Oct. 14, 2005

Box Score

BALTIMORE, MD - The Johns Hopkins defense posted its second shutout of the season and the Blue Jays got two big plays in the first half to highlight a 14-0 victory over Gettysburg at Homewood Field Friday night. The win is the 10th straight for Hopkins (6-0, 3-0 Centennial Conference) dating back to last season and the 100th in the career of 16th-year Blue Jay coach Jim Margraff, who improved his career record to 100-55-3. A 1982 Johns Hopkins graduate and the all-time leading passer in school history, Margraff is the all-time winningest coach in school history. In addition, Johns Hopkins is the only remaining undefeated team in Centennial play with the 3-0 league mark. The Bullets entered the game as the only other team in the league that hadn't lost a Centennial Conference game.

After a scoreless first quarter the 18th-ranked Blue Jays needed just one play to go 80 yards early in the second quarter as senior quarterback Zach DiIonno sent junior wide receiver Anthony Triplin on a post pattern and Triplin made a twisting catch just past the out-stretched arms of Jay Cage and raced into the end zone to give the Blue Jays a 7-0 lead. The touchdown pass is the second-longest of DiIonno's career and the reception is the longest of Triplin's career.

The 7-0 lead held until just before halftime when the Blue Jay special teams came through with what proved to be the insurance touchdown. After stopping the Bullets deep in their own end of the field senior Max Whitacre blocked a Tom Pettit punt that junior Matt Hagel scooped up at the Gettysburg six-yard line and raced untouched into the end zone to make it 14-0. The blocked punt return for a touchdown is the first for Johns Hopkins since September 6, 2003, when Whitacre took one back against Rochester.

The Blue Jays had three other possessions inside the Gettysburg 20-yard line, but missed a pair of field goals and turned the ball over on downs inside the Bullet five-yard line midway through the second quarter. That kept the game close until deep in the fourth quarter, when the Blue Jay defense stopped the Bullets on downs on each of their last three possessions of the game.

DiIonno was 18-of-32 for 239 yards with the one touchdown to Triplin. His 239 yards move him into fourth place on JHU's career passing list with 3,990 yards. Triplin added 11 receptions for a career-high 169 yards and the one score. The 169 yards are the 13th-highest single-game total in school history. Luke, senior Mike Aynardi and junior Brian Cook all posted 10 tackles to lead the way defensively for the Blue Jays, who have allowed a total of just 34 points in six games and have held five of six opponents to seven points or less.

Sophomore Tom Sturges led the Bullets with 82 yards rushing, while Chris Halleman had a team-high four receptions for 91 yards. Sturges needed 26 carries to get his 82 yards after entering the game as the Centennial Conference's leading rusher at 139.8 yards per game. The Bullets drove deep into Hopkins territory three times, but came away empty-handed each time. Josh Huson missed a 40-yard field goal in the final 10 seconds of the first half and two drives in the second half inside the Blue Jay 30-yard line were stopped on downs. The Bullets entered the game averaging 27 points and 356 yards per game, but the Blue Jays held them to 248 yards and recorded their first shutout in the 33-game history of the series.

The win, the 11th straight for Johns Hopkins over Gettysburg after the Bullets had won 18 of the first 22 meetings in the all-time series, is also the 34th for Johns Hopkins since the start of the 2002 season. The 34 wins tie the school record for most wins in a four-year period, while the 6-0 start is one win shy of the best start in school history (the 2003 team started 7-0).

Johns Hopkins will put its 10-game winning streak on the line next week when the Blue Jays travel to Muhlenberg.

© 2009 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | About Us | Advertise | Feedback | XML RSS Feeds