Johns Hopkins-Western New England Football Notes

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The Game: Sixth-ranked Johns Hopkins (10-0) opens play in the 2015 NCAA Division III Football Playoffs as the Blue Jays welcome Western New England (10-0) to Homewood Field for a first-round game. Kickoff is set for noon on Saturday, November 21.

One of Two: This week's first round NCAA game between Johns Hopkins and Western New England is one of just two games in the first round featuring a pair of undefeated teams as both the Blue Jays and Golden Bears are 10-0.
Thomas More (10-0) will host Washington & Lee (10-0) in the only other matchup of unbeaten teams in the first round.

A Look Back: Johns Hopkins topped McDaniel, 49-24, in its regular season finale last Saturday, while Western New England knocked off Salve Regina, 28-21, on that same day. Johns Hopkins had already secured its berth in the NCAAs before last Saturday; the Golden Bears punched their ticket with the win against Salve.

Poll Position: Johns Hopkins is ranked sixth in this week's AFCA Division III Poll and eighth in the D3football.com Poll. The number six ranking from the AFCA is tied for the best in school history. Western New England is ranked 19th in this week's AFCA Poll and is receiving votes in the D3football.com Poll.

State of Affairs: The 2015 Johns Hopkins football roster consists of 88 players from 23 different states. The Western New England roster counts 125 players from 14 states and one foreign country.

At Home at Homewood: Johns Hopkins has parlayed its home field advantage into victories in recent years. In fact, the Blue Jays are 31-3 in the home blacks since the start of the 2010 season.
In addition, Johns Hopkins will enter this week's game riding an 11-game home winning streak. The 11-game run matches the school record originally set in 2012-13.

Centennial Conference Champions: Johns Hopkins earned the Centennial Conference's automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Playoffs. The Blue Jays have won a league-record 11 Centennial titles and matched the CC record with their seventh straight this year.
Of Johns Hopkins' 11 Centennial titles, seven have been won outright (2005 • 2009 • 2011 • 2012 • 2013 • 2014 • 2015) and four have been shared (2002 • 2003 • 2004 • 2010).

Back in the Dance: Johns Hopkins is making its seventh trip to the NCAA Playoffs with all seven appearances coming since 2005. The Blue Jays are 4-6 in NCAA games with a run to the 2009 NCAA Quarterfinals and second round appearances in 2012 and 2014 highlighting their all-time showings.

You Look Familiar: Johns Hopkins head coach Jim Margraff will look across the field and see a familiar face this week as Western New England head coach Keith Emery spent seven years on Margraff's staff at Homewood.
Emery arrived at Johns Hopkins in 1998 as an assistant coach and was elevated to defensive coordinator in 2001, a role he held until departing after the 2004 season.
Emery helped Johns Hopkins to the first three of its Centennial Conferecne titles (2002, 2003, 2004) and a seven-year record of 50-22.

Seniors Setting the Standard: Last week's game at McDaniel was the final regular season game in the careers of the seniors on the Johns Hopkins football team. 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 2012:

• Four Centennial Conference Championships.
• Four NCAA Playoff appearances.
• A cumulative record of 41-4 entering this week's game against Western New England.
• A regular season record of 39-1.
• A regular season home record of 20-0.

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

... The 31 straight regular season victories for JHU are now the league record. McDaniel won 30 consecutive regular season games from 1997-99.

... The 28 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 41 wins Johns Hopkins has accumulated since the start of the 2012 season are tied for most in a four-year span. McDaniel won 41 games from 1997-2000 - a mark Johns Hopkins tied from 2011-14.

It's All Academic: Johns Hopkins placed 10 players on the 2015 CoSIDA Academic All-District Team, which was announced on November 5. The 10 selections tie the school record set last season. Below is a list of Johns Hopkins' 10 selections, which now go on the ballot for national Academic All-America honors. The Division III CoSIDA Academic All-America football team will be announced on December 1.

Name (Pos) (Yr. • GPA) Major
Evan Adamo (WR) (Sr. • 3.79) Applied Math & Statistics
Rowan Cade (OL) (Sr. • 3.77 ) Biomedical Engineering
Jack Campbell (LB) (Jr. • 3.93 ) Biology
Branon Cherry (RB) (Sr. • 3.53 ) Public Health
Keith Corliss (LB) (Sr. • 3.69 ) Economics
Colin Egan (OL) ( Sr. • 3.47 ) Mechanical Engineering
John Hardin (DL) (Sr. • 3.64 ) Economics
Charlie Kassis (DB) (Sr. • 3.52) Economics
Tory Prati (DL) (Sr. • 3.57) Civil Engineering
Jack Toner (DB) (Jr. • 3.83 ) Economics

It's All Academic-II: The Blue Jays' 10 CoSIDA Academic All-District selections this season not only tied the school record, but were also the most of any program in the nation at any level of college football. Below is a look at the schools in all divisions with seven or more CoSIDA Academic All-District picks:

Johns Hopkins (Division III) - 10
Carnegie Mellon (III) - 8
Taylor (College Division) - 8
RPI (III) - 7
Washington University (MO) (III) - 7
Eastern Oregon (College Division) - 7

Looking for 11-0: A win this week would give Johns Hopkins its second consecutive 11-0 start. The Blue Jays set a school record for wins in a season with their 11 last season and can match that with a win this week against Western New England.

