Oct. 7, 2017
BALTIMORE, MD -- Johns Hopkins bounced back from its first regular season loss in nearly five years with a 45-7 victory over previously unbeaten Franklin & Marshall Saturday afternoon at Homewood Field. The Blue Jays improve to 5-1 overall and 4-1 in the Centennial Conference with the victory, while the Diplomats slip to 5-1 overall and 4-1 in the Centennial.
The Blue Jays led just 10-7 early in the second quarter after F&M went 63 yards in eight plays and sliced into what had been a 10-0 Johns Hopkins lead as Tanner Erisman hit K.J. Pretty with a 21-yard touchdown pass with 14:27 remaining in the first half. Not including a one-play drive that ended the first half, the Diplomats' next eight possessions ended in punts while Johns Hopkins was busy scoring touchdowns on five of its next nine to put the game away.
The 10-7 lead early in the second quarter was 24-7 at the half as sophomore quarterback David Tammaro connected with freshman Ryan Hubley from seven yards out to cap a 10-play, 69-yard drive that answered Pretty's touchdown. After forcing a quick three-and-out, the Blue Jays went 66 yards in just three plays with Tammaro finding Zac Fernandez wide open down the middle of the field from 34 yards out to account for the 24-7 halftime lead.
Any hopes of an F&M comeback were dashed in the third quarter, when Johns Hopkins put together 78 and 77-yard scoring drives to push the margin to 38-7 entering the fourth quarter. Tammaro polished off the opening the drive of the second half with a 20-yard scoring pass to Nick Fries and capped the Blue Jays' final possession of the third quarter with a perfect lob to senior Brett Caggiano from the three-yard line.
In the second and third quarters combined, the Blue Jays outgained F&M 365-70 and outscored the Diplomats 28-7.
Johns Hopkins had built the early 10-0 lead on the strength of 35-yard field goal by senior Jamie Sullivan and a 16-yard touchdown reception by senior Luke McFadden in the first 10 minutes of the game.
F&M put its best drive of the game together later in the first quarter and early in the second as the Diplomats took over at their own 37 after a Blue Jay punt and covered those 63 yards in eight plays with a pair of third-down conversions on the drive.
The eight plays F&M managed on its lone scoring drive were the most in any one drive on the day for the Diplomats, who were held to 13 yards or less on 12 of their 15 possessions by a Johns Hopkins defense that totaled nine sacks, 13 tackles for losses and two turnovers on the day. The seven points F&M scored were 30 less than the Diplomats were averaging entering the game and the nine sacks for the Blue Jay defense were the most for Johns Hopkins since a nine-sack effort against Susquehanna in 2013.
Nine different players were in on at least one sack for Johns Hopkins with sophomore Mike Kalanik (2.) and senior Tommy Burke (1.5) leading the way. Junior Ian Lodge posted a team-high seven tackles, including one of the nine sacks for Johns Hopkins.
The effort on defense was matched on offense by Tammaro and McFadden. Tammaro was 32-of-45 for 418 yards with five touchdowns and he also rushed for 34 yards, while McFadden had nine receptions for 204 yards and the one touchdown. The 418 yards are the second-highest total of Tammaro's career and are tied for the seventh-best total in school history, while McFadden's 204 receiving yards are the second-best total of his career and rank as the eighth-highest total in school history. Tammaro and McFadden's totals are also the most ever by Johns Hopkins players against F&M.
Johns Hopkins outgained F&M 646-205 with 458 yards passing and 188 on the ground. The 646 yards are the fourth-highest single-game total in school history and the 458 passing yards rank fifth.
Erisman was 15-of-29 for 148 yards with the one touchdown with Pretty (4-64-1) and Dillon Alderfer (4-44-0) his top targets on the day. Including the lost yardage on sacks, the Diplomat rushing attack generated just 28 yards on 34 attempts with leading rusher Taalib Gerald totaled just 22 yards on 14 carries.
Johns Hopkins will return to action on Friday, October 20 when the Blue Jays welcome Gettysburg to Homewood Field. Kickoff against the Bullets is set for 7 pm.
Notes: Johns Hopkins won for the 24th consecutive time in the month of October and for the 19th time in the last 21 games against F&M • Senior Lance Hammond had five tackles today, including the 150th of his career • Sullivan's 35-yard field goal in the first quarter was the 30th field goal of his career; he is just the third player in school history to hit 30 and his 12 field goals this season are already tied for the fifth-highest single-season total in school history.
- Pride and Poise -