Jelani Rucker had little to prove as a defensive tackle. Over the past four years at Johns Hopkins, he has become one of the best linemen in Division III football.
Yesterday, in his final college game, Rucker was his usual, destructive self on defense against visiting Western Maryland. But it was his debut in the offensive backfield that caused the biggest stir.
Rucker, a 6-foot, 230-pounder, did his best William "The Refrigerator" Perry imitation, scoring three touchdowns in short-yardage, goal-line situations to lead the Blue Jays to a 28-21 victory over the Green Terror.
The Blue Jays (4-6) finished with a two-game winning streak, taking some of the sting out of a frustrating season, in which five of their losses were by a combined 27 points.
Hopkins celebrated the 100th anniversary of its rivalry with Western Maryland (5-4) with another dominant defensive effort. The Blue Jays, who allowed 15 points per game this year, stopped quarterback Brian Van Deusen over the final three quarters with an excellent pass rush and well-designed zone coverages.
Van Deusen (22 for 39, 199 yards) was intercepted twice, lost a costly fumble and threw for only 69 yards in the second half while completing eight of his last 20 passes. He was sacked five times.
Hopkins senior quarterback Mike Bopp, who lost his job but regained it when Dan Redziniak went down with a season-ending injury, completed 13 of 23 passes for 205 yards and a touchdown, and was flawless in the second half.
But the main attraction was Rucker, who plowed into the end zone for the Blue Jays' first three scores. He had eight tackles and a sack on the other side of the ball.
"I'm getting a tape of this game, so I can have it for the rest of my life," said Rucker, a Poly graduate who had never carried the ball at any level before. "It was [coach Jim Margraff's] idea. We
practiced it a few times before the Franklin & Marshall game last week, but we didn't use it. We figured if the situation was right, we'd do it today. I didn't think it would happen as often as it did today. I kept thinking, 'Don't fumble.' "
Rucker wasn't alone in playing out of position. In a game that had its share of strange moments -- including a fifth-down play for Hopkins in the midst of a scoring drive -- every senior got to try something new. On each of Rucker's scoring plays, Margraff sent in nine other seniors to form the offensive unit. Only junior center Joe Koch stayed on the field.
"We wanted to do that for the seniors. It's been a tough year. We're not that bad of a football team," Margraff said. "We lost three games in the final minute, and those losses really stick with you. I wish I would have used Jelani [in the backfield] in those games."
"Jimmy is a great offensive football coach. He did some things to take advantage of our weaknesses," said Western Maryland coach Tim Keating, who led the Green Terror to its first winning season since 1990. "We don't have a bulky defensive line, and teams have been successful pounding at us all year."
The Hopkins defense, led by Rucker, linebacker Andrew Bainbridge (12 tackles, one interception) and safety Rob McGuire (10 tackles), did most of the pounding. After allowing two touchdowns in the game's first 17 minutes, Hopkins held the Green Terror to 101 yards in the second half.
Western Maryland .. ..7 .. .7 ..0 ..7 ..-- ..21
Johns Hopkins .. .. ..6 .. .8 .14 ..0 ..-- ..28