Football | 11/2/2017 11:12:00 AM

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Fresh off a big win last weekend, the St. John Fisher College football team looks to make it two in a row on Saturday as it travels to Morrisville to take on the Mustangs in an Empire 8 showdown at Drake Field. 

Last week, Fisher posted a come-from-behind win over SUNY Cortland behind a season-high 557 yards of offense including 300 yards from senior running back James Chambers.
 
Fans can follow all of Saturday's action by listening to Gene Battaglia on ESPN ROCEHSTER, 95.7 in the Rochester area and on 950 AM.

Morrisville will provide LIVE STATS and LIVE VIDEO for the contest as well.  Those who want to learn more about this weekend's matchup should check out this week's FULL SET OF GAME NOTES.

SERIES HISTORY: Saturday marks just the third time these two programs have met as Morrisville joined the Empire 8 Conference as an affiliate member prior to the start of the 2015 campaign.  Before that, the Mustangs competed in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC).  In just a short sample, the Cardinals have posted back-to-back wins against Morrisville and have averaged nearly 42 points per game over that stretch.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Fisher picked up its second win of the season last Saturday as the Cardinals played their most complete game to date in a 35-28 come-from-behind win over SUNY Cortland in an Empire 8 battle.  Fisher produced a season-high 557 yards of offense and allowed just one touchdown in the second half, which came late in the fourth quarter.  After stringing together a nine-play, 79-yard touchdown drive in the first quarter, the Cardinals found themselves in a two-score hole at intermission as the Red Dragons put up 21 unanswered points.  The tables were turned, however, in the second half as the Cardinals returned the favor with 28 points of their own en route to the seven-point win.  JAMES CHAMBERS had a monster day with 300 total yards of offense (199 rushing yards, 91 receiving yards) to go along with three touchdowns while sophomore quarterback JOSHUA MICHELS had a breakout game as well with 292 passing yards on 21 completions and two touchdowns.  DYLAN HARRINGTON hauled in eight catches for a game-high 148 receiving yards and a score while DEVIN DZIKOWICZ drilled all five extra point opportunities.
 
YOU LOOK FAMILIAR...: If the Mustangs' head coach looks familiar there's a reason.  Curt Fitzpatrick played quarterback for the Cardinals from 2001-04 and helped lead the team to 27 wins in that stretch.  As a senior, Fitzpatrick had nearly 2,400 yards and tossed 30 touchdowns, which still ranks second on the single-season passing list.  In 2004, the Fulton native helped guide the Cardinals to the second round of the NCAA Division III Football Championship and was named All-Conference by the Empire 8.  After graduation, Fitzpatrick served as the quarterback coach at Fisher as the team earned two more NCAA berths in the process including a semi-final appearance in 2006.     
 
WHEN WE LAST MET: Last season, Fisher tamed the Mustangs, 49-31, at Growney Stadium behind 468 yards of offense including 184 yards on the ground.  Collin Fiutko got the start in that game and had himself a day, going 20-for-26 for 282 yards and two touchdowns.  Fiutko also had two more scores on the ground in the win.  WILL BLAKE had 87 receiving yards on four catches while MIKE COLLICHIO and WILLIAM COON combined for 154 yards and 11 receptions.  On the defensive side of the ball, DJ Logory had 14 stops while CHRISTOPHER BIRYLA and DAVID CARROLL had 11 stops apiece.  
 
HORSEPOWER:  Morrisville relies heavily on its running game as the Mustangs have accumulated over 1,500 rushing yards on 302 carries.  Entering Saturday's matchup, the 'Stangs have two players with over 500 yards on the season.  NICK EDMOND leads the two-headed attack with 667 yards over seven games to go along with an Empire 8 leading 12 touchdowns out of the backfield.  Quarterback BRANDON GWINNER can also use his legs when necessary as the junior owns 521 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
 
ENGINE NUMBER 5: This train moves fast and if you're in the way... JAMES CHAMBERS caused problems for Cortland last week...about 300 of them actually.  The senior running back tallied a career-high 199 yards on the ground including an 80-yard burst.  He wasn't done there though as the also hauled in a game-high eight receptions for 91 yards.  Chambers had three touchdowns in the win.  His 199 yards on the ground marked the highest rushing total Fisher has had since 2015 while his 80-yard touchdown run was the longest for Fisher since Hall-of-Famer Mark Robinson had an 86-yard run in 2005.  In seven games this season, Chambers has gone over the 100-yard mark three times and he ranks third overall in the Empire 8 with 712 rushing yards.   
 
EMPIRE 8 HONORS: Speaking of Chambers, the Lockport native was honored by the Empire 8 Conference on Monday after his career performance against Cortland.  Chambers was named the Conference's Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season.  Previously, he was recognized after racking up 123 yards and two touchdowns including the game-winner in Fisher's five-overtime thriller against Utica on October 14.
 
SCOUTING MORRISVILLE: The Mustangs enter with a 2-6 overall record and have yet to record their first win in the Empire 8 as they enter Saturday's clash at 0-5.  Don't let the record fool you into thinking they're not a capable team, however.  Morrisville ranks fourth in the conference in scoring at nearly 28 points per game while its 387.3 yards of offense per game is the third-highest total of any conference member this season.  Through eight games, Morrisville ranks second in rushing touchdowns with 19 and is fourth in passing TDs with 11.
 
Junior BRANDON GWINNER leads the passing attack with 1,299 yards through the air to go along with 10 touchdowns.  He does tend to throw an interception though with seven on the season.  As mentioned above, Gwinner can also escape a jam with his legs as he has over 500 rushing yards to his credit as well.  Gwinner's favorite target this season has been JOSEPH FANIEL who leads the team with 48 receptions and 553 yards.  RAFFAELE BRADSHAW is also a weapon down field with 39 catches for 512 yards.
 
NICK EDMOND is averaging over five yards per carry this season to the tune of 667 total yards and has proven to be the Mustangs' most reliable threat inside the red zone with 12 touchdowns.  Look for him to be used early and often against a Cardinals rushing defense that surrendered just 93 yards to the Red Dragons last week.
 
On the defensive side of the ball, MICHAEL BODNAