Muhlenberg and Johns Hopkins both cruised to opening-round victories in the NCAA Football Tournament on Saturday to advance to the second round.
In Allentown, Pa., 15th-ranked Muhlenberg scored less that two minutes into the game and cruised to a 45-0 win against Framingham State. With the win, the Mules improve to 10-1 on the year and move on to the second round for the third straight season, where they will face Delaware Valley, a 62-10 winner against Anna Maria. The teams faced each other in the first round of the 2018 tournament, with Muhlenberg winning 20-13 on a last-minute interception return.
Facing a defense that came in allowing only 144.4 passing yards per game (11th in Division III), senior QB Michael Hnatkowsky threw for 352 yards and four touchdowns. The Mules finished with 420 yards of total offense, the most allowed by the Rams (8-3) all season. The Muhlenberg defense forced four turnovers, allowed only 125 yards on 30 passing attempts and blocked two kicks.
In Salisbury, Md., 17th-ranked Johns Hopkins jumped out to a 35-7 first half lead and never looked back in a 45-20 win at 11th-ranked Salisbury at Sea Gull Stadium. The win improves Hopkins' record to 10-1, while the Sea Gulls end the season at 8-2.
Johns Hopkins advances to the second round of the playoffs and will play Mount Union, which advanced with a 52-0 win over Washington & Lee earlier today.
Ryan Stevens was 17-of-24 for 346 yards and three touchdowns and added the one rushing score for JHU. Harrison Wellmann (5-141-3) and Quinn Revere (5-147) both went over the 100-yard receiving mark and Danny Wolf carried 20 times for 136 yards and the two scores. Nick Seidel, Matt Dubois and Macauley Kilbane
tied for the team-lead with nine tackles each. The Blue Jay defense recorded five sacks and added the James fumble recovery.