In a back-and-forth contest that saw 75 total points and 817 total yards of offense, the St. John Fisher College football team escaped with a 41-34 victory over host Hartwick College on Saturday in an Empire 8 contest in Oneonta.

Leading 41-34 with only 35 seconds left in the game, Fisher had its backs against the wall as Hartwick held the ball at the Cardinals' 17 yard line with an upcoming first down play. On the next play, the Fisher defense put pressure on Hartwick quarterback John Garcia, forcing him to throw a jump-ball into the end zone. Fisher defensive back Brandon Fuentes came down with the interception, giving the ball and the victory to the Cardinals.

With the win, Fisher won its fifth-straight game and secured its 13^th consecutive season with a winning record as it improves to 6-3 overall and 5-2 in the Empire 8. The Hawks fall to 3-6, 1-6 following the loss.

The first quarter saw the two teams exchange touchdowns twice as the Cardinals started the scoring with a 1-yard Matt Naton touchdown run on a read-option play less than six minutes into the game, taking a 7-0 lead.

After Hartwick responded with a touchdown on the next drive, James Chambers broke off a 55-yard touchdown run only 14 seconds later to put Fisher back on top 14-7 midway through the first quarter. The Hawks found the end zone one more time before the end of the quarter, making it a 14-14 game after the first frame.

The Cardinals were outscored 10-7 in the second quarter as a Hartwick 32-yard field at the start of the quarter to go along with a 36-yard passing touchdown with just 21 seconds left in the quarter were enough to give the Hawks a 24-21 lead at the half.

James Chambers scored the lone second quarter touchdown for Fisher on a 10-yard run with 7:47 remaining in the quarter. The sophomore finished with 84 yards rushing and two scores on 18 carries in the contest.

The Cardinals got off to a hot start in the second half as Naton hit Bobby Campese for a 17-yard touchdown pass and catch to take a 28-24 lead less than three minutes into the third quarter.

Although Hartwick would respond later in the quarter with a Carl Holmes touchdown reception to take a 31-28 lead, Fisher wouldn't trail for long. On the ensuing drive, Naton struck again, this time finding Nathan Nigolian on a 25-yard touchdown throw to put the Cardinals back up 34-31 after a missed extra point.

Less than five minutes later, Taylor Byrne got in on the action as he caught a pass from Naton and made a few defenders miss on his way to a 55-yard touchdown catch. That score would give Fisher a crucial 41-31 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Cardinals would go on to only allow three points in the final quarter, ultimately winning by seven.

Fisher finished with 379 yards of total offense in the game as Naton was 18-for-26 passing for 271 yards and three touchdowns.

Nigolian and Campese each finished with six receptions and a score as Nigolian tallied a team-high 101 yards receiving while Campese had 58 yards through the air. Byrne recorded 96 yards on four catches.

Defensively, the Cardinals racked up six sacks in total as David Carroll led the way with 10 tackles and two sacks. Jordan Andrews also recorded two sacks on the day.

Fuentes finished with two interceptions against the Hawks while Alec Mortillaro also delivered a strong performance with four pass breakups.

At 5-2 in Empire 8 games, Fisher remains in contention for the Empire 8 Conference title as it heads into next week's final regular season game against Alfred University. The Cardinals are tied with Cortland and Alfred for first in the conference and would need to defeat the Saxons in addition to having the Red Dragons fall to Ithaca College next Saturday in order to earn the Empire 8's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Playoffs.

Fisher will put its five-game winning-streak to the test at 1 p.m. next Saturday as they host Alfred University at Growney Stadium.