early in 2003.

Cashing In: The Johns Hopkins defense has forced 20 turnovers on the year and the Blue Jays have turned those 20 turnovers into 71 points. On the flip side, the Blue Jay offense has turned the ball over seven times and those seven have led to just seven points for the opposition.

Fantasy Numbers: The Johns Hopkins defense counts 51 tackles for losses, 19 sacks, 13 interceptions and seven fumble recoveries to its credit through seven games. The number of players involved in those momentum type plays is remarkable. In all, 21 different players have been in on at least one tackle for loss, 13 have at least half a sack, eight different players have an interception and five players have recovered a fumble.

Defense Among Centennial's Best: While offense may sell tickets, the Blue Jays have always preached defense first. Through seven games it's been more of the same for defensive coordinator Mickey Rehring's troops.
Johns Hopkins currently ranks first in the Centennial Conference in scoring defense (13.4), second in total defense (306.7) and rushing defense (126.9) and tied for third in sacks (19).
Nationally, Johns Hopkins ranks 16th in scoring defense, 15th in interceptions (13), 24th in pass efficiency defense (99.98) and 19th in caused turnovers (20).

Defensive Milestones: The Johns Hopkins defense has had several players reach milestones recently and several others approaching milestones:

Jack Campbell - Recorded 125th tackle of his career in win against Gettysburg.
Keith Corliss - Recorded the 200th tackle of his career in win against Gettysburg.
Lance Hammond - Recorded the 50th tackle of his career in win against Gettysburg.
Keonte Henson - Recorded the 50th tackle of his career in win against Gettysburg
Dan Johnson - Recorded the 75th tackle of his career in win against Gettysburg.
Charlie Kassis - Recorded the 50th tackle of his career against Dickinson.
Tory Prati - Recorded the 50th tackle of his career in win against Gettysburg.
Pat Runger - Needs three tackles to reach 50 for his career.
Garrett Spek - Recorded the 50th tackle of his career against Dickinson.
Jack Toner - Recorded 100th tackle of his career in win at Juniata.
Brady Watts - Needs three tackles to reach 125 for his career • Recorded his 20th career TFL in win against Gettysburg.

Campbell, Sullivan Handle Kicking Chores: Johns Hopkins junior Nick Campbell and sophomore Jamie Sullivan are sharing the place-kicking duties this fall. While Sullivan handles all the kickoff chores, the two have literally alternated every place-kick through seven games.
Campbell is 21-for-23 on extra points and 4-for-5 on field goals (22, 33, 37, 22), while Sullivan is 19-for-20 on extra points and 2-for-3 on field goals (20, 25).
For their careers, Campbell is 101-of-105 on extra points and 15-of-20 on field goals and Sullivan is 51-of-53 on extra points and 8-of-10 on field goals.
Campbell ranks fourth in school history in career points by a kicker (146) and sixth in career field goals, while Sullivan is 11th in career points by a kicker (75) and 10th in FGs (8).

Margraff Holds State Record: Johns Hopkins head coach Jim Margraff became the winningest college football coach in Maryland state history with a 42-14 win at Ursinus last season (November 1, 2014) as that gave him 175 career victories, a mark he upped to 185 with the recent win against Gettysburg. Margraff now sports a career record of 185-83-3 (.687) entering this week's game against Ursinus. JHU Sets Victory Record: Johns Hopkins posted an 11-1 record in 2014 to break the school record for victories in a season. Only five times previously - 2003, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 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.

On a Roll: Johns Hopkins is 50-1 in its last 51 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.

On A Roll, Part II: Johns Hopkins is 53-5 in its last 58 games overall since late in the 2010 season.

Sustained Success: Since the start of the 2002 season the Blue Jays sport a 119-33 (.783) record. Taking it back farther the Blue Jays are 125-36 (.776) since the start of the 2001 season and 130-41 (.760) since the beginning of the 2000 season.

Seven's Heaven: Since the beginning of the 2003 season the Blue Jays are 110-24 (.821) when scoring more than seven points and 0-7 when they have been held to seven points or less.

- Pride and Poise -