BALTIMORE -- Freshman running back Kevin Johnson rushed for a career-high 177 yards and three touchdowns and Johns Hopkins erased a 27-10 third-quarter deficit as the Blue Jays posted a 35-33 victory against visiting Franklin & Marshall.
Johnson jump-started a 25-0 run for the Blue Jays (4-5, 3-3 Centennial) with the first of his three touchdowns, a 30-yard run with 10:17 remaining in the third quarter. The touchdown capped a four-play, 68-yard drive and cut the Diplomat lead to 27-16. Senior quarterback Jamie Monica drew the Blue Jays to within 27-22 as he hooked up with sophomore wide receiver Zach Baylin on a 26-yard scoring play with 2:16 remaining in the third quarter.
Johnson gave the Blue Jays their first lead since midway through the first quarter when he capped a nine-play, 82-yard drive with a one-yard scoring run to make it 28-27. He later added an eight-yard TD run with 2:00 left to give Hopkins what appeared to be a safe 35-27 lead.
Franklin & Marshall (1-8, 1-5) needed just 1:44 to pull within 35-33 as junior quarterback Matt McCall orchestrated a four-play, 74-yard drive, which he capped with a 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Andy Gilburg with 16 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. After a timeout, McCall rolled right on the two-point attempt, but sophomore defensive end Erich Hellmold applied heavy pressure and McCall was forced to throw the ball into traffic and it was batted away at the five yard line.
After a seven-yard touchdown reception by Sam Skinner gave the Blue Jays a 7-0 lead with 8:50 left in the first quarter, the Diplomats answered with back-to-back touchdowns to take a 14-7 lead late in the second quarter. McCall scored both touchdowns on one-yard runs, capping drives of 88 and 80 yards.
Johns Hopkins' Matt Andrade trimmed the deficit to 14-10 with a 37-yard field goal with 1:48 remaining in the first half. However, McCall drove the Diplomats 76 yards in just 1:35 and capped the drive with a 42-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver David McKenzie to make it 21-10 at the half. Senior Mike Megaw added an eight-yard touchdown run just three minutes into the third quarter to make it 27-10, setting the stage for Hopkins' dramatic comeback.
Johnson became the third different Johns Hopkins running back to rush for 160 or more yards in a game this season with his effort. Senior Adam Gentile twice rushed for over 160 yards and junior Scott Martorana rushed for 160 in a win earlier this season against Gettysburg.
Baylin and Skinner also enjoyed outstanding games for the Blue Jays as Baylin had a career-high 11 receptions for 108 yards and the one touchdown, while Skinner had a personal-best 10 receptions for 111 yards and the one score. Baylin accounted for 209 all-purpose yards on the day, the second-highest total of his career, while Skinner's 10 catches moved him into fourth place on the all-time receptions list at Johns Hopkins with 105. Monica was nearly perfect as he was 22-of-29 for 233 yards and two touchdowns and rushed 10 times for 34 yards as well.
McCall was 12-for-16 for 286 yards and the two touchdowns with the 286 yards a career-best. McKenzie caught seven passes for a career-high 225 yards, the ninth-highest single-game total in Centennial Conference history.
Jim Margraff moved into sole possession of third place on the all-time Centennial Conference coaching victories list and owns a 39-28-2 record in conference games since taking over in 1990. Johns Hopkins also improved to 33-3 under Margraff when scoring 24 or more points.