ALLENTOWN, PA – Officially, it's listed as a 14-yard rushing touchdown. However, there was a whole lot more to Will Leger's game-winning touchdown run on the final play of Johns Hopkins' stunning 34-28 win at Muhlenberg.
The Blue Jays, who twice led by 14 in the game, lined up for what would have been a game-winning 31-yard field goal attempt by Joe Zahner. Simultaneous with the snap, a loud air horn sounded and Zahner slowed his attempt as if the play were blown dead and half kicked a low line drive into the back of the offensive line. There, an alert Leger scooped up the ball behind the line and raced to the corner of the end zone as time expired to lift the Blue Jays to a win; since the kick had not crossed the line, the Blue Jays retained all rights to the ball and could rush the ball or pass after recovering.
So this just happened!
— Johns Hopkins Football (@JHU_Football) October 28, 2023
Jays win a classic 34-28 on a blocked FG return for a TD on final play of the game.#PrideandPoise #d3fb #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/xuAOE7XDY9
The improbable touchdown brought to an end another instant classic between the Mules and the Blue Jays, who have played one-score games at Muhlenberg's Scotty Wood Stadium since 2016. This one just got to the final score in a much different way than the classics in 2016 and 2017.
Johns Hopkins appeared to be in control after breaking a 14-all halftime tie with a six-yard Bay Harvey touchdown run and a Leger 27-yard touchdown reception in the final six minutes of the third quarter to grab a 28-14 lead. The first of those touchdowns came after a Cole Peters interception for the Blue Jays deep in their end of the field; the Peters interception was the third turnover in a five-play sequence that saw Oliver Craddock also come up with an interception for the Blue Jays at the goalline and the Blue Jays lose a fumble two plays later.
The 14-point lead held until the back half of the fourth quarter, when Muhlenberg quarterback Joe Repetti hit Ian Csicsek with a three-yard touchdown pass with 6:10 on the clock and then fired a strike to Timothy Buda in the back of the end zone with 2:43 on the clock to even things up.
The Blue Jays then appeared to have taken the lead on a 75-yard touchdown run by Harvey with just over two minutes remaining, only to have the play called back to the Muhlenberg 43 on an illegal block. One play later, Harvey was intercepted down the middle to give the Mules their shot at a late-game win, but a one-handed Luca Lutzel interception along the sideline with 1:46 remaining set the Blue Jays up at the Muhlenberg 44.
Nine plays, 30 yards and 1:43 later, Zahner lined up for a chance to end it; as it turned out, an ill-timed horn and a alert Leger provided a much more dramatic ending than even a 31-yard field goal would have.
The Blue Jays had jumped out to an early 14-0 lead as they scored a pair of touchdowns in the first 17 minutes of the game to grab the two-score advantage.
After receiving the opening kickoff, the Blue Jays methodically worked their way down the field with an 11-play, 82-yard drive that saw junior Bay Harvey hit senior Will Leger in the back of the end zone on third-and-goal form the seven-yard line. That was the only third-down play of the drive as the Blue Jays kept the Mules off-balance.
After the Hopkins defense forced a Muhlenberg punt on its first possession, the Blue Jays took over at their own 20 with just under six minutes remaining in the first quarter and promptly ate just under eight minutes off the clock with a 16-play, 8-yard drive that senior Spencer Uggla capped with a five-yard run up the middle to give Hopkins the 14-0 lead.
Muhlenberg (7-1, 4-1 CC) then struck twice in a four-minute span midway through the second quarter on a pair of Repetti touchdown runs to pull even at 14. That score held until Harvey's six-yard run with six minutes left in the third quarter ignited the crazy final 21 minutes.
Inside the Box Score – Johns Hopkins
• Harvey was 23-of-35 for 245 yards and two touchdowns against one interception and also rushed for 93 yards and one score.
• Leger had seven receptions for 81 yards and two touchdowns and added the one rush for 14 yards and the touchdown.
• Freshman Cole Crotty had career-highs of 10 receptions for 123 yards.
• Peters led the Blue Jay defense with 11 tackles, including 1.5 for loss, and the one interception.
• Matthew Konkol picked up both of Hopkins' sacks on the day among his five tackles in the game.
Inside the Box Score – Muhlenberg
• Repetti was 23-of-37 for 285 yards with the two touchdowns and three INTs. He also rushed for a game-high 77 yards and the two scores.
• James Nye (4-86-0) and Buda (6-62-1) were Repetti's favorite targets on the day.
• Tyler Ekstrom had a game-high 13 tackles, including two losses and one sack, and also recovered a fumble.
Notes of Interest
• Johns Hopkins is the last remaining unbeaten team in the Centennial Conference (8-0, 4-0 CC) and can lock up the Centennial's automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA Playoffs with a win next week at Dickinson.
Johns Hopkins will return to action on Saturday, November 4 when the Blue Jays travel to Dickinson for their final regular season road game of the year (1 pm).
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