GETTYSBURG, PA – The 22nd-ranked Johns Hopkins football team jumped out to an early 17-0 lead and never looked back in a 51-7 win at Gettysburg Friday night in Centennial Conference football action at Shirk Field. The win is the second straight for the Blue Jays, who improve to 4-1 overall and 1-0 in the Centennial. The Bullets slip to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the Centennial.
The win is also the 600th in Johns Hopkins history. The Blue Jays improved the program's all-time record to 600-490-57 with tonight's victory.
The Blue Jays jumped out quickly as they scored on three of their first four possessions to sprint out to a 17-0 lead in the first 16 minutes of the game.
After receiving the opening kickoff, the Blue Jays went 50 yards in seven plays and polished off the drive with a 27-yard Brad Paxton field goal. A 25-yard James Rinello-to-Robby Enright completion highlighted the drive before Paxton's field goal gave the Blue Jays the early lead. Paxton's field goal marks the third consecutive game the Blue Jays have scored on their opening possession.
After the Blue Jay defense forced a quick Gettysburg punt on the Bullets' opening possession, the Blue Jays again needed just seven plays to score, this time covering 65 yards with senior Andrew Rich scampering in from 12 yards out to push the Hopkins lead to 10-0 midway through the first quarter.
The Johns Hopkins defense allowed a total of just 21 yards on three, first-quarter drives for the Bullets and the offense would turn a late-period stop on fourth down into a 49-yard touchdown drive. Taking over at the Gettysburg 49 with 2:09 left in the first quarter, the Blue Jays moved to the Bullet 20 on the last play of the first quarter, then Rinello fired a strike down the seam to senior PJ Scales on the first play of the second period to push the lead to 17-0.
The Bullets had two golden chances to jump back into the game midway through the second quarter. However, they failed to capitalize on a fumble recovery in Blue Jay territory and then misfired on a 42-yard field goal attempt with 6:31 on the first-half clock.
The Blue Jays tacked on 10 points in the final six minutes of the second quarter to extend the 17-point lead to 27 at the half. A perfectly executed screen pass from Rinello to Geoff Schroeder was the capper on a six-play, 75-yard drive that included an acrobatic 41-yard reception by senior EJ Talarico four plays before Schroeder's touchdown. Paxton added his second field goal of the first half – this one from 20 yards out – on the final play of the opening 30 minutes to account for the 27-0 halftime lead.
The Bullets broke through on their first drive of the second half as they went 67 yards on 12 plays and converted a pair of fourth downs – including a fourth-and-one from the Blue Jay 20-yard line that quarterback Rocco Abdinoor turned into a 20-yard touchdown run to get the Bullets on the board with 9:01 on the third-quarter clock.
Johns Hopkins ran out the win with a four long scoring drives that put the game away over the final 24 minutes. A 30-yard Paxton field goal and touchdown runs from Rich (12 yards) and Ty Pugliano (1, 24) put the finishing touchdowns on the Blue Jays' 16th consecutive win against the Bullets.
Inside the Box Score – Johns Hopkins
• Rinello was 18-of-25 for a career-high 269 yards and two touchdowns. His marks for completions, attempts and yards are personal-bests and his two TDs ties his career high.
• Rich, Schroeder and Pugliano led a ground game that churned out a season-high 282 yards. Rich rushed for a team-high 84 yards and the two scores and Schroeder added 64 yards on 12 carries. Puguliano came on late and added 69 yards and the two scores.
• The Blue Jay defense held the Bullets to just 219 yards of total offense and the seven points.
• Oliver Craddock posted a game-high eight tackles to lead the Blue Jays defensively. Cole Peters and Jack Schondelmayer added six tackles each.
Inside the Box Score – Gettysburg
• Abdinoor was 12-of-33 for 86 yards and added 42 yards rushing and the one touchdown.
• Peter Schelling rushed for a team-high 53 yards as 133 of GC's 219 yards on the night came on the ground.
Notes of Interest
• With his 64 yards tonight, Schroeder became the 30th player in program history to top the 1,000-yard rushing mark – he now has 1,033 yards in his career.
• Paxton tied the Johns Hopkins single-game record for points by a kicker wth his 15 (6 XPs, 3 FGs). This is the third time a Blue Jay kicker has recorded 15 points in a game (Alex Lachman did it twice during his career from 2007-10).
Johns Hopkins will return to action on Saturday, October 19 the Blue Jays welcome Franklin & Marshall to Homewood Field for another Centennial Conference game.
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