Johns Hopkins-Franklin & Marshall Football Notes

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The Game: Eighth-ranked Johns Hopkins (8-0, 7-0 Centennial) closes out the home portion of its 2015 regular season as the Blue Jays welcome Franklin & Marshall (6-2, 5-2 CC) to Homewood Field.

A Look Back: Johns Hopkins improved its record to 8-0 overall and 7-0 in the Centennial Conference as the Blue Jays topped Ursinus, 49-13, last Saturday at Homewood Field. F&M kept its hopes for a share of the Centennial Conference title alive as the Diplomats topped Susquehanna, 16-7, at home.

Poll Position: Johns Hopkins is ranked eighth in this week's AFCA Division III Poll and 11th in the D3football.com Poll. Franklin & Marshall is not ranked in either poll.

State of Affairs: The 2015 Johns Hopkins football roster consists of 88 players from 23 different states. The F&M roster counts 85 players from 10 states.

At Home at Homewood: Johns Hopkins has parlayed its home field advantage into victories in recent years. In fact, the Blue Jays are 30-3 in the home blacks since the start of the 2010 season.

Road Warriors: With the recent 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 two weeks remaining in the regular season, the race for the Boot (the Centennial Conference championship trophy) is down to four teams (Johns Hopkins, Moravian, Franklin & Marshall and Muhlenberg). Here is a quick look at how each team can get a share of the title and the most direct path to the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Playoffs. There are situations involving a four-way tie at 7-2 that don't clearly define the recipient of the automatic bid at this point.

Johns Hopkins: The Blue Jays clinch no worse than a share of the CC title with a win this week vs. F&M. Hopkins also locks up the Centennial's automatic bid to the NCAA Playoffs with a win this week.

Moravian: Moravian gets a share of the title with two wins and at least one loss by Johns Hopkins. Moravian is the only team other than JHU that can win the title outright as two wins by the Greyhounds coupled with two losses by the Blue Jays would hand MC the title alone.

F&M: The Diplomats need two wins, two losses by Johns Hopkins and at least one loss by Moravian to get a share of the title. F&M gets the automatic bid with two wins, two losses by JHU and two losses by Moravian.

Muhlenberg: Muhlenberg needs two wins, two losses by Johns Hopkins and at least one loss by Moravian to get a share of the title.

Honoring Our Seniors: This week's game against F&M will be the final regular season home 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 and will be honored in a pre-game ceremony. Below are a few of the accomplishments since this group arrived in 2012:

• Three Centennial Conference Championships.
• Three NCAA Playoff appearances.
• A cumulative record of 39-4 entering this week's game against F&M.
• A regular season record of 37-1 entering this week's game against F&M.

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

... The 29 straight regular season victories for JHU are just one shy of the league record. McDaniel won 30 consecutive regular season games from 1997-99.

... The 26 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 39 wins Johns Hopkins has accumulated since the start of the 2012 season are just two 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 9-0: A win this week would give Johns Hopkins the fourth 9-0 start in school history. Johns Hopkins posted its first 9-0 start in 2011 and matched that in 2013 and 2014.

Flipping the Calendar to October: The win against Ursinus last Saturday capped off a 4-0 month for the Blue Jays, who also topped Juniata, Dickinson and Gettysburg in October. With the four wins, Johns Hopkins has now won 19 straight games in the month of October.

November Reign: Entering this week's game against F&M, Johns Hopkins is 16-1 in its last 17 regular season games in the month of November dating back to 2008. Including the post-season, the Blue Jays are 21-6 in their last 27 games in November (also dating to 2008).

More November: Johns Hopkins is 16-1 in its last 17 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 162 games and has posted a remarkable 126-36 record. Even more remarkable? Those 162 games are split exactly in half with 81 home games and 81 road games. Still more remarkable? Johns Hopkins is 63-18 at home and 63-18 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) before 34, 36 and 49-point efforts in its last three games. The five-game run of scoring 40+ is the longest in school history as is the eight-game streak of scoring at least 34 points.

Among the National Leaders: Entering this week's game against F&M, Johns Hopkins ranks in the top 35 in the nation in scoring offense (11th • 45.6 ppg), total offense (16th • 498.0 ypg), rushing offense (32nd • 239.1), third-down percentage (3rd • .547) and first downs (7th • 217 (27.1/game)).

Quick Starts: Johns Hopkins has had 52 combined possessions in the first half of its eight games thus far. Of those 52, 33 have ended with touchdowns and three others with a field goal. In other words, Hopkins has scored on 69.2% of its first-half possessions this season.

More Quick Starts: Johns Hopkins has outscored the opposition 237-42 in the first half of its eight games this season. Included in that first-half breakdown is a 103-10 margin in the first quarter and a 134-32 margin the second quarter.

To Put it in Perspective: Johns Hopkins has scored 365 points in eight games, or an average of 45.6 points per game. The 365 points the Blue Jays have scored are already the seventh-highest single-season total in school history, while the 45.6 points per game is just over five points per game higher than the JHU school record (40.1 in 2013).