November Reign: Including last week's win at McDaniel, Johns Hopkins is 18-1 in its last 19 regular season games in the month of November dating back to 2008. Including the post-season, the Blue Jays are 23-6 in their last 29 games in November (also dating to 2008).

More November: Johns Hopkins is 14-2 in its last 16 regular season road games in the month of November (dating back to the 2000 season).

A Final November: Johns Hopkins is 17-1 in its last 18 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.

Successful at Home and Away: Since the start of the 2001 season, Johns Hopkins has played exactly 164 games and has posted a remarkable 128-36 record. Even more remarkable? Those 164 games are split almost exactly in half with 82 home games and 82 road games. Still more remarkable? Johns Hopkins is 64-18 (.780) at home and 64-18 (.780) on the road during that time.

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) and has scored at least 34 points in all 10 games on the year. The five-game season-opening run of scoring 40+ is the longest in school history, as is the 10-game streak of scoring at least 34 points.

Among the National Leaders: Entering this week's game against Western New England, Johns Hopkins ranks in the top 35 in the nation in scoring offense (8th • 45.9 ppg), total offense (14th • 506.2 ypg), rushing offense (30th • 238.3), third-down percentage (9th • .512) and first downs (10th • 264 (26.4/game)).

Quick Starts: Johns Hopkins has had 70 combined possessions in the first half of its 10 games thus far. Of those 70, 41 have ended with touchdowns and three others with a field goal. In other words, Hopkins has scored on 62.9% of its first-half possessions this season.

More Quick Starts: Johns Hopkins has outscored the opposition 293-62 in the first half of its 10 games this season. Included in that first-half breakdown is a 124-16 margin in the first quarter and a 169-46 margin in the second quarter.

To Put it in Perspective: Johns Hopkins has scored 459 points in 10 games, or an average of 45.9 points per game. The 459 points the Blue Jays have scored are already the highest single-season total in school history, while the 45.9 points per game is nearly six points per game higher than the JHU school record (40.1 in 2013).

Cherry Tops 2,500: Senior running back Brandon Cherry rushed for 64 yards on 11 carries against F&M and ranks second on the team in rushing (79.2 yards/game) this season. He is also second on the team in rushing touchdowns (8) and overall touchdowns (11) and third in all-purpose yards (94.4/game).
With his 64-yard effort against F&M, Cherry became the seventh player in school history to top 2,500 career rushing yards (2,502); he is tied for fourth in career rushing TDs (25), fifth in overall touchdowns (31) and 12th in all-purpose yards (3,238).
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 Ties School Record, Tops 2,000: Junior Stuart Walters rushed for a career-high 146 yards and three TDs and totaled a personal-best 197 all-purpose yards in the win against Franklin & Marshall on November 7 and added 103 yards rushing and four rushing TDs in the win at McDaniel on November 14.
The four rushing TDs tied the school record for most rushing and overall touchdowns in a game. Entering this week's game against Western New England, he leads the team in rushing (79.8), rushing touchdowns (16), overall touchdowns (19) and all-purpose yards (115.5).
With his effort against F&M, Walters became the 10th player in school history to reach 2,000 career rushing yards and now has 2,190 to his credit. In addition to ranking ninth in career rushing yards, he is also now third in career rushing TDs (29), fourth in overall touchdowns (34) and 17th in all-purpose yards (2,913).

Germano Among National Leaders: Junior quarterback Jonathan Germano is enjoying a standout season in his first year as a starter as he ranks among the natoinal leaders in several categories.
Through 10 games, Germano is 173-of-243 (.712) for 2,364 yards with 27 touchdowns against just eight interceptions. In addition, he has rushed for 355 yards and four more scores.
Germano currently ranks first in the nation in completion percentage (.712), fifth in the nation in pass efficiency (182.99) and 15th in touchdown passes (27). Germano's 27 touchdown passes this season are a Johns Hopkins single-season record, while his 2,364 passing yards rank seventh. In addition, his 2,719 yards of total offense rank fourth.
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 238.3 yards per game on the ground, Johns Hopkins ranks 30th 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 150 or more yards in 10 games. Senior RB Brandon Cherry (79.2), junior RB Stuart Walters (79.8) and junior QB Jonathan Germano (35.5) all account for at least 35 yards per game. In addition, Ryan Cary (22.9) and Tyler Messinger (17.1) are also contributing to a ground game that ranks among the nation's best.
The five players above have combined for 32 of Johns Hopkins' 34 rushing touchdowns thus far and fuel a rushing game that is averaging 5.2 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 season-opening win at Randolph-Macon. The 155 receiving yards and 229 all-purpose yards are both career highs. Through 10 games, Munday leads the team in receptions (64) and receiving yards (835) and ranks second in all-purpose yards (1,108). He ranks first in the Centennial in receptions per game (6.4), second in receiving yards per game (83.5) and sixth in all-purpose yards per game (110.8).
Munday now has career totals of 162 receptions for 1,993 yards and 16 touchdowns. He ranks eighth in school history in receptions, 10th in receiving yards and tied for seventh in TD receptions.

