Johns Hopkins-Wesley Football Notes

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The Game: Sixth-ranked Johns Hopkins (11-0) welcomes 12th-ranked Wesley (10-1) to Homewood Field for a second round game in the NCAA Division III Playoffs. Kickoff is set for noon on Saturday, November 28.

A Look Back: Johns Hopkins moved into the second round of the NCAAs with a 52-20 victory against 19th-ranked Western New England last Saturday at Homewood Field.
Wesley punched its ticket to the second round with a 42-22 victory at home against Framingham St. last Saturday.

Poll Position: Johns Hopkins is ranked sixth in the 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.
Wesley is ranked 12th in this week's AFCA Poll and 11th in the D3football.com Poll.

Series History: This week's game will be just the third between Johns Hopkins and Wesley in football and all three meetings have taken place in the NCAA Playoffs.
Wesley topped Johns Hopkins, 12-0, in the 2009 NCAA Quarterfinals and grabbed a 29-24 victory against the Blue Jays in the 2013 first round.

State of Affairs: The 2015 Johns Hopkins football roster consists of 88 players from 23 different states. The Wesley roster roster counts 99 players from five states.

At Home at Homewood: Johns Hopkins has parlayed its home field advantage into victories in recent years. In fact, the Blue Jays are 32-3 in the home blacks since the start of the 2010 season. In addition, Johns Hopkins will enter this week's game riding a school-record 12-game home winning streak.
Hopkins' win last week against Western New England broke the previous school record of 11 consecutive home victories from 2012-13. That 11-game run from 2012-13 was snapped in the first round of the 2013 NCAA Playoffs with a 29-24 loss to Wesley.

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 5-6 in NCAA games with a run to the 2009 NCAA Quarterfinals and second round appearances in 2012, 2014 and now 2015 highlighting their all-time showings.

Seniors Setting the Standard: This week's NCAA Playoff game against Wesley continues one of the great four-year runs in school history. The run has been fueled by a senior class that ranks among the most accomplished in Johns Hopkins and Centennial Conference 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 42-4 entering this week's game against Wesley. The 42 wins are the most in school and Centennial Conference history in a four-year period.
• A regular season record of 39-1.
• A regular season home record of 20-0 and an overall home record of 23-1.

In the Centennial Record Book: With the win against McDaniel in the regular season finale, 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.

Looking for 12-0: A win this week would give Johns Hopkins the first 12-0 start in school history. The Blue Jays set a school record for wins in a season with their 11 last season and have already matched that this season.

Ten-Win Seasons: With 11 wins already in the bank this season, Johns Hopkins has now won 10 or more games in each of the last five years and seven times since 2003. These represent the only seasons in school history in which Hopkins has won 10 or more games (2003, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015). 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.

November Reign: Including the post-season, the Blue Jays are 24-6 in their last 30 games in November (dating to 2008).

More November: Johns Hopkins is 14-3 in its last 17 home games in the month of November dating back to 2008.

Successful at Home and Away: Since the start of the 2001 season, Johns Hopkins has played exactly 165 games and has posted a remarkable 129-36 record. Even more remarkable? Those 165 games are split almost exactly in half with 83 home games and 82 road games. Still more remarkable? Johns Hopkins is 65-18 (.783) 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 11 games on the year. The five-game season-opening run of scoring 40+ is the longest in school history, as is the 11-game streak of scoring at least 34 points.

Among the National Leaders: Entering this week's game against Wesley, Johns Hopkins ranks in the top 35 in the nation in scoring offense (8th • 46.5 ppg), total offense (11th • 508.8 ypg), rushing offense (35th • 232.6), third-down percentage (8th • .517) and first downs (5th • 291 (26.5/game)).

Quick Starts: Johns Hopkins has had 78 combined possessions in the first half of its 11 games thus far. Of those 78, 46 have ended with touchdowns and four others with a field goal. In other words, Hopkins has scored on 64.1% of its first-half possessions this season.

More Quick Starts: Johns Hopkins has outscored the opposition 331-62 in the first half of its 11 games this season. Included in that first-half breakdown is a 138-16 margin in the first quarter and a 193-46 margin in the second quarter.

To Put it in Perspective: Johns Hopkins has scored 511 points in 11 games, or an average of 46.5 points per game. The 511 points the Blue Jays have scored are already the highest single-season total in school history, while the 46.5 points per game are more 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 Wesley, he ranks second on the team in rushing yards per game (76.8) and leads the team in rushing yards (845), rushing touchdowns (17) and overall touchdowns (21). He also ranks second in all-purpose yards (1,232) and all-purose yards per game (112.0).
With his recent efforts, Walters now ranks ninth in JHU history in career rushing yards with 2,237. In addition, he is also now third in career rushing TDs (30), fourth in overall touchdowns (36) and 15th in all-purpose yards (2,990).

