Nov. 19, 2016
BALTIMORE, MD – Johns Hopkins senior quarterback Jonathan Germano threw for 418 yards and four touchdowns and also ran for a score to power the sixth-ranked Blue Jays past visiting Randolph-Macon, 42-21, in the first round of the NCAA Division III Football Playoffs at Homewood Field Saturday afternoon. The numbers told the story in the victory for the Blue Jays – and there were plenty of those to share:
418 – Germano's 418 yard are a program playoff record and the sixth-best total in school history.
222 – Sophomore wide receiver Luke McFadden enjoyed the best game of his career with 11 receptions for 222 yards and two scores. The 222 yards are the most ever in a playoff game by a Johns Hopkins player and third-best total in school history.
500 – Johns Hopkins finished with 500 yards of total offense – the third-most in an NCAA Playoff game in school history.
87 – After allowing 227 yards in the first half, the Blue Jay defense allowed just 87 yards in the second half … 51 of those 87 came on Randolph-Macon's only scoring drive after halftime. The 'Jacket other five second-half possessions netted just 36 yards.
11 – Johns Hopkins tied the program's single-season record with its 11th win of the season. The Blue Jays are 11-0 for the third consecutive seasons.
200 – Blue Jay head coach Jim Margraff notched career win number 200 with today's victory. Margraff ranks sixth among active head coaches with his 200 wins.
There were, of course, more numbers, like the 21 unanswered points the Blue Jays scored in the first 13 minutes of the game to grab a big early lead and all the momentum.
After stopping Randolph-Macon on its first possession, Germano hit McFadden for 46 yards on the Blue Jays' first play from scrimmage. Six plays later, Germano went in from four yards to make it 7-0.
Just 83 seconds later, the Blue Jays had a 14-0 lead as a Michael Curry interception led to a five-play, 62-yard drive that took just 75 seconds and freshman Dane Rogerson capped that drive with a two-yard scoring run.
When Germano polished off Hopkins' third possession with a six-yard strike to McFadden, the Blue Jays had their 21-point lead despite possessing the ball for less than six minutes in the first quarter.
Randolph-Macon got the momentum-turning play it needed early in the second quarter as Germano was sacked from behind and fumbled and the 'Jackets took over at the Blue Jay 18. It took just four plays to cover those 18 yards and Eric Hoy found the end zone from four yards out to slice the deficit to 21-7.
The lead was back to 21 two minutes later when Germano hit senior Bradley Munday with a 19-yard touchdown pass and that score held until late in the period when Christian Redman caught a perfect back-shoulder 19-yard pass from Burke Estes at the pylon to make it 28-14 at the half.
Two second-half touchdown passes by Germano – the first a 43-yard strike to McFadden on the opening possession of the third quarter and the second another 19-yarder to Munday on the second play of the fourth quarter – pushed the lead to 42-14 before Hoy closed the scoring with a two-yard run with just over 10 minutes remaining in the final period.
The Yellow Jackets had two more possessions after Hoy's touchdown, and got to the Blue Jay 30 on one of them, but the Hopkins defense stood firm. After McFadden's touchdown early in the third quarter, Randolph-Macon had three possessions in that period, but generated just one yard on 13 plays.
In addition to McFadden's showing, the Blue Jays also got eight receptions for 104 yards and the two scores from Munday on offense, while Curry had two of Hopkins three interceptions on the day. Senor Jack Campbell (9 tackles), junior Keonte Henson (8) and senior Jack Toner (8) led the way defensively for the Blue Jays; Toner added a late-game interception, his school-record-tying eighth of the season and 18th of his career.
Estes threw for 173 yards and the one touchdown to Redman, but he was intercepted three times and sacked four times. Redmond also led the 'Jackets with 80 yards rushing, while Michael Farry had a game-high 13 tackles.
Johns Hopkins advances to the second round of the NCAA Playoffs for the third consecutive year, the fourth time in five years and the sixth time in eight years. The Blue Jays will play defending national champion Mount Union on Saturday, November 26 at noon. The location of that game will be announced on Sunday, November 20.
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