Donaldson Tops 1,000: Junior Quinn Donaldson recently became the 23rd player in school history to reach 1,000 career receiving yards and now has career totals of 80 receptions for 1,342 yards and 15 TDs. He ranks 21st in Johns Hopkins history in receptions, 16th in receiving yards and tied for 11th in TD receptions.
On the year, Donaldson ranks second on the team in receptions (22), receiving yards (428) and TD receptions (5) and his 19.5 yards per reception leads the team.

Spreading the Wealth: Through 10 games, Johns Hopkins has 18 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) as the top four. Those four have combined for 118 receptions for 1,722 yards (14.6 yards/reception) and 19 touchdowns.

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 10 games, 14 different players have 20 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 statistical category.
Junior Jack Campbell leads the team in tackles with a career-high 74, while senior Keith Corliss (59), junior Dan Johnson (52), sophomore Keonte Henson (49) and junior Jack Toner (42) all count 40 or more tackles to their credit.

Cashing In: The Johns Hopkins defense has forced 29 turnovers on the year and the Blue Jays have turned those 29 turnovers into 116 points. On the flip side, the Blue Jay offense has turned the ball over 16 times and those 16 have led to just 33 points for the opposition.

Fantasy Numbers: The Johns Hopkins defense counts 70 tackles for losses, 24 sacks, 20 interceptions and nine fumble recoveries to its credit through 10 games. The number of players involved in those momentum type plays is remarkable. In all, 24 different players have been in on at least one tackle for loss, 16 have at least half a sack, 10 different players have an interception and seven players have recovered a fumble.

Defense Among Centennial's Best: While offense may sell tickets, the Blue Jays have always preached defense first. Through 10 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 (15.5), second in total defense (313.1) and rushing defense (122.4) and fourth in sacks (24).
Nationally, Johns Hopkins ranks 23rd in scoring defense, sixth in interceptions (20), 20th in pass efficiency defense (99.04) and 12th in caused turnovers (29).

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

Jack Campbell - Recorded 150th tackle of his career in win against McDaniel.
Keith Corliss - Needs three tackles for 225 in his career.
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 - Needs 11 tackles to reach 100 for his career.
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 - Recorded the 50th tackle of his career in win against McDaniel.
Garrett Spek - Recorded the 50th tackle of his career against Dickinson.
Jack Toner - Needs one tackle to reach 125 for his career.
Brady Watts - Recorded the 125 tackle of his career • Recorded his 20th career TFL in win against Gettysburg.

Campbell, Sullivan Handle Kicking Chores: Junior Nick Campbell and sophomore Jamie Sullivan are sharing the place-kicking duties for JHU this fall. While Sullivan handles all the kickoff chores, the two have alternated virtually every place-kick through 10 games.
Campbell is 32-for-34 on extra points and 4-for-6 on field goals (22, 33, 37, 22), while Sullivan is 28-for-29 on extra points and 3-for-4 on field goals (20, 25, 20).
For their careers, Campbell is 112-of-116 on extra points and 15-of-21 on field goals and Sullivan is 60-of-62 on extra points and 9-of-11 on field goals.
Campbell ranks fourth in school history in career points by a kicker (157) and sixth in career field goals, while Sullivan is tied for ninth in career points by a kicker (84) and ninth in FGs (9).

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 188 with last week's win against McDaniel.
Margraff now sports a career record of 188-83-3 (.692) entering this week's game against Western New England.

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 12 times in the last 14 years.

On a Roll: Johns Hopkins is 53-1 in its last 54 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 56-5 in its last 61 games overall since late in the 2010 season.

Sustained Success: Since the start of the 2002 season the Blue Jays sport a 122-33 (.787) record. Taking it back farther, the Blue Jays are 128-36 (.780) since the start of the 2001 season and 133-41 (.764) since the beginning of the 2000 season.

Seven's Heaven: Since the beginning of the 2003 season the Blue Jays are 113-24 (.825) when scoring more than seven points and 0-7 when they have been held to seven points or less.

- Pride and Poise -