Onward and upward
521 yards of offense propel Blue Jays into NCAA semifinals for first time
Playing behind one of the nation’s most dominant offensive lines, Johns Hopkins quarterback David Tammaro sees his job in simple terms.
“It’s kind of like, just get the ball into a playmaker’s hands and let them do their thing,” the junior from Chantilly, Va., said.
In Saturday’s NCAA Division III quarterfinal, Tammaro did just that, while also being the Blue Jays’ most dangerous all-around weapon. He passed for 284 yards and a touchdown and ran for another 81 yards and a score, as No. 13 Johns Hopkins gained 521 yards in a 37-14 win over No. 23 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Homewood Field.
Running back Stuart Walters added 115 rushing yards and two touchdowns, as the Blue Jays advanced to the national semifinals for the first time in program history.
Johns Hopkins (12-1) moves on to face top-ranked Mount Union (13-0), a 38-10 quarterfinal winner over Muhlenberg, with a trip to the national championship game on the line. The site of the game won’t officially be announced until today, but will most likely be on Mount Union’s campus in Alliance, Ohio.
For Blue Jays coach Jim Margraff, a former quarterback at Johns Hopkins now in his 29th season leading his alma mater, it will be one sweet road trip.
“I don’t reflect very much on a lot of things,” Margraff said. “But to take a moment and [think about] where we were when I was a player, where we were when