Nov. 16, 2013
WESTMINSTER, MD - The eighth-ranked Johns Hopkins football team entered Saturday's regular season finale at McDaniel with its fifth consecutive Centennial Conference title and third straight NCAA Playoff berth already in hand. While head coach Jim Margraffwouldn't have been happy, it would not have been terribly surprising if the eighth-ranked Blue Jays were caught looking ahead to the first round of the playoffs next Saturday.
A senior-laden Blue Jay team would have none of that as Johns Hopkins scored the first four times it had the ball and added a defensive touchdown during that time as well as Hopkins cruised to a 52-21 victory that capped the second perfect regular season in school history.
Johns Hopkins finishes its second undefeated regular season in three years with a 10-0 record, including a 9-0 mark in the Centennial. The Blue Jays will learn their NCAA draw on Sunday, November 17 at 6 pm when the bracket for the 2013 NCAA Division III Football Championship is announced.
The Blue Jays took all the drama out of the 92nd all-time meeting between the two teams in the first quarter with three quick touchdown drives and the defensive score that all but assured a 13th straight win for JHU against its biggest rival.
Hopkins needed just 10 plays and 3:23 to go 65 yards on its first drive with senior quarterback Robbie Mateycapping the opening drive with a one-yard touchdown run. Matey was 7-for-8 on the drive for 53 yards with his one-yard TD scamper and an 11-yard run one play earlier the only rushing plays on the drive.
The Blue Jays needed less than four more minutes to extend the lead from 7-0 to 21-0. A 26-yard punt return by freshman Bradley Munday set JHU up at the McDaniel 35 and Matey hit senior Dan Wodicka with a five-yard touchdown pass five plays later to make it 14-0 and freshman Jack Tonerreturned an interception 36 yards for touchdown on the second play of McDaniel's next drive to give JHU the three-touchdown lead.
The day was over for a majority of JHU's starters at that point as head coach Margraff played every healthy player on his roster.
A Braden Anderson 12-yard touchdown strike to senior Jared Beekman pushed the lead to 28-0 at the end of the first quarter and the margin swelled to 35-0 early in the second quarter on Matt Berrytwo-yard scoring run.
McDaniel (2-8, 2-7 CC) got on the board midway through the second quarter when Seth McFall hit Nick O'Melia in stride behind the Blue Jay defense from 48 yards out to account for a 35-7 halftime score.
The Blue Jays' biggest lead came at 45-7 late in the third quarter as Anderson scored on a one-yard run midway through the period and senior Richie Carbone drilled a 25-yard field goal. A pair of Keith Woodrow touchdowns bookended a one-yard scoring run for Johns Hopkins' Cesar Concepcionin the fourth quarter to close out the scoring and account for the 52-21 final.
Johns Hopkins rolled up more than 200 yards rushing (213) and passing (217) for the sixth time this season and the 52 points JHU scored are its most ever in the 92-game series with the Green Terror.
Anderson was 17-of-25 for 142 yards with the one touchdown and also rushed for 28 yards and a score. Berry paced the Blue Jay rushing attack with 54 yards and the one touchdown, while Wodicka had a team-high six receptions for 45 yards and the one touchdown. Freshmen Jack Campbell (9 tackles) and Dan Johnson (6) were the top tacklers on the day for Johns Hopkins, which got the interception return for a score from another freshman (Toner) and its other pick on the day from yet another first-year player in Jesse Poore.
McFall was 21-of-35 for 287 yards and three touchdowns with junior Mike Oliveto on the back end of 11 of those for 155 yards. Senior Joe Rollins, who entered the game averaging 149 rushing yards per game, was held to 28 on 18 carries.
Notes: Dan Wodicka's six receptions in the first quarter give him 257 - one shy of the Johns Hopkins career record of 258 (Bill Stromberg • 1978-81) • JHU is now 33-1 in its last 34 regular season games dating back to 2010 and 16-1 in its last 17 regular season road games • With 430 yards of total offense, the Blue Jays have now topped the 400-yard mark in a school-record 10 straight games • JHU's 10 wins ties the school record for victories in a season - this is the third straight year and the fifth time since 2003 that Hopkins has won 10 games in a season.
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