ALLENTOWN, PA – Sixth-ranked Muhlenberg jumped out to a 24-0 first-half lead and held off a second-half rally by visiting Johns Hopkins as the Mules grabbed a 31-16 Centennial Conference victory at Scotty Wood Stadium Saturday afternoon. The win improves the Mules' record to 8-0 overall and 7-0 in the Centennial, while the Blue Jays slip to 5-3 overall and 4-3 in the Centennial.
The Mules took control early with a 17-point outburst in the first 13 minutes of the game. After the Blue Jays took the opening kickoff and moved deep in Muhlenberg territory, MC took over after a missed field goal. It took just four plays to go 80 yards with a 68-yard run by James Diggs fueling a drive that ended with one-yard touchdown run from junior quarterback Michael Hnatkowsky.
Muhlenberg turned the first of three first-half turnovers by the Blue Jays into another quick score as a bad snap was recovered by the Mules on Hopkins' next possession and Nick DeLucas went in from 10 yards out four plays later to make it 14-0 just nine minutes into the game.
The Mules added a 27-yard Todd Spirt field goal late in the first quarter and a 20-yard Hnatkowsky touchdown pass to Ryan Curtiss early in the second to push the lead to 24-0.
The Blue Jays put together their best drive of the first half midway through the second quarter as they went 67 yards in 14 plays and got on the scoreboard with a nine-yard Dane Rogerson run up the middle to slice the deficit to 24-6 with 3:22 left on the second-quarter clock. The Blue Jays converted a third-and-15 and fourth-and-five to keep the drive alive.
Johns Hopkins forced a Muhlenberg fumble on the ensuing possession and had a chance to cut further into the 18-point deficit, but a bad pitch on fourth-and-one was fumbled and recovered by the Mules at their own 39-yard line with 67 seconds left before the break and the score stood at 24-6 Mules at intermission.
After forcing a Muhlenberg punt on the opening series of the third quarter, the Blue Jays got the big play they needed to get back in the game as David Tammaro hit Harrison Wellmann in stride down the sideline for a 75-yard touchdown to cap a three-play drive that trimmed the deficit to 24-13.
Muhlenberg would answer with its own 75-yard touchdown pass as Hnatkowsky connected with Max Kirin deep and Kirin broke a pair of tackles to push the lead back to 18 at 31-13 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter.
A 24-yard Mike Eberle field goal on Hopkins' next possession pulled the Blue Jays to within 31-16 midway through the third quarter to keep things interesting.
Johns Hopkins has two golden chances to pull within one score in the fourth quarter, but a Muhlenberg interception early in the period killed one drive at the Mule 42-yard line and the Blue Jays misfired on a fourth down play inside the MC 10-yard line with just under three minutes remaining to end their final threat.
Wellmenn tied a Johns Hopkins record with 16 receptions for 189 yards and the one score, while Tammaro was 33-of-55 for 340 yards with the one touchdown and two interceptions. Juniors Ryan Week and Kyle Roberts led the Blue Jays with eight tackle apiece.
Hnatkowsky was 15-of-23 for 202 yards with two touchdowns against just one interception. Diggs rushed for a game-high 98 yards to fuel a 207-yard rushing day for the Mules. Nick Sirico and Mickey Kober paced the Muhlenberg defense with eight tackles each.
Johns Hopkins will return to action on Saturday, November 9 when the Blue Jays welcome Juniata to Homewood Field (12 pm). The Blue Jays will honor their seniors prior to the start of the game.
Notes: Wellmann's 16 receptions tie the record set previously by Bradley Munday against Moravian in 2016 • Wellmann's 189 receiving yards give him 413 in the last two games – that's the second-best two-game total in school history • Wellmann added 103 yards on kickoff return for 292 all-purpose yards – that's the ninth-best single-game total in school history • Tammaro set a JHU record with his 13th career 300-yard game and tied the JHU record with his 30th career 200-yard game.
Blue Jay Rally Falls Short at Sixth-Ranked Muhlenberg
/seasons/2019/boxscores/20191102_ttnx.xml
2019
Johns Hopkins
16
Muhlenberg
31
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johns Hopkins (5-3) | 0 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 16 |
| No. 4 Muhlenberg (8-0) | 17 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
Nov 02, 2019
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