Football Falls to Hopkins in Key CC Game
Saturday, September 24, 2011|
Three turnovers proved to be too costly for the Muhlenberg football team as it suffered its first Centennial Conference loss of the season, 27-17 at No. 23 Johns Hopkins.
It was the first time the Mules (2-2, 2-1) lost the turnover battle this season, and it was their first loss in Baltimore since 2006.
The Blue Jays took a 7-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the game, but
Junior Dan Deighan hit classmate J.T. Merklinger on a swing pass for a 44-yard gain into the Blue Jay red zone on third-and-9 from the Mule 47, and senior Gregg
Mercogliano converted a 23-yard field goal to make it 7-3 with less than a minute to play in the opening quarter.
The two defenses settled in from there, and the Mules went into the break still trailing by four.
On its first drive of the second half, Muhlenberg took its only lead of the game
The reception was the first touchdown of Toomey’s career, Deighan’s fourth touchdown
pass of at least 40 yards this season and the first scoring strike allowed by Johns Hopkins this fall.
On Hopkins’ next drive, the Mule defense held strong on three straight plays from inside the 2-yard line, but the Blue Jays (4-0, 2-0) punched it in on fourth-and-goal to retake the lead.
Muhlenberg drove into Hopkins territory on its ensuing drive, but Deighan was intercepted, snapping his streak of 125 straight passes without getting picked off.
Hopkins turned that pick into a touchdown and did the same midway through the fourth quarter to take a commanding 27-10 lead. Toomey added a 6-yard scoring grab with 3:37 to play in the game,
but the Blue Jays recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.
Senior Patrick McDonough set a career high with 16 tackles, including 10 solo and one for loss. Senior Mark Mounayar and freshman Ian Gimbar also surpassed
their career marks with 11 stops each for a defense that was on the field for 93 plays.
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