EJ Talarico leads the Johns Hopkins receiving corps with 39 catches for 711 yards and four scores. Photo by Mike Atherton, d3photography.com

By Brian Lester
D3sports.com

Lineups have changed because of injuries, and the stats will tell you Johns Hopkins isn’t quite the offensive force it was a year ago, averaging nearly 20 points less and more than 100 yards fewer than last season’s national quarterfinal squad.

And yet, as second-team All-Centennial Conference running back Geoff Schroeder points out, the mindset remains the same.

“The backfield might have changes, or we might have a new offensive lineman in there, but our goals remain the same at the end of the day, and that’s to win games,” the junior said.

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Winning is one thing that hasn’t changed for Johns Hopkins, which is 9-1 and the outright conference champions heading into its opening NCAA Division III playoff game against Grove City (9-1) on Saturday.

Yes, Johns Hopkins is only putting up 24.5 points per outing compared to 40.9 in 2023. And yes, the Blue Jays are averaging 348.2 yards per game compared to 472.2 last season.

But they have found a way to battle through those tough games, believing they will get the job done each step of the way.

“We’re battle tested having to deal with the injuries we’ve had,” senior wide receiver and second-team all-conference pick EJ Talarico said. “We are a resilient group, and we know we can win close games.

"We’ve had some closer games than in years past, but no one on the sideline is thinking that we are going to lose," Talarico continued. "You can see the confidence that we are still going to come out on top when the game ends.”

First-year head coach and Johns Hopkins alum Dan Wodicka said one thing that has helped the Blue Jays’ cause is something all good teams know how to do.

“I think this year, we’ve done a really good job of playing complementary football,” Wodicka said. “I can’t say enough about how our OC (Alex Horvatits) has handled this entire season. It’s been one of those years where every week we have a player down for a week, or three or four, and I think we’ve had eight different lineups over the course of 10 games.

“But we’ve been able to develop game plans, knowing what we can and can’t do, and are able to play complementary football thanks to our defense,” Wodicka added.

Losing someone like quarterback Bay Harvey, who only played in three games before an injury sidelined him, is a huge hit to an offense. Talarico agrees that losing Harvey was tough, but he credits James Rinello for stepping in and leading the offense.

“It definitely hurts losing a quarterback like we had, but Rinello has stepped in and made a seamless transition,” Talarico said.

It doesn’t mean everything has been perfect, but the job gets done.

“Coach always says that not everything is going to be easy, and some things might go wrong, but we know at the end of the day we can still find a way to win football games,” Talarico said.

Schroeder, the team’s leading rusher at 554 yards and who ranks No. 23 all-time in rushing (1,348 yards), said it’s all about the next man up mentality.

“It’s a testament to everyone on this team,” Schroeder said. “If someone goes down, someone is ready to fill that person’s shoes and ready to perform at a high level. We’ve done a good job of adapting and remaining locked in.”

Putting the pieces available in the right place has been vital as well.

“We’re trying to put guys in the best position to make plays, taking what the defense gives us,” Wodicka said. “It’s different each week, but we have been adaptable and always look at how we can maximize talent for that game and that situation.”

Wodicka also points to the trust factor as one of the biggest keys to overcoming the adversity the Blue Jays have this year.

“It’s the overall trust of everyone,” Wodicka said. “That can be a tough thing to have when you look around and you don’t have the familiar faces you are used to on the field with you. There is trust that someone is going to make a play, and if we don’t make it, we try again.

“I really love seeing the progress Rinello has made, and I love seeing his confidence,” Wodicka continued. “Again, that goes back to trust. The guys trust him and believe that he’s going to put us in a position to make big plays.”

Speaking of trust, the Blue Jays have a lot of it in their defense, which has given up only 113 points and is anchored by conference defensive player of the year Matthew Konkol, who has racked up 38 tackles and 6.5 sacks.

“Our defense has played unbelievably this season, and it takes a lot of pressure off of us on offense,” Schroeder said. “We know if we have a drive where we don’t score, we can rely on the defense to stop the opponent and get us good field position.”

Wodicka agrees that the defense has taken a lot of pressure off the shoulders of the offense.

“If something doesn’t go according to plan, the offense knows our defense is going to give them another chance to make a big play,” Wodicka said. “They will help put us in a position to win the football game.”

It doesn’t hurt to have a tight bond among the players.

“This is one of the closest teams I’ve been on,” Schroeder said. “Literally the whole team went to watch Gladiator 2 the other day. It was a nice break. We play hard for our coaches and our fans out there on game day, and for our brothers. We work hard for each other.”

Wodicka said the leadership of this team has been one of the biggest things that has stood out, and it’s been particularly important this year.

“I’m really impressed with the leadership of our captains and our seniors and grad students," Wodicka said. "They’ve been even keeled for this team. This very well could have been a rocky season, but our kids attack every day with 100 percent effort.”

Talarico has been one of those leaders, having caught 39 passes for 711 yards and four touchdowns. He’s the 34th player in program history to hit 1,000 yards receiving in a career (1,088) and is the career leader in kick return yards (1,280).

He’s thankful to be a part of a program that continues to set the bar high.

“It’s been great winning a conference championship and being part of a program that has won a lot of games,” Talarico said. “We’ve gotten used to winning and we hope to keep that going in the playoffs.”