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Smart Kid Bowl? Nerd Bowl? Brain Bowl? It's Hopkins against MIT in first round of DIII playoffs

Posted at 12:35 PM, Nov 16, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-16 17:58:53-05

It’s being dubbed The Smart Kid Bowl.

"Yeah, we're a bunch of smart kids, a bunch of nerds. But we can also play some good football. So, it's going to be cool to show the world that we are two good football teams," said Johns Hopkins quarterback David Tammaro.

"There's Nerd Bowl. There's Brain Bowl. There's  a lot of them out there," said Johns Hopkins Head Coach Jim Margraff.

On Saturday Johns Hopkins begins its national championship run against MIT, in the first round of the Division III playoffs, as two of the most prestigious academic institutions in the nation meet for the first time.

"These might be the two toughest schools in the country to gain admission to as a football player," said Margraff. "So, I think there will be a lot of respect between each teams. But, I think there will be a lot of competition also."

Hopkins enters the contest as the Centennial Conference Champion. 

It’s their eighth consecutive trip to the postseason. MIT earned an at-large bid to the 32-team tournament. 

Both teams are 9-1. 

"We have an eight-game win streak going into the playoffs, which I think is really cool. So, I think we're hitting our stride at the right time," said Tammaro.

"We believe we belong here," added Hopkins defensive tackle Anthony Davidson. "So, this playoff run for us is something that we expect to go far. We expect to keep pushing on. No one expects this to be our last week."

Hopkins is led this year by its offense which is averaging 47.7 points per game.  Their passing attack is ranked fourth in the nation racking up 349.8 yards per contest through the air.

"It's been awesome. It's been great. It's been a dream come true," said Tammaro. "My job's so easy. I've told people I have the easiest job in the world because No. 1, we have so many good receivers I can throw the ball to. No. 2, I've barely been hit. I've been sacked like one time a game, which is crazy. The O-line keeps me clean. And we have the best running backs in the country, which that brings the whole defense up and allows me to throw the ball."

Saturday's kickoff at Homewood Field is set for Noon.

Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook