Johns Hopkins Week
As we prepare to enter the Centennial Conference portion of our schedule, following is the first in this weeks' series of previews of the upcoming Conference opener with the Johns Hopkins Bluejays.
The following was taken from the D3Football.com Kick-off Edition:
Johns Hopkins Blue Jays
Last playoff appearance: 2005
Last year: 4-6, 3-5 CC
Last conference title: 2005
2007 NCAA ranking, total offense: 165
2007 NCAA ranking, total defense: 81
Wins increase from 06-07: Minus-1
Preseason ranking: 53 of 239
Players who started camp: 88
Head coach: Jim Margraff, 19th year, 111-69-3
Starters returning: 20 (11 offense, seven defense, two specialists)
Position battle to watch: Quarterback, again. Michael Murray started nine games in 2007, but could face challenges from Max Islinger, among others. Margraff said he hopes to have the starter decided before camp breaks and has little interest in a platoon.
Pressure is on: Linebackers Colin Wixted and A.J. Albert. Both were starters for much of last season, Wixted as a sophomore and Albert as a freshman. But most of the players around them will be new, and it will be up to Wixted and Albert to keep the defense moving.
Where did he come from? Sophomore wide receiver D.J. Hartigan arrived at Hopkins in a knee brace, the result of knee surgery that Hartigan underwent during the spring of his senior year in high school. He didn't play as a freshman, but Margaff is hoping he can be a factor this season.
Their season will be defined by: The Centennial Conference opener at Gettysburg on Sept. 20. Because of all the new faces, Margraff likened the Blue Jays' nonconference games (home against St. Lawrence, on the road against Randolph-Macon) as preseason games. He hopes the young players will be up to speed by the time Hopkins meets the Bullets.
Predicted record: 4-6, 3-5
Capsule: Margraff takes heart in the fact that two seasons ago, Muhlenberg went 3-7. The Mules took off last season with a conference title and a win in the playoffs. The lesson: Dramatic turnarounds are possible. If such a rebound is to happen for the Blue Jays, it will likely be led by the offense, which returns 10 of its 11 starters, including all five linemen. The unit must improve from last year, when Hopkins was eighth in the conference in total offense. Having a proven kicker will help. Alex Lachman was first-team All-Conference and hit the longest field goal of anyone in the conference (44 yards). The challenge will come in a defense that was in the middle of the road statistically, but returns just four starters.
The following was taken from the D3Football.com Kick-off Edition:
Johns Hopkins Blue Jays
Last playoff appearance: 2005
Last year: 4-6, 3-5 CC
Last conference title: 2005
2007 NCAA ranking, total offense: 165
2007 NCAA ranking, total defense: 81
Wins increase from 06-07: Minus-1
Preseason ranking: 53 of 239
Players who started camp: 88
Head coach: Jim Margraff, 19th year, 111-69-3
Starters returning: 20 (11 offense, seven defense, two specialists)
Position battle to watch: Quarterback, again. Michael Murray started nine games in 2007, but could face challenges from Max Islinger, among others. Margraff said he hopes to have the starter decided before camp breaks and has little interest in a platoon.
Pressure is on: Linebackers Colin Wixted and A.J. Albert. Both were starters for much of last season, Wixted as a sophomore and Albert as a freshman. But most of the players around them will be new, and it will be up to Wixted and Albert to keep the defense moving.
Where did he come from? Sophomore wide receiver D.J. Hartigan arrived at Hopkins in a knee brace, the result of knee surgery that Hartigan underwent during the spring of his senior year in high school. He didn't play as a freshman, but Margaff is hoping he can be a factor this season.
Their season will be defined by: The Centennial Conference opener at Gettysburg on Sept. 20. Because of all the new faces, Margraff likened the Blue Jays' nonconference games (home against St. Lawrence, on the road against Randolph-Macon) as preseason games. He hopes the young players will be up to speed by the time Hopkins meets the Bullets.
Predicted record: 4-6, 3-5
Capsule: Margraff takes heart in the fact that two seasons ago, Muhlenberg went 3-7. The Mules took off last season with a conference title and a win in the playoffs. The lesson: Dramatic turnarounds are possible. If such a rebound is to happen for the Blue Jays, it will likely be led by the offense, which returns 10 of its 11 starters, including all five linemen. The unit must improve from last year, when Hopkins was eighth in the conference in total offense. Having a proven kicker will help. Alex Lachman was first-team All-Conference and hit the longest field goal of anyone in the conference (44 yards). The challenge will come in a defense that was in the middle of the road statistically, but returns just four starters.
posted by Pat McConnell | 7:57 AM
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