Cherry Among Career Leaders: Senior running back Brandon Cherry rushed for 89 yards and one touchdown last week and continues to lead the Blue Jays in rushing (81.1 yards/game) this season. He is also second on the team in rushing touchdowns (8) and overall touchdowns (10) and third in all-purpose yards (94.5/game).
With his recent efforts, Cherry now ranks seventh at JHU in career rushing yards (2,438), tied for third in career rushing TDs (25), tied for fourth in overall touchdowns (30) and 12th in all-purpose yards (3,144). 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 46 yards and two TDs against Ursinus and ranks second on the team in rushing (68.6) and leads the team in rushing touchdowns (9) and overall touchdowns (12) and ranks second in all-purpose yards (106.0).
Walters pushed his career totals to 1,941 rushing yards and 22 rushing TDs with his effort at Ursinus. He ranks 11th in school history in career rushing yards and tied for seventh in rushing TDs. Walters also has 2,606 career all-purpose yards and 27 overall touchdowns to his credit. His 27 overall TDs are tied for seventh 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 eight victories in his first eight career starts.
Through eight games, Germano is 149-of-207 (.720) for 1,911 yards with 23 touchdowns against just eight interceptions. In addition, he has rushed for 342 yards and four more scores.
Germano currently ranks second in the nation in completion percentage (.720), sixth in the nation in pass efficiency (178.47) and 11th in touchdown passes (23). Germano's 23 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 239.1 yards per game on the ground, Johns Hopkins ranks 32nd 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 120 or more yards in eight games. Senior RB Brandon Cherry (81.1), junior RB Stuart Walters (68.6) and junior QB Jonathan Germano (42.8) all account for at least 40 yards per game. In addition, Ryan Cary (21.0) and Tyler Messinger (17.6) are also contributing to a ground game that ranks among the nation's best.
The five players above have combined for 24 of Johns Hopkins' 26 rushing touchdowns thus far and fuel a rushing game that is averaging 5.1 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 eight games, Munday leads the team in receptions (59), receiving yards (752) and all-purpose yards (995). He ranks first in the Centennial in receptions per game (7.38), first in receiving yards per game (94.0) and seventh in all-purpose yards per game (124.4).
Munday now has career totals of 157 receptions for 1,910 yards and 15 touchdowns. He ranks eighth in school history in receptions and 10th 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 Ursinus 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 eight games, Johns Hopkins has 17 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 five. Those four have combined for 98 receptions for 1,322 yards (13.5 yards/reception) and 17 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 eight games, 22 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 statistical category.
Junior Jack Campbell leads the team in tackles with a career-high 52, while junior Dan Johnson (47), senior Keith Corliss (45) and sophomore Keonte Henson (45) all count 40 or more tackles to their credit. Rounding out Johns Hopkins' top five tacklers is freshman Addison Quinones (34).

Stingy After the Bye: The Johns Hopkins defense has allowed a total of just 32 points in the last four games as the Blue Jays have topped Juniata (41-5), Dickinson (34-7), Gettysburg (36-7) and Ursinus (49-13) in their last four outings. The JHU defense wasn't responsible for one of the TDs scored by Ursinus as the Bear defense recovered a fumble by the Blue Jay offense in the end zone for one of its touchdowns.

Cashing In: The Johns Hopkins defense has forced 23 turnovers on the year and the Blue Jays have turned those 23 turnovers into 92 points. On the flip side, the Blue Jay offense has turned the ball over 12 times and those 12 have led to just 20 points for the opposition.

Fantasy Numbers: The Johns Hopkins defense counts 60 tackles for losses, 23 sacks, 16 interceptions and seven fumble recoveries to its credit through eight 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, nine 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 eight 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 (301.2) and rushing defense (123.6) and third in sacks (23).
Nationally, Johns Hopkins ranks 18th in scoring defense, 10th in interceptions (16), 16th in pass efficiency defense (94.15) and 14th 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 - 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 eight games.
Campbell is 25-for-27 on extra points and 4-for-6 on field goals (22, 33, 37, 22), while Sullivan is 22-for-23 on extra points and 2-for-3 on field goals (20, 25).
For their careers, Campbell is 105-of-109 on extra points and 15-of-21 on field goals and Sullivan is 54-of-56 on extra points and 8-of-10 on field goals.
Campbell ranks fourth in school history in career points by a kicker (150) and sixth in career field goals, while Sullivan is 12th in career points by a kicker (78) 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 186 with last week's win against Ursinus. Margraff now sports a career record of 186-83-3 (.689) entering this week's game against Franklin & Marshall.

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 51-1 in its last 52 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 54-5 in its last 59 games overall since late in the 2010 season.

Sustained Success: Since the start of the 2002 season the Blue Jays sport a 120-33 (.784) record. Taking it back farther the Blue Jays are 126-36 (.778) since the start of the 2001 season and 131-41 (.761) since the beginning of the 2000 season.

Seven's Heaven: Since the beginning of the 2003 season the Blue Jays are 111-24 (.822) when scoring more than seven points and 0-7 when they have been held to seven points or less.

- Pride and Poise -