Week 1 • W&L at Johns Hopkins • September 13, 2003 • 12:00 pm

LAST WEEK'S SCORES:
Bridgewater13, McDaniel 10
Salisbury 54, Catholic 20
Chowan 21, Randolph-Macon 20
Hampden-Sydney 49, Sewanee 21
Carson-Newman 41, Guilford 0

THE SERIES:
W&L and Johns Hopkins will be meeting for the 14th time with the series tied at 6-6-1. However, the Blue Jays have taken five of the last six meetings, including a 21-14 overtime win last season on Wilson Field. W&L's last win over Hopkins was by a 32-19 count during the 2000 season. This will mark the final meeting in the current series as the Generals will open the 2004 season at Alfred University in New York.

SERIES INFO:
Time: 12:00 pm
Site: Homewood Field (8,500)
Series: Tied 6-6-1
Last Meeting: 9/14/02 at W&L (JHU won 21-14 in OT)
First Meeting: 10/18/13 at JHU (W&L won 34-3)
Last W&L Win: 9/9/00 at W&L (32-19)
Last JHU Win: 9/14/02 at W&L (21-14 in OT)
Current Series Streak: JHU +2
W&L vs. JHU at W&L: 2-2-1
W&L vs. JHU at JHU: 4-4-0

THE HEAD COACHES:
Frank Miriello (East Stroudsburg '67) is in his ninth season as the head coach at W&L and his 35th year of coaching. He claims a 38-40-1 (.487) overall record. Miriello is third all-time in victories at W&L and needs 11 more wins to overtake Lee McLaughlin for second place. He is 1-5 all-time against Johns Hopkins. The Blue Jays are led by 14th-year head coach Jim Margraff (Johns Hopkins '82). He is 76-52-3 (.592) at Hopkins and in his career. Margraff is 5-1 against W&L and is the all-time winningest coach in JHU history.

ALL-TIME RECORD:
W&L has compiled a 420-466-39 (.475) all-time record. The Generals have been linked to the first intercollegiate football game played in the south, an 1873 matchup with VMI.

THE LAST MEETING:
(JHU 21, W&L 14 in OT; September 14, 2002 - Lexington, Va.)
Johns Hopkins used an 84-yard touchdown drive in the final 1:20 of regulation and scored another touchdown in overtime to defeat Washington and Lee, 21-14. The Generals went up 14-7 on a 10-yard touchdown run by Chris Sullivan with 1:20 remaining in regulation. However, Johns Hopkins senior quarterback Rob Fernand led the Blue Jays on a 6-play, 84-yard drive capped by a 34-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brian Wolcott with 15 seconds remaining to knot the game at 14-14. In the overtime period, Fernand found Wolcott again for a 24-yard gain to the one-yard line then called his own number one play later to give Hopkins the 21-14 lead. The JHU defense then held on four plays to preserve the overtime victory. Sullivan led the W&L offense with 152 yards and one touchdown on the ground. He also caught three passes for 28 yards and totaled 28 yards on returns for 208 all-purpose yards. Wide receiver Taylor Callaham caught four passes for 52 yards and the game's opening touchdown with 9:43 remaining in the third period. Quarterback Peter Dean completed 12-of-28 attempts for 146 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while senior linebacker Matt Stavish paced the defense with 11 tackles, two sacks and one interception. Fernand completed 19-of-34 attempts for 239 yards and one touchdown. He was picked off three times. Wolcott snared four passes for 75 yards, while running back Adam Cook rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Defensive back Paul Longo led the JHU defense with seven tackles and one interception.

SCOUTING JOHNS HOPKINS:
Hopkins is 1-0 on the season after a 27-9 win over Rochester last weekend. Trailing 3-0 at the half, the Blue Jays scored 20 straight points for a commanding 20-3 lead early in the fourth quarter in producing the win. Senior quarterback George Merrell found junior wide receiver Brian Wolcott with three touchdown strikes covering 35, 39 and 31 yards. Wolcott finished the game with seven catches for 149 yards and those three touchdowns. Merrell completed 17-of-28 attempts for 220 yards in the game. Junior running back Adam Cook supplimented the aerial attack with 80 yards on 14 carries. The Hopkins defense was tested on numerous occasions as the offense fumbled six times, losing four of them. The defense was paced by sophomore defensive end Alan Cody, who tallied 10 tackles and a sack. Sophomore defensive back Max Whitacre totaled eight stops and scored a touchdown on a 21-yard blocked punt return in the third quarter. The win upped Hopkins' record to 12-2 in its last 14 games and gave the Blue Jays their sixth win in their last seven season openers. JHU was picked to finish second in the Centennial Conference this season after going 9-2 overall and tying for the conference crown in 2002.