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 and has guided JHU to wins in each of his first 10 career starts (he did not start the game at McDaniel).
Through 11 games, Germano is 190-of-269 (.706) for 2,657 yards with 31 touchdowns against just eight interceptions. In addition, he has rushed for 387 yards and four more scores.
Germano currently ranks second in the nation in completion percentage (.706), third in the nation in pass efficiency (185.68) and 11th in touchdown passes (31). Germano's 31 touchdown passes this season are a Johns Hopkins single-season record, while his 2,657 passing yards rank third. In addition, his 3,044 yards of total offense rank third.
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 232.6 yards per game on the ground, Johns Hopkins ranks 35th 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 175 or more yards in 11 games. Senior RB Brandon Cherry (79.2), junior RB Stuart Walters (76.8) and junior QB Jonathan Germano (35.2) all account for at least 35 yards per game. In addition, Ryan Cary (26.8) and Tyler Messinger (17.9) are also contributing to a ground game that ranks among the nation's best.
The five players above have combined for 34 of Johns Hopkins' 37 rushing touchdowns thus far and fuel a rushing game that is averaging 5.0 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 11 games, Munday leads the team in receptions (72), receiving yards (967), touchdown receptions (11), all-purpose yards (1,306) and kickoff returns (31.6 yards/return).
Munday had eight receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns and two kickoff returns for 65 yards to account for 198 all-purpose yards in last week's 52-20 win against Western New England.
Munday now has career totals of 170 receptions for 2,125 yards and 18 touchdowns. He ranks eighth in school history in receptions, ninth in receiving yards and seventh in TD receptions. In addition, his 72 receptions this season rank fifth in school history, while his 967 yards (6th) and 11 TDs (T3rd) also rank among the top six on the single-season lists.

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 84 receptions for 1,418 yards and 15 TDs. He ranks 19th in Johns Hopkins history in receptions, 13th in receiving yards and tied for 11th in TD receptions.
On the year, Donaldson ranks second on the team in receptions (26), receiving yards (504) and TD receptions (5) and his 19.4 yards per reception leads the team.

Spreading the Wealth: Through 11 games, Johns Hopkins has 19 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 132 receptions for 1,934 yards (14.7 yards/reception) and 21 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 11 games, 16 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 80, while senior Keith Corliss (64), junior Dan Johnson (54), sophomore Keonte Henson (52), junior Jack Toner (45) and freshman Addison Quinones (42) all count 40 or more tackles to their credit.

Cashing In: The Johns Hopkins defense has forced 34 turnovers on the year and the Blue Jays have turned those 34 turnovers into 144 points. On the flip side, the Blue Jay offense has turned the ball over 18 times and those 18 have led to just 40 points for the opposition.

Turnover Time: The Johns Hopkins defense has forced 34 turnovers in 11 games, the second-highest total in the nation and the most for a Johns Hopkins team since 2009, when the Blue Jays forced 41 (30 INTs / 11 FR).

Fantasy Numbers: The Johns Hopkins defense counts 73 tackles for losses, 25 sacks, 23 interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries to its credit through 11 games. The number of players involved in those momentum type plays is remarkable. In all, 25 different players have been in on at least one tackle for loss, 16 have at least half a sack, 12 different players have an interception and eight players have recovered a fumble.

Defense Among Nation's Best: While offense may sell tickets, the Blue Jays have always preached defense first. Through 11 games it's been more of the same for defensive coordinator Mickey Rehring's troops.
Nationally, Johns Hopkins ranks 24th in scoring defense (15.9), third in interceptions (23), 27th in pass efficiency defense (101.26) and second in caused turnovers (34).

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 - Recorded the 225th tackle of his career in win against Western New England.
Lance Hammond - Needs three tackles to reach 75 for his career.
Keonte Henson - Needs seven tackles to reach 75 for his career.
Dan Johnson - Needs nine tackles to reach 100 for his career.
Charlie Kassis - Needs nine tackles to reach 75 for his career.
Tory Prati - Needs 12 tackles to reach 75 for his career.
Pat Runger - Recorded the 50th tackle of his career in win against McDaniel.
Garrett Spek - Needs seven tackles to reach 75 for his career.
Jack Toner - Recorded the 125th tackle of his career in the win against Western New England.
Brady Watts - Recorded the 125 tackle of his career in win against Ursinus • Recorded his 25th career TFL in win against Western New England.

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 11 games.
Campbell is 35-for-37 on extra points and 5-for-7 on field goals (22, 33, 37, 22, 27), while Sullivan is 32-for-33 on extra points and 3-for-5 on field goals (20, 25, 20).
For their careers, Campbell is 115-of-119 on extra points and 16-of-22 on field goals and Sullivan is 64-of-66 on extra points and 9-of-12 on field goals.
Campbell ranks fourth in school history in career points by a kicker (163) and sixth in career field goals, while Sullivan is tied for eighth in career points by a kicker (84) and ninth in FGs.

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 189 with last week's win against Western New England.
Margraff now sports a career record of 189-83-3 (.693) entering this week's game against Wesley.

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 57-5 in its last 62 games overall since late in the 2010 season.

Sustained Success: Since the start of the 2002 season the Blue Jays sport a 123-33 (.788) record. Taking it back farther, the Blue Jays are 129-36 (.782) since the start of the 2001 season and 134-41 (.766) since the beginning of the 2000 season.

Seven's Heaven: Since the beginning of the 2003 season the Blue Jays are 114-24 (.826) when scoring more than seven points and 0-7 when they have been held to seven points or less.

- Pride and Poise -