Johns Hopkins Post-Game Interviews
BALTIMORE, MD – The Johns Hopkins football team jumped to a 17-0 lead and then held off a late rally by visiting Grove City as the Blue Jays advanced to the third round of the NCAA Division III Playoffs with a 17-14 victory over the Wolverines at Homewood Field Saturday afternoon. Johns Hopkins improves to 10-1 on the year and will meet DePauw in the third round on Saturday, December 7. Grove City sees its season end at 9-2.
Johns Hopkins had its 17-point advantage midway through the fourth quarter when senior quarterback James Rinello capped a nine-play, 72-yard drive with a six-yard touchdown pass to classmate EJ Talarico in the corner of the end zone. The play came on fourth down and Talarico caught the ball while falling to the ground after it was deflected by teammate Robby Enright.
After holding the high-scoring Wolverines, who entered the game averaging nearly 43 points per game, scoreless for more than 50 minutes, the Blue Jays saw Grove City answer Talarico's touchdown with its best drive of the game to that point as the Wolverines went to air and needed just eight plays and 2:26 to cover 67 yards and finally got the end zone when Logan Pfeuffer found Scott Fraser at the pylon to make it a 17-7 game.
The Wolverine defense then forced a quick Blue Jay punt that Shay Aitken blocked and Jase Herrick recovered in the end zone to pull Grove City within a field goal at 17-14 with 3:42 on the fourth quarter clock.
Working into a stiff wind, the Blue Jays were able to pick up one first down on their ensuing possession, but Aitken intercepted Rinello's attempt on third-and-12 at the Grove City 29-yard line to give the Wolverines one final chance with just over two minutes remaining.
Pfeuffer moved the Wolverines to a first-and-goal from the Blue Jay 10-yard line before misfiring on three straight attempts to Fraser to set up a potential game-tying field goal with nine seconds remaining, but Daniel Sullivan's kick hit the left upright and bounced away to seal the victory for the Blue Jays.
While the game never got away from the Wolverines, a late-game stop didn't seem like it would be necessary for Johns Hopkins as the Blue Jay defense held GC in check for a majority of the day. Averaging just over 200 yards per game on the ground this season, the Wolverines were held to -13 rushing yards on the day and resorted almost exclusively to the pass in the second half.
For its part, Johns Hopkins used a game-opening, 12-play, 73-yard drive that Rinello capped with a one-yard touchdown run to give the Blue Jays a 7-0 lead that they would carry well into the third quarter.
The Blue Jays did have a chance to extend the lead late in the second quarter, but 49-yard JP Furman field goal attempt came up just short to account for the 7-0 halftime score.
After holding Grove City to just 52 yards of total offense in the first half, the Blue Jay defense picked up where it left off after halftime. The Wolverines did piece together a 14-play, 67-yard drive to open the third quarter, but Cole Peters and Isaac Urquidi stopped Ian Demeri on fourth-and-one from the JHU 18 to halt the scoring threat.
Rinello then set up a 35-yard Brad Paxton field goal as he moved the Blue Jays from their own 18 to the Grove City 18 by orchestrating a 64-yard drive that included a 45-yard strike to sophomore Cole Crotty.
Paxton's field goal came with just under six minutes remaining in the third quarter and was the last scoring play before Rinello's touchdown pass to Talarico midway through the fourth quarter that extended the 10-point lead to 17 with 7:59 remaining.
The 17-point lead was nearly gone less than five minutes later and the first NCAA Playoff win for first-year Johns Hopkins coach Dan Wodicka wasn't' secured until Sullivan's field goal attempt in the closing seconds kicked off the upright and fell harmlessly in the end zone.
Inside the Box Score – Johns Hopkins
• Rinello was 23-of-37 for 264 yards with the one touchdown through the air and one rushing touchdown.
• Crotty matched his career-high with 10 receptions for a personal-best 148 yards and Talarico added six receptions for 30 yards and the one score.
• Going against a Grove City rushing defense that was allowing just 40 yards per game, junior Geoff Schroeder grinded out 55 yards on 15 carries.
• The Johns Hopkins defense held the Wolverines more than 28 points and 180 yards below their season averages entering the game. The -13 rushing yards allowed are the fewest JHU has ever allowed in a post-season game.
• Senior PJ Penders posted a team-high eight tackles and added one pass breakup, while Peters was in on seven tackles and had one fumble recovery.
• The Blue Jay defense collected nine pass breakups and three sacks on the day.
Inside the Box Score – Grove City
• Fraser was targeted a remarkable 37 times on Pfeuffer's 49 pass attempts and had 19 receptions for 231 yards and the one score.
• Pfeuffer finished 24-of-49 for 273 yards and the one score.
• Nico Flati, who entered the game averaging 104 yards per game, was held to seven yards on 10 carries on the day.
• Dominic DiNinno and Caleb Brubaker tied for the team-lead with eight tackles apiece and DiNinno had two of Grove City's six pass breakups on the day.}|
• Aitken had six tackles, including one for a loss, and added the late-game interception and blocked punt.
Notes of Interest
• Johns Hopkins has reached the 10-win mark for the 13th time in program history; all 13 have come since 2003.
• The Blue Jay defense has held all 11 of its opponents to-date below its season scoring average and only one has come within 10 points of its scoring average.
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