FOR OPENERS:
Since 1900, W&L is 55-47-1 (.539) in its season opening games. The Generals ended a streak of 15 straight season-opening losses with a 32-19 win over Hopkins during the 2000 season.

OH SO CLOSE:
The Generals have had numerous heartbreaking defeats in recent memory, including a 21-14 overtime loss to Johns Hopkins in week one of last season. All told, W&L has lost 11 games by seven points or less since the beginning of the 1998 season.

WHAT'S BACK:
W&L welcomes back 15 starters, eight on offense and seven on defense. Offensively, the Generals are paced by senior quarterback Peter Dean and an offensive line which comprises three seniors and a pair of juniors. Senior right tackle Scott Kucinski is back for another go-around after earning All-ODAC honors each of the past two seasons and junior wide receiver Taylor Callaham returns following a season in which he snared 36 passes for 499 yards and six touchdowns en route to Honorable Mention All-ODAC accolades. Defensively, W&L is led by senior linebacker Ben Krasnoff, a preseason All-America selection by Lindy's Football Preview and Don Hansen's Football Gazette. Krasnoff amassed 94 tackles, including 16 for a loss, and two sacks last season. The Generals also return an all senior defensive line which includes a three-time All-ODAC selection in senior Brian Becker.

WHAT'S GONE?:
Coaches don't like to focus on what's been lost, but it's hard to look past the loss of running back Chris Sullivan who graduated last spring. Sullivan earned All-ODAC honors three times and was one of the 10 finalists for the Gagliardi Award last season. He graduated as W&L's all-time leader in rushing yards (3,140) and all-purpose yards (5,931), and was second all-time in scoring (204 pts.). Last season, he gained 1,123 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. The Generals also graduated offensive lineman Mat Rapoza who was a three-time All-America selection by D3football.com and linebacker Matt Stavish, who totaled 239 career tackles.

DOUBLE-TROUBLE:
Senior quarterback Peter Dean spells double-trouble for opponents of Washington and Lee athletics. Not only is Dean the starting quarterback for the football team, but he is also the top pitcher for the Generals' baseball team. The starting signal-caller each of the past two seasons, Dean has completed 47.8 percent of his passes for 2,217 yards and 14 touchdowns for his career. On the mound, Dean claims a 2.14 career ERA with 168 strikeouts and just 48 walks in posting a 20-5 career record. He was 8-2 with a 1.67 ERA last spring en route to posting First Team All-ODAC, First Team All-Region and Second Team Academic All-America honors.

W&L vs. THE CENTENNIAL CONFERENCE:
W&L is 26-21-1 (.552) all-time against the current members of the Centennial Conference. The following is a breakdown of the Generals vs. the members of the Centennial Conference:

Dickinson (3-0)
Franklin & Marshall (4-2)
Gettysburg (1-3)
Johns Hopkins (6-6-1)
Muhlenberg (0-0)
Swarthmore (6-2)
Ursinus (3-3)
Western Maryland (3-5)

DEFENSIVE DOLDRUMS:
The Generals' defense has forced 129 turnovers since the beginning of the 1998 season, but has scored just one defensive touchdown during that span. In fact, W&L has gone 41 straight games without scoring a defensive touchdown. W&L's last defensive touchdown occurred on a fumble return in a 23-20 loss to Emory & Henry during the 1998 season. The Generals have not returned an interception for a score since Jon Wagner did so against Davidson during the 1992 season.

ALIGNMENT CHANGE:
Washington and Lee Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator Frank Miriello will change his defensive philosophy this season. Miriello had always featured a multiple 3-4 set which changes from a 3-4 to a 4-3 depending on the call. This season, Miriello's defense will exhibit a traditional 4-3 set.

ON THE ROAD:
Washington and Lee's schedule features six road contests for the first time since the 1989 season. In addition, the Generals will play their first two games on the road for the first time since traveling to Delaware Valley and Emory & Henry to begin the 1979 campaign. In all, W&L's opening trips to Baltimore, Md., and Sewanee, Tenn., will cover 691.1 miles.

FOOTBALL AND ACADEMICS:
Washington and Lee has featured a First Team Verizon Academic All-American each of the past two seasons and claims another player with an Academic All-America award in another sport. Tight end Jay Thomas '03 was presented the award following the 2001 season and offensive lineman John Melillo '03 won the award following the 2002 campaign. Senior quarterback Peter Dean was a Second Team Academic All-America selection last spring in baseball. Melillo also garnered an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship last season.