BALTIMORE, MD – The Johns Hopkins football team raced out to a 46-0 halftime lead and never looked back en route to a 62-14 victory over visiting Dickinson at Homewood Field Saturday afternoon. The win, the Blue Jays' 12th straight in the series against the Red Devils, improves Hopkins' record to 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the Centennial Conference, while the Red Devils slip to 1-3 overall and 1-2 in the Centennial.
The Blue Jays got four rushing touchdowns, two passing touchdowns and a 10-yard fumble return for a score before halftime to roll out to the 46-point halftime lead. The 46 points are the second-most in a half in school history and the 46-point halftime margin is the largest ever for Johns Hopkins.
Johns Hopkins led 13-0 at the end of the first quarter on the strength of a one-yard touchdown run from senior Stuart Walters and a 23-yard touchdown reception by senior Tyler Messinger. Those scores polished off 46 and 80-yard scoring drives, respectively.
The 13-point lead held until the first play of the second quarter, when Walters broke around the right side and fought his way through traffic to the pylon just nine seconds into the period. By the time the quarter reached the midway point, the now 19-point lead had ballooned to 40 as the Blue Jays scored three touchdowns in a span of just over three minutes to put the game away.
A one-yard run by junior Hogan Irwin capped an eight-play 60-yard drive just four minutes after Walters' second score and freshman Robert Fletcher scooped up a loose ball on a bad snap on a Dickinson punt 60 seconds later and raced 10 yards to push the lead to 33-0. Two minutes later – after a Michael Curry interception set the Blue Jays up deep in Dickinson territory – it was Messinger scoring for the second time on the day, this time going in from two yards out.
Johns Hopkins closed out the first-half scoring with an eight -yard David Tammaro-to-Patrick Maloney touchdown pass with 16 seconds remaining to account for the 46-0 halftime score.
The pace slowed in the second half with Dickinson getting a six-yard touchdown reception from Jake Wolbert and a five-yard scoring reception from Chris Longo, while the Blue Jay countered with a pair of short touchdown runs from sophomore Luke Yakely and a 20-yard field goal by senior Brandon Hong-Dominguez to account for the 62-14 final.
Johns Hopkins out-gained Dickinson 507-262, including 386-40 in the first half. The Blue Jay defense forced four Dickinson turnovers, which Hopkins turned into three touchdowns and one field goal.
Tammaro played just the first half, but was 18-of-24 for 272 yards with two touchdowns. Freshman Harrison Wellmann was his favorite target as he had four receptions for 78 yards and Walters led a balanced 194-yard rushing effort for the Blue Jays with 59 yards and the two touchdowns.
Stephen Adams led the Blue Jay defense with seven tackles, while senior Anthony Davidson added six tackles, including two for losses and one sack. Curry and fellow senior Grant Mosser accounted for Hopkins' two interceptions on the day. Mosser's 50-yard interception return is the longest by a Johns Hopkins player since Charlie Kassis returned one 57 yards against Western New England in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Playoffs.
Dickinson's Billy Burger was 13-of-27 for 134 yards and the two second-half touchdowns and Jeremy Walsh rushed for a game-high 85 yards on 20 carries. Walbert was Burger's top receiver as he had seven receptions for 76 yards and the one score.
The Dickinson defense, which entered the game having allowed a total of 37 points in three games, was led by Johnny Knight (10 tackles) and James Turner (9).
Johns Hopkins will return to action on Saturday, September 29 when the Blue Jays welcome Ursinus to Homewood Field for a key Centennial Conference game against the Bears (1 pm).
Notes: Hong-Dominguez tied a Johns Hopkins record with a 75-yard punt in the fourth quarter (Ben Scott vs. Rochester / 2005) • This is the second time JHU has scored 60 or points this season – this is the first time in school history Johns Hopkins has scored 60+ more than once in a season • The Blue Jays are 45-5 at home (regular season & playoffs) since the start of the 2010 season and have won 40 consecutive regular season home games • Tammaro extended his JHU record and tied the Centennial Conference record for consecutive 200-yard passing games (14).
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