By Ryan Tipps
D3football.com

COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. -- If it weren't for two momentum-changing events, Johns Hopkins and Ursinus might have ended 60 minutes of play tied at zero.

As it turned out, Ursinus was the only team to end the game that way.

Prior to this game, "we've been struggling a little bit defensively," said Jim Margraff, head coach at Johns Hopkins. "These guys certainly have the ability to throw the ball deep, to throw the ball well. So that concerned us coming in. But our guys put a lot of pressure on the quarterback today. Overall, anytime they have a zero on the board, that's a great day for us."

On game day, a chill in the air had descended on the Ursinus campus, which was welcoming hundreds of alumni and fans for Homecoming. The sun passed unobscured behind the home team's stands as a slow but steady trickle of Bears fans took up positions for the game. Nearby, tents were jammed with revelers and music echoed into the field, occasionally drowned out by cheers.

Johns Hopkins is used to being on the visitors' side during Homecomings. Margraff, a 1982 JHU graduate and the winningest coach in school history, joked that over the years, lots of teams chose to play the Blue Jays for Homecoming. But that was then. In the now, JHU is seeing a turnaround after going 4-6 last season. For '08, "we're playing a little better offensively," Margraff notes. "We struggled a lot last year."

Ursinus quarterback Nick Dye was sacked nine times. Photo by Ryan Tipps, D3sports.com

In a paradox, Ursinus is the team that has struggled to fill its lofty expectations for 2008. And things started well. The Bears tackled Alfred, an Empire 8 contender, to the tune of 34-27 in Week 1. But something happened. What that was is hard to pinpoint. Maybe it was just one thing, maybe a lot of things. Ursinus coach Peter Gallagher sees a multitude of possibilities.

"After that Alfred game, playing on that turf up there, we had six defenders out," he said. "We've lost arguably our best player on the team, (senior defensive back) DeVohn Butler. He's trying to come back every week, but he's got some problems with injury. Our offensive line is just pieced together, a freshman and three sophomores."

And there's something less tangible but no less real that the Bears need to work through to salvage a season that has left them with just one conference win and near the bottom of the increasingly tough Centennial.

"After Alfred, (our team soon) got knocked off their pedestal," Gallagher said, "and it's been kind of hard to get their confidence back, saying, ‘We can win games.' "

Playing a closely fought game in front of a Homecoming crowd is something every team wants, but the icing on the cake for Ursinus was elusive. In the first half, both teams moved the ball and both missed field goals. Hopkins was stopped on fourth down; Ursinus was intercepted in the end zone.

The first quarter ended scoreless, as did the next. 

"I think we had 27 plays in the first half, and we just ran three just to run the clock out," Margraff said. "We had two fourth downs. Normal down and distance, we had maybe 20 or 22 plays. It's really hard to get into a rhythm at that point. They kept us out of it. It was very frustrating from an offensive standpoint."

Andrew Kase dives for the pylon, which turned out to be all the scoring Johns Hopkins needed.  Photo by Ryan Tipps, D3sports.com

The rallying point for Hopkins came at the end of Ursinus' first drive in the second half, when a bobbled punt gave the Blue Jays a short field and set them up for the game's first end zone strike. Shortly afterward, the quarter lit up again when Hopkins receiver Sam Wernick caught a surprise 60-yard touchdown pass from fellow wideout Dan Crowley.

For Ursinus, the silver lining might be to look at a game without these two plays.

"Our defense certainly wanted to come out here in their black unis and play," Gallagher said. "And they played with some emotion." He also said he was happy the defense was able to keep JHU's running back Andrew Kase out of the end zone for most of the game.

Hopkins' coach, on the other hand, lamented the missed opportunities on the field. 

"I'm usually more involved with the offense, so I'm a little disappointed in that way," Margraff said. "We've been playing very well most of the year so far, especially producing points and some yards. … We just took the day off offensively. We had some opportunities to make some short catches and turn them into long runs, but they were just dropping us where we caught them."

The pressures during Homecoming always weigh a little heavier than normal. Big crowds translate into bigger expectations, especially for a school steeped in tradition. One athlete who stepped into those grander shoes was Ursinus' Mark Jaskowski. The running back was instrumental in moving the ball for the Bears, and at the end of the game, he became part of one of Ursinus' most touching traditions.

Jaskowski was honored with the Kenneth E. Walker Trophy, given to Ursinus' best player at Homecoming. The trophy honors a player and captain from the 1950s who was killed in a Navy accident. "We like to keep traditions alive, and this is one of our great traditions," said Ursinus Sports Information Director James Wagner.

It was a humble note to end a relatively humble day on the scoreboard.