Thornton and Jackets Defense lead to 18-9 Victory over JHU

Thornton and Jackets Defense lead to 18-9 Victory over JHU

BALTIMORE, MD - Sophomore running back Zak Thornton (Hatboro, PA/Hatboro-Horsham) rushed 37 times for 122 yards and the Randolph-Macon defense held host Johns Hopkins to just 207 yards of total offense as the Yellow Jackets slipped past the Blue Jays, 18-9, in one of the strangest games in the 100-year history of Homewood Field. In a game containing a two-point defensive extra point, a safety, an interception return for touchdown, an offensive fumble recovery for a touchdown and the unusual score of 9-8 at the half, it was Randolph-Macon (2-0) that got 10 fourth-quarter points to pull out the win.

The Blue Jays (1-1) needed just one play midway through the first quarter to make the Yellow Jackets pay for a fumbled punt return as Steve Houck (Highland Village, TX/Marcus) recovered Rod Nelson's (Durham, NC/Charles E. Jordan) fumble at the Randolph-Macon eight-yard line with 6:14 remaining in the first quarter and senior Phil Roberts (Philadelphia, PA/Chestnut Hill) sprinted up the middle one play later to give the Blue Jays a quick 7-0 lead.

Hopkins held the 7-0 lead late in the first quarter before handing the Yellow Jackets two points when sophomore quarterback Mike Murray (Ijamsivlle, MD/Urbana) mishandled a snap at the two-yard line and fell on the ball in the end zone to give Randolph-Macon a safety and make it 7-2. The safety came three plays after the JHU defense stopped the `Jackets on fourth-and-goal at the one-yard line.

The Blue Jay defense forced another turnover early in the second quarter, but Randolph-Macon finally got the running game going in the middle of the second quarter and took it first lead - albeit a short-lived one - late in the second quarter, but not without one of those aforementioned strange plays. Thornton fueled a 14-play, 69-yard drive with 24 yards rushing and sophomore quarterback Brandon Branner (Roswell, GA/Blessed trinity Catholic) hit freshman Scott Pickett (Richmond, VA/Collegiate School) with a key 15-yard pass on a third-and-eight to set the `Jackets up inside the Blue Jay 15-yard line. Branner then rolled out on a second-and 10 from the JHU 13 and sprinted towards the goal line, where senior Adam Winter (Berwick, PA/Berwick) forced a fumble. Pickett recovered the fumble in a pile in the end zone for a touchdown and an 8-7 lead.

The 8-7 lead didn't officially last for any elapsed time as Johns Hopkins senior Chris DiForte (Staten Island, NY/Poly Prep) got free up the middle and blocked the extra-point attempt. Senior Dan Requena (Fairlawn, NJ/Fairlawn) scooped the ball up on the run at the 15-yard line and raced 85 yards for the two-point defensive extra point to give the Blue Jays a 9-8 lead with less than a minute to play in the second quarter.

The 9-8 lead lasted through the third quarter, although it took a pair of interceptions in JHU territory to halt long drives for the Yellow Jackets. Junior Austin Ehrhart (Lancaster, PA/Manheim Township) made a sliding interception at the Blue Jay 12-yard line to end an eight-play, 45-yard drive early in the period and senior defensive lineman Patrick Kay (Marietta, GA/Walton) intercepted a Branner pass at the JHU 16-yard line on Randolph-Macon's next drive to stop the `Jackets next drive.

A 31-yard punt return by Nelson set Randolph-Macon up at the JHU 28-yard line late in the third quarter and freshman Scott Strope (Mechanicsville, VA/Hanover) drilled a 40-yard field goal on the second play of the fourth quarter to give the Yellow Jackets an 11-9 lead that they would never surrender. The Randolph-Macon defense forced three straight Blue Jay punts and pinned Hopkins back at its 13-yard line with less than a minute to play. A 16-yard completion from Murray to freshman Tucker Michels (Allendale, NJ/Northern Highlands) moved the ball out to the 29, but Murray's next pass was tipped at the line and senior Nate Shook (Newport News, VA/Lafayette) caught the deflection and raced 25 yards into the end zone for what proved to be the decisive score.

Thornton's 129-yard effort helped the `Jackets roll up a better than six-minute advantage in time of possession. Branner was 7-of-17 for 135 yards with the two interceptions and also rushed for 29 yards. Sophomore Christian Stahl (Germantown, MD/Seneca Valley) posted a team-high 13 tackles to lead a Yellow Jacket defense that allowed just 82 rushing yards on 35 attempts by the Blue Jays.

-Yellow Jackets-