SELINSGROVE, PA – Host Susquehanna stopped a Johns Hopkins two-point attempt with 49 seconds remaining and later stopped the Blue Jays' last gasp attempt as time expired as the River Hawks picked up a 26-24 victory in a showdown of the last two unbeaten teams in the Centennial Conference Saturday afternoon. The Blue Jays slip to 7-1 overall and 6-1 in the Centennial, while the River Hawks improve to 8-0 overall and 7-0 in the Centennial.
The Blue Jays trailed 26-18 after an Elijah Hoffman 37-yard field goal with 8:59 on the fourth-quarter clock. Johns Hopkins proceeded to use just over eight minutes to pull within 26-24 as the Jays methodically worked from their own 18 and took 17 plays to go 82 yards and pull within two on a five-yard Ryan Stevens-to-Josh Polce touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal. The Blue Jays' two-point attempt was batted away by Keith Green and Susquehanna recovered the ensuing onsides kick.
The Blue Jays would get the ball back one last time deep in their own territory, but the River Hawk defense came up with a stop on third-and-10 as time expired.
Susquehanna led 14-0 just over 20 minutes into the game on a Michael Ruisch touchdown run and a Ruisch-to-Kyle Howes touchdown pass, but the Blue Jays had the deficit down to 14-12 by halftime as they got a 25-yard Stevens-to-Polce connection midway through he second quarter and then turned a Duncan Van Kouteren interception into an eight-play, 62-yard scoring drive that Stevens capped with a one-yard touchdown pass to Emmett Turner with just nine seconds remaining in the first half.
The River Hawks pushed the margin to 17-12 early in the third quarter when Hoffman connected from 32-yards out, but the Blue Jays answered with a lightning-quick, six-play, 83-yard drive that freshman Geoff Schroeder capped with a 24-yard touchdown run to make it 18-17. The Blue Jays failed on their two-point attempt.
Susquehanna answered with a nine-play, 68-yard scoring drive of its own that Hunter Coulter capped with a two-yard touchdown run up the middle; that came one play after the Blue Jays were called for pass interference in the end zone on a fourth-and-one play from the 14-yard line. The River Hawks' two-point attempt was snuffed out by the Blue Jay defense to keep it 23-18.
After the SU defense stopped the Blue Jays, Hoffman capped a 12-play drive that bridged the third and fourth quarters with his 37-yard field goal at the 8:59 mark of the final period. Just over eight minutes later, Stevens hit Polce in the back of the end zone to make it 26-24, but Green's pass breakup at the goal line on a pass intended for Turner kept it a two-point game and, in essence, sealed the win for the 'Hawks.
Stevens was 27-of-38 for 273 yards and three touchdowns and Polce had six receptions for 81 yards and the two scores. Quinn Revere and Turner both added six receptions and Danny Wolf rushed for a game-high 85 yards as the Blue Jays held a 396-320 advantage in total offense.
Defensively, the Blue Jays got eight tackles from Carson Currie and seven from Luke Schuermann, Van Kouteren, Ross Andersson and Jake Vall-llobera.
Ruisch was 18-of-29 for 204 yards with the one touchdown and he rushed for 33 yards and the one score as well. Jacob Erb and Howes both had four receptions and Drew Robinson had a game-high 10 tackles for Susquehanna, which held the ball for nearly 38 minutes in the victory.
Notes: The loss snaps JHU's 10-game Centennial Conference winning streak and is just the third loss for the Blue Jays in their last 40 games in the month of October.
Johns Hopkins will return to action on Saturday, November 5 when the Blue Jays travel to Dickinson to take on the Red Devils (1 pm).
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