Johns Hopkins football fell just short of making program history.

Seeking their first trip to the NCAA Division III national championship game, the Blue Jays kept up with Mount Union before losing, 45-37, in the semifinals on a snowy and windy Saturday afternoon at Kehres Stadium in Alliance, Ohio.

The Purple Raiders return to the Stagg Bowl for the first time since 2022 and will seek their 14th national title and first since 2017 on Jan. 5 against the winner of Saturday’s other semifinal between Susquehanna and North Central College (Illinois).

The Blue Jays (12-2) tied the score at 7 in the first quarter and later pulled within 17-16, 24-22 and 31-29 in the third, but could never take the lead.

After the teams traded punts to open the fourth quarter, Mount Union took over at its own 45 and worked its way into Blue Jays territory. A 16-yard strike from TJ Deshields to Tyrell Sanders converted a third-and-10 from the Blue Jays’ 30, and Tyler Echeverry scored from 9 yards out two plays later to push the lead to 38-29.

JHU moved to the Mount Union 28 on its ensuing possession, but an incompletion on third-and-6 was followed by a sack that turned the ball over on downs. Echeverry then gave Mount Union a two-score lead at 45-29 when he got loose down the sideline for a 54-yard touchdown run with 4:22 to play.

The Blue Jays needed less than a minute to pull within 45-37 as Rinello hit Cole Crotty on a crossing route and Crotty went 45 yards down the sideline to set JHU up at the Mount Union 25. Rinello followed with a 25-yard touchdown pass to EJ Talarcio with 3:26 remaining that made it 45-37.

Mount Union recovered the ensuing onside kick and Echeverry converted on a fourth-and-1 run that sealed the game for the Purple Raiders.

Johns Hopkins scored the most points against Mount Union all season and recorded 531 total yards. Rinello finished 20 of 33 for 393 yards with a career-high three touchdown passes and also rushed for a team-high 65 yards to account for a personal-best 457 yards of total offense. Crotty had eight catches for a career-high 168 yards, while EJ Talarico (four catches, 88 yards, 1 TD), Will Leger (3 for 72) and Robby Enright (3 for 50) also topped the 50-yard mark.

Johns Hopkins was making its 13th trip to the NCAA DIII playoffs, including its 11th since 2011. The Blue Jays’ only other trip to the semifinals came in 2018, when they also lost to Mount Union, 28-20.

The Purple Raiders racked up 518 yards, including 269 on the ground. Echeverry rushed for 183 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries for Mount Union, which reached the DIII semifinals for the 29th time in the past 32 years. Quarterback TJ Deshields finished 17 of 27 for 218 yards and ran for a score, while Tyrell Sanders had seven catches for 148 yards.

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