The St. John Fisher College football team drove 64 yards in just 36 seconds and scored the game's final points on a 9-yard touchdown pass from
Matt Naton to
Nathan Nigolian with 11 seconds left to lift the visiting Cardinals to a 34-29 win over host Morrisville State University in a pivotal Empire 8 Conference matchup.
With the win, Fisher improves to 2-3 overall and 2-2 in the Empire 8, while the Mustangs fall to 2-3, 1-3.
Naton finished the game with a career-high 372 yards and four touchdowns, while wide receiver
Bobby Campese snagged 10 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns (all career-highs).
It was a barn-burner early on with four touchdowns being scored in a 3:22 span, including three in a six-play period, early in the first quarter.
Morrisville took the early 6-0 lead on an 85-yard touchdown pass with 11:07 left in the first quarter. Fisher, however, answered just 50 seconds later with Campese scoring on a 52-yard pass from Naton and took the 7-6 lead on
Taylor Byrne's extra point.
The Mustangs responded with a 66-yard touchdown pass just two plays later, and after Fisher went 3-and-out, Morrisville took a 20-7 advantage on a 74-yard touchdown pass with 7:45 left in the opening period.
Fisher regained the lead in the second quarter. Morrisville drove deep into Fisher territory, but junior
Alec Mortillaro came through with the big play on a defense, intercepting a pass in the endzone and returning it 74 yards to the Morrisville 26. Four plays later,
Oliver Mold scored his first career touchdown - a five-yard pass from Naton - pulling Fisher within six at 20-14 with 13:01 left in the half.
After forcing Morrisville to punt on its next possession, the Cardinals drove 44 yards with Campese scoring his second touchdown of the day on a 26-yard pass from Naton to put Fisher up 21-20.
Morrisville kicked a 30-yard field goal with 1:20 left in the second quarter to take a 23-21 lead at the half.
Fisher regained the lead on the first possession of the second half.
Tony Fusco scored his first touchdown of season on a 1-yard run to make it 28-23 less than three minutes into the third. Campese made the big play on the drive, snagging a 54-yard bomb to the Mustang 1.
Morrisville retook the lead early the fourth quarter with 11:14, scoring on an eight-yard run to make it 29-28. It would remain that way until Fisher's final drive of the game.
Brandon Fuentes started the game-winning drive with a 20-yard punt return to the Morrisville 36 with 47 seconds left. After a seven-yard reception by Campese, Nigolian accounted for the final 57 yards on four catches (he had just one catch for 12 yards going into the final drive).
Jeffrey Carlin forced and recovered a fumble on the final play of the game.
Byrne caught a career-high six passes for 85 yards and was 4-for-4 on extra points.
Fusco rushed for 75 yards on 17 carries to lead Fisher's ground game.
Brandon Miller led the Fisher defense with 11 tackles, including one sack. Fuentes was in on 10 tackles, tying his career high.
David Carroll was credited with eight stops, while freshman
William Reichert made a sack, giving him 2.5 for the season.
Fisher returns to action at 1 p.m. next Saturday and will host Utica College.
