BALTIMORE, MD -- Rowan's bid to knock off #22 Johns Hopkins came up just short as the Profs fell, 20-13, to the Blue Jays Friday evening.

Nate Maiers threw for a career-high 242 yards on 28-of-44 passing but it was Johns Hopkins getting two fourth-quarter interceptions, including one returned for a score and the other on a fourth and goal from the Blue Jay eight yardline with 18 seconds remaining.

Maiers' favorite target was Michael Zarfati who pulled in nine catches for 84 yards, both game-highs. Isaac Jean-Baptiste (56 yards) and Luke Hoke (50 yards) each had seven receptions.

Rowan's defense kept it a one-score game at the half thanks to a pair of blocked field goals and clamped down in the second, holding Johns Hopkins to 94 total yards over the final 30 minutes. For the game, the Profs outgained the hosts, 318-253.

Ahmad Gantt blocked both of the Blue Jays' first-half field goal attempts, finishing the game with five tackles and two for losses. Aeneas Robinson led the Profs with nine stops. Jason Blanks added eight tackles, a pass breakup, and a big stop on a JHU two-point conversion in the fourth quarter. AJ Ryker also made eight tackles while Robinson, Giaini Derameaux and Chris Rodgers each had a sack.

The Blue Jays scored on eight plays in the opening possession of the game for a 7-0 lead. James Rinello hooked up with P.J. Scales on a two-yard pass 4:28 into the contest. After Rowan's first drive stalled, JHU marched to the Rowan 20, but the 37-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Gantt.

The Profs forced a fumble on a punt return in the first play of the second quarter, giving the visitors the ball deep in Blue Jay territory. Jean-Baptiste would recover his own forced fumble at the JHU 25 yard-line. In just five plays, Nunes Bukula IV ran it in from three-yards out for this third TD on the year at the 12:31 mark to make it a 7-7 score.

Rinello found Bobby Enright for a 30-yard score on the ensuing possession with 8:45 in the half to put the home squad back on top. Rowan's next offensive drive was thwarted as pass on a fourth and four from the Rowan 44 fell incomplete.

Gantt kept it a one-score game as he blocked a late 29-yard attempt with nine seconds in the half.

Rowan put together a 12-play, 53-yard drive in the third, capped by a 42-yard field goal from Tommy Laperriere to cut the lead to 14-10. He would hit again early in the fourth from 33 yards to get it to a one-point contest.

The defense turned in a big fourth-down stop and later a punt on the next two JHU drives, the latter coming with just over two minutes remaining to give the ball back to the offense.

P.J. Penders picked off Matt Welsey on an attempted screen pass on Rowan's third play of its next drive and returned it back 31 yards for a score. JHU went for two but it was Blanks denying the attempt, keeping it a one-score game.

With the offense starting at its own 22 with a 1:43 remaining, Maiers drove the Profs down to the Blue Jay eight-yard line in just over a minute. Now faced with a fourth and goal with 24 seconds left, Maiers' pass into the end zone was intercepted by JHU's Carter Hogg to help seal the outcome.

Rinello was 12-of-22 for 139 yards passing and added 39 yards on the ground. Geoff Schroeder ran for 38 yards on 10 carries. Hogg totaled six tackles with teammate Oliver Craddock producing a game-high 10 stops.

Rowan returns to Richard Wackar Stadium next Saturday, October 12th as the Profs welcome TCNJ in its New Jersey Athletic Conference opener. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.