GAME NOTES
 
Ursinus (6-0, 2-0) vs. No. 20/23 Johns Hopkins (5-1, 2-0)
When: Saturday, October 26th
Where: Collegeville, Pa.
Stadium: Patterson Field (1,700)
Kickoff: 1:00 p.m.
Live Video: VIDEO
Live Stats: STATS
 
 
SERIES BREAKDOWN
All-Time Series: Johns Hopkins leads 40-21-4
First Meeting: `1958 – Johns Hopkins won 12-0
Last Meeting: Oct. 21, 2023 @ Johns Hopkins – Johns Hopkins won 42-14
Streak: Johns Hopkins +5
 
The Ursinus Bears Football Team will host No. 20/23 Johns Hopkins on Saturday in the defining game of the 2024 Centennial Conference season.  
 
Last Saturday, the Bears used a big third quarter to pull away for a dominant 49-7 win over William Paterson. Ursinus scored on each of its first two drives of the first quarter to go up 14-0. However, the Bears only held a 14-7 lead over the Pioneers at the half after some missed opportunities in the second quarter. Ursinus responded in a big way with a 28-point third quarter to put the game away behind multiple mistakes from the Pioneers and a quick strike offense. The Bears racked up nearly 500 yards of total offense while holding the Pioneers to just 19 yards of total offense in the second half.
 
 
Meanwhile, The Blue Jays won a low-scoring 13-6 contest over Franklin & Marshall at home. After a scoreless first quarter, the Diplomats took an initial 3-0 lead before the Blue Jays took the lead back with three minutes left in the third quarter with a touchdown. It was the only touchdown Johns Hopkins needed as they knocked through a pair of field goals for their final point total.
 
 
LAST MEETING: Last year The Bears dropped a 42-14 contest to then-ranked No. 7/10 Johns Hopkins last year on the road. Ursinus cut an early deficit to 14-7 before countering another Blue Jay touchdown that made it 21-14 in the second quarter. Unfortunately for the Bears, that would be as close as they would get for the rest of the game as the Blue Jays pulled away in the second half and held Ursinus without a point in the final 30 minutes.
 
 
BEARS RUN ON HOLDEN: Senior running back Tony Holden bounced right back to form on Saturday in the Bears 49-7 win over William Paterson. Holden rushed for 126 yards on 17 carries while averaging a whopping 7.4 yards per run. It was his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season and his second time scoring three touchdowns in a game this season. The leading rusher in the Centennial Conference is now up to 792 yards on the season which ranks fifth in all of Division III and is tied for fifth with 11 rushing touchdowns. Holden is climbing the charts as well in the Ursinus rushing record books as he now is tied for third all-time in career rushing touchdowns and fifth with 2,542 rushing yards.
 
 
 
CONVERTING THIRD DOWN: The Bears pace the Centennial Conference and rank in the upper half in third down conversions during the 2024 season. Ursinus is converting 52.5 percent on third down which is 14th best in NCAA Division III. The Bears went 9-of-14 on third down against the Pioneers on Saturday Ursinus has converted over 50 percent of its third downs in four of six games this season.
 
 
ON A HEATER: Senior defensive end Connor Carter continued his dominant run over the past two weeks to help lead the Bears defense. He posted seven tackles (three solo) in the Bears win over William Paterson on Saturday and added two more tackles for loss to his name. Carter also snatched his first career interception to end a Pioneers drive in the first quarter. He is now up to 12 tackles for loss on the season which is just three behind the team and Centennial Conference lead that is held by teammate Aaron Rios.
 
 
 
 
BEARS ON HOMECOMING: Since 2010, the Bears have posted a 10-3 record in homecoming games behind winning six of their last seven homecoming contests. Ursinus dominated McDaniel 49-6 in their 2023 homecoming game for their third straight homecoming win. Ursinus last hosted Johns Hopkins for a homecoming contest back in 2012 where the Blue Jays prevailed 35-17. Today's contest will conclude with the presentation of the Kenneth E. Walker trophy that will be awarded to the top performing Ursinus player in the contest. Holden earned the accolade last season following a five touchdown performance.
 
 
WITH A PURPOSE: Senior wide receiver Cameron Dennis is having a dynamic 2024 season for the Bears both as a wideout and kick returner. Dennis ranks fifth in all Division III in all-purpose yards per game at 178.2 per game that combines his receiving yards, punt return, and kick return yards. He ranks fourth in Division III with 440 kick return yards and leads the team with 359 receiving yards. Dennis has a receiving touchdown and ran a kick back for a touchdown against Kean which helped him garner Centennial Conference Special Teams Player of the Week status. He had 276 all-purpose yards that game which was the most by a Bear since Samuel Ragland had 334 against Misericordia in the 2018 Centennial-MAC Bowl Series Game.
 
 
 
SPREADING IT AROUND: Four different Bears caught touchdown passes in the win over William Paterson last Saturday. Sophomore Ryder Zulkowski, senior Justin Collier, sophomore Markel Roberts-Jackson, and sophomore Aidan Donahue all caught touchdown passes. For Donahue, it was his first of his career which came from Tristan Machado, who threw his first touchdown pass of his collegiate career.
 
 
 
SCOUTING THE BLUE JAYS: The Blue Jays have staved off an injury to starting quarterback Bay Harvey to maintain their national ranking. Senior James Rinello has taken control of the Johns Hopkins offense and has thrown for 442 yards and four touchdown passes over the past three games he has started. Johns Hopkins has a strong 1-2 punch on the ground led by running back Geoff Schroeder who has a team-leading 254 yards on the ground. Senior Andrew Rich has 185 yards and three touchdowns. The Blue Jays are deepest at wide receiver as senior EJ Talarico leads the team with 371 yards and one touchdown while teammate PJ Scales has a team-leading four touchdown receptions and 195 yards receiving. 
               The Blue Jays defense has been a major strength as they lead are allowing the second fewest points in the Centennial Conference at 15.5 points per game which is one behind the lead held by Franklin & Marshall. They have the best defensive efficiency in the Centennial at 92.4 and are allowing the second fewest passing yards per game at 171.0. Senior linebacker Cole Peters ranks second in the Centennial Conference in total tackles at 48 (21 solo) and has 3.5 tackles for loss. Senior defensive lineman Matthew Konkol has been a force by leading the team with 6.0 tackles for loss and a trio of sacks that is tied for the team lead. Junior Jack Schondelmayer leads the team with two interceptions.