Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
March 28, 2024

Football wins decisively on the road at Dickinson

By EMILIE HOFFER | September 28, 2017

B10_Football

HOPKINSSPORTS.COM The Hopkins football team has won 45 straight regular season games.

This past weekend the eighth-ranked Blue Jays traveled to Carlisle, Pa. to take on the Dickinson College Red Devils. The Jays’ 45-10 victory marked the 45th straight regular season win and the 40th straight Centennial Conference win for Hopkins.

Unlike some of their games that came down to the final seconds of play earlier this season, the Blue Jays were looking to come on strong from the start against their Centennial Conference opponent.

“The team’s game plan was to get off to a fast start on offense and to execute out individual assignments on defense so that we could stop all phases of their offense,” sophomore defensive end Mike Kalanik said.

The Jays did not have to wait long for their first wish to come true. Just one offensive play into the game, junior quarterback Zack Baker found classmate wide receiver Luke McFadden for an 80-yard touchdown pass. The play was just the first of four touchdowns for the Jays in the first half of the game, three of which covered more than 50-yards.

This included a 62-yard touchdown run from freshman quarterback Nick Leongas and a 56-yard punt return by senior wide receiver David Brookhart.

Leongas led the Blue Jays’ running game, rushing nine times for 117 yards and two scores. Sophomore running back Hogan Irwin added 63 yards on just two runs, including a 57-yard run in the fourth quarter. The Blue Jays’ rushing attack put together a season-high of 278 total yards.

Brookhart’s return is tied for the third-longest in school history and is the first punt return for a touchdown for the Jays since 1995. The Centennial Conference honored Brookhart as the Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.

Meanwhile, defensively the Blue Jays were just as hot, holding Dickinson to only 10 points and a little over 300 yards despite the Devils having possession for more than 39 minutes of play.

Leading the Hopkins defense was Kalanik, who totaled eight tackles, 4.5 for losses and one sack. The 4.5 tackles for losses was the most by a Blue Jay since Colin Wixted’s 4.5 in 2007. On Sunday, the Centennial Conference awarded Kalanik with his first Defensive Player of the Week honor.

“Two guys on our team  (junior Grant Mosser and sophomore Patrick Kelly) had their first career interceptions,” Kalanik explained. “The defense in general had a really big day with 13 tackles for loss.”

Additionally, the Jays posted three sacks on the day, only allowing the Red Devils’ quarterback Robert Geiss 200 yards passing and 36 yards rushing.

“We are continuing to try and be more consistent every week and minimize any mental mistakes,” Kalanik said.

The Blue Jays advanced their record to 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the Centennial with the win against Dickinson. Hopkins held their eighth-place ranking in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) this week for their 41st all-time top 10 AFCA ranking and their 31st consecutive top 10 ranking.

“The team has one goal in mind this week,” Kalanik said. “That is to win this Saturday.”

Up next, the Jays will travel to Ursinus College to play another Centennial Conference front-runner, the Ursinus College Grizzly Bears, who also remain undefeated this season.

Look out for a decisive game this Saturday, Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. when the Jays take on the Bears at Patterson Field.


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