BALTIMORE, MD – For nearly 25 minutes, the only Centennial Conference football game on Saturday afternoon featuring teams that won their season opener in week one lived up to the advance billing as Johns Hopkins and Ursinus were deadlocked at 14. Six minutes before halftime, the teams had combined for three touchdown drives that covered 75 or more yards and another that was set up by a failed fake punt attempt.
By the time the game reached intermission, things had changed dramatically as the host Blue Jays scored four touchdowns in the final 5:10 of the opening half to turn the 14-14 tie into a 42-14 lead in what eventually became a 49-21 Johns Hopkins victory at Homewood Field.
Knotted at 14 apiece after the Bears' Billy Cook caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Jack Psenicska with 8:51 remaining in the second quarter, the Blue Jays answered with an eight-play, 90-yard drive that was capped by a 27-yard touchdown run from junior Danny Wolf. The Blue Jays never faced a third-down chance on the drive and Wolf's touchdown was preceded by a 30-yard strike from junior Ryan Stevens to graduate student Ryan Hubley.
After the Johns Hopkins defense forced a quick three-and-out, it took the Blue Jays just one play to go 60 yards as Stevens hit graduate wide receiver Quinn Revere in stride with a 60-yard yard touchdown pass to push the lead to 28-14 with 3:23 on the first-half clock.
Taking over at their own 25, the Bears quickly moved into Blue Jay territory as a 33-yard pass from Psenicska to Samuel Ragland set the Bears up at the Johns Hopkins 35. However, four straight incomplete passes gave the Blue Jays possession with 1:42 remaining before the half and Stevens hit Hubley for 59 yards on the first play to quickly set up a first-and-goal situation. Two plays later, Stevens rolled left and hit Hubley with a nine-yard scoring pass to push the lead to 35-14.
Not content to simply run out the last 45 seconds of the half, the Bears got a seven-yard Psenicska-to-Cook completion to open the drive following Hubley's touchdown, but Psenicsa was sacked and fumbled on the next play and Blue Jay senior Joe Tischler recovered at the Ursinus 15.
It took just one play and six seconds to make the Bears pay as Stevens fired a strike to Harrison Wellmann on the outside and he ducked inside a defender and dove into the end zone to cap the 35-point second-quarter surge that gave the Blue Jays the 42-14 halftime lead.
Wellmann completed his three-touchdown day with a 21-yard scoring reception on Hopkins' second drive of the third quarter; that reception polished off a six-play, 57-yard drive with 9:31 remaining in the period and the Blue Jay starters on offense were done for the day with the 49-14 lead.
Ursinus closed out the scoring with a fumble recovery for a touchdown with just under five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to account for the 49-21 final.
Prior to the late second-quarter explosion by the Blue Jays, the teams had played evenly. Ursinus wrapped a 16-yard touchdown reception from Kevin DePrince and the Cook two-yard scoring reception around touchdown catches by Wellmann (10 yards) and Hubley (2) in the first 21:09. But Wolf's touchdown run ignited the half-ending surge that created separation for the Blue Jays, who have now won nine of the last 10 against Ursinus.
Stevens was the catalyst again for Johns Hopkins as he was 22-of-25 for 364 yards and six touchdowns with one interception in just over one half of action. His top three targets, Wellmann (8-68-3), Hubley (6-151-2) and Revere (6-115-1) combined for 20 receptions for 334 yards and six touchdowns. Wolf led the Blue Jays on the ground with nine carries for 63 yards and the one score.
Macauley Kilbane and Nick Seidel each posted eight tackles to lead the way defensively for the Blue Jays. Kilbane added his first interception of the season and a tackle for loss. In all, Johns Hopkins had nine tackles for losses, four sacks, seven pass breakups and forced two turnovers.
Psenicska was 26-of-45 for 242 yards with two touchdown passes. Octavious Carter (8-77), DePrince (7-82) and Ragland (7-60) combined for 22 receptions for 219 yards and one touchdown and Ragland added 69 yards on 13 carries to lead the Ursinus rushing attack.
Johns Hopkins will return to action on Saturday, September 18 when the Blue Jays travel to Juniata to take on the Eagles. Kickoff at Knox Stadium is set for 2 pm.
Notes: Johns Hopkins tied the school record for points in a quarter with the 35 in the second quarter today (@ McDaniel, 2017 • The 42-point first half marked the 11th time in school history that JHU has scored 40 or more points in a half – all 11 have come since 2008 and seven of the 11 have come since the start of the 2017 season • Wellmann's three touchdown receptions are a career high • Stevens set a school record for passing yards in a quarter with 197 in the second quarter • He is the first JHU quarterback with six TD passes in a game since Jon Germano had six against Ursinus in 2016.
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