F&M (7-1, 5-1 CC) at Johns Hopkins (6-2, 5-1 CC)

Live Stats

Live Audio - Free live audio on B2 Networks with David Seitz '10 and Bryan Stabbe '13

Live Video - Provided by Johns Hopkins

F&M Notes - Additional Content (.pdf) 

the vitals
F&M leads 34-24-2 | In Baltimore: F&M leads 18-11-2 | In Centennial: JHU 14-12

Johns Hopkins and Franklin & Marshall meet for the 61st time in a series that began in Baltimore with a 10-3 F&M win in 1912. The Diplomats hold a 34-24-2 lead in the series and an 18-11-2 lead at Homewood Field. Since Centennial Conference play began in 1983, Johns Hopkins owns a 14-12 lead, but F&M has a 7-6 edge in Baltimore. Hopkins had won five straight at home over F&M leading up to the 2007 meeting – the last game at Hopkins, a 19-11 F&M win.

implications
The Diplomats are 5-1 in league play, tied with Johns Hopkins and Dickinson for first place. Dickinson edged F&M with a last second field goal, while Johns Hopkins knocked off Dickinson. Today’s game will help sort out the chase for the centennial boot and accompanying automatic qualifier. F&M needs to win out with a Dickinson loss to either Juniata or Ursinus. A Hopkins win would leave the Jays in charge of their own fate heading into the season’s final game at McDaniel. 

f&m last week
John Harrison (Flourtown, Pa. / La Salle College H.S.) completed 26 passes for 404 yards and five touchdowns to lead F&M to a 41-20 win at McDaniel. The sophomore signal caller reset the school season records for completions, passing yards and touchdowns in the Centennial Conference (CC) win. He also broke the single-game record for passing yards with the first 400-yard day in F&M history.

jhu last week
Johns Hopkins senior running back Andrew Kase rushed for 146 yards and a school-record tying four touchdowns in the first half to lead the visiting Blue Jays to a 58-7 victory.

the last meeting
A.J. Albert intercepted John Harrison’s two point conversion pass in the waning moments of the fourth quarter to seal a 26-25 Johns Hopkins win over Franklin & Marshall at Sponaugle-Williamson field. The Diplomats recovered the onsides kick with 27 seconds left in the game for another crack. F&M worked without the aid of any timeouts, allowing Hopkins to close the door on the Diplomats after three plays on the jay’s 41-yardline.

the last meeting in baltimore
Kyle Turner and Jay Ridinger (Lititz, Pa. / Manheim Twp.) conspired for a pair of touchdowns to lead Franklin & Marshall to a 19-11 win over Johns Hopkins at Homewood Field. The victory snapped a 10-game Hopkins’ winning streak over F&M, and marked the first time Franklin & Marshall had won back-to-back games under the direction of then second-year head coach John Troxell.

something’s gotta give
F&M enters today’s game on a five game winning streak. Johns Hopkins has won three in a row.

star power
Today’s contest features three Centennial players of the week from last weekend. F&M’s quarterback, John Harrison, shared the offensive honor with Hopkins’ runningback, Andrew Kase. F&M brings the reigning Defensive Player of the Week to Baltimore in Barry Lovett (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Poly Prep).  The Diplomats became the sixth and seventh F&M players to earn a player of the week honor this season. Harrison earned the honor in week two when F&M pasted a 42-21 loss on Catholic’s schedule. Lovett, who was named to the weekly honor roll after last week’s 20-7 win over Muhlenberg, was named to the weekly honor roll after the Catholic game as well. Last week’s honor was his first player of the week award this season.

scouting the birds
Johns Hopkins set a modern (since 1955) school record with 44 first-half points in the 58-7 win at Juniata. It’s the first 50-point performance for Hopkins since a 54-13 win vs. Gettysburg on sept. 29, 2000. It was the 125th career win for head coach Jim Margraff and the 100th all-time victory in Centennial play for the Blue Jays... Andrew Kase ran for 146 yards and four tds in the first half to break the school career record with 43 touchdowns... The defense held Juniata to zero rushing yards with seven sacks, 11 tackles for loss, four interceptions and a pair of recovered fumbles... Adam Schweyer blocked a Juniata punt and returned it 13 yards for a touchdown... Tyler Brown had six tackles, including two sacks, forced two fumbles and recovered one.

diplomats in the free state
Today, F&M is playing it’s 1,076th game. Of those games, only 60 have been played in Maryland.  F&M is 31-27-2 in those games. F&M’s first seven games in Maryland were played in Annapolis, four at USNA and three off of State Circle at St. John’s. All were losses. The eighth game was the first against Hopkins, the 1912 victory. F&M is 10-10 in its last 20 trips across the Mason-Dixon line.

it’s not how you start, but…
Franklin & Marshall is off to a 7-1 start, the best since the 9-2, 1996 season.

spreading the wealth
30 different Diplomats were credited with at least one tackle in the win at McDaniel.

throwing the book at harrison
John Harrison reset all of the major single season passing records as well as the single game yardage record during the win at McDaniel. He also tied the school record for touchdowns in a game. Harrison completed 26 passes for 404 yards and five touchdowns. He is the first Diplomat to pass for 400 yards in a game.

Harrison’s first touchdown of the day, a one-yard pass to Mike Deutch (Sussex, N.J. / Vernon) in the back of the end zone reset the single season record for touchdown passes. His 22nd touchdown pass of the season topped Geno Pagnozzi’s mark of 21 set back in the 1989 season. Harrison’s assault on the record book was just getting started. Tied with Kyle Turner at 2,203 yards, Harrison hit George Eager (Lititz, Pa. / Manheim Twp.) in stride for a 50-yard score, helping Harrison reestablish the single season yardage record. Harrison’s 26th and final completion of the game gave him the school’s single season record at 197. Harrison is also sitting on several other season records (see .pdf)

the waiting was the hardest part
The first Franklin & Marshall quarterback to throw five touchdowns in a game was Wally Witmer in the 1951 meeting with Johns Hopkins, a 52-7 F&M victory.  That feat went unmatched for 58 years. John Harrison finally matched the effort in the win 42-21 win over Catholic. He ensured that the wait would not be another 58 years, in fact, ensured that it would not reach 50 days, throwing five touchdowns against McDaniel to tie the school record once again.

twice as nice
Barry Lovett’s 62-yard interception return for a touchdown marked the second time in as many weeks that he scored a defensive touchdown. He scooped a fumble and scored from 69 yards out against Muhlenberg two weeks back. Lovett’s efforts mark the first time a Diplomat defender scored in consecutive weeks since Tim Sheridan did it in 1995. Sheridan returned interceptions of 22 yards and 40 yards in consecutive weeks against Ursinus and Muhlenberg, respectively.

touchdowns and tackles
Mike Deutch’s two-touchdown day at McDaniel marked the first multiple touchdown game in the junior’s career. Just to show that it hadn’t gone to his head, he recorded the tackle on the ensuing kickoff after both of his touchdowns.

giving ‘em the boot
Brian Prater (Baldwin, Md. / St. Paul’s School) matched his season and career long punt with a 45-yard boot at McDaniel last week. He has recorded a punt of 40 or more yards in five of F&M’s eight games this season and has left 10 of his 36 punts inside the opposition’s 20.

career day
Jarrell Diggs (Baltimore / Gilman) recorded the first 100-yard receiving day of his career at McDaniel. He caught three passes for 127 yards, including F&M’s longest reception of the season, a 77-yard catch and run that set up a touchdown.

double dips
Jarrell Diggs and George Eager both rolled up 100-yard receiving games for F&M last week. That was the first time two F&M receivers topped the 100-yard plateau since Eager and Paul Sousa did the same against Dickinson in 2007. Eager racked up a career-high 175-yards in the game.

no triskaidekaphobia for eager
For the second time this season, George Eager caught 13 passes. He also made his way into the end zone twice. Eager’s career high for receptions remains 15, registered against Dickinson in 2007. Eager is now within 16 receptions of becoming the third Diplomat with 200 career catches, and has overtaken second in touchdown catches at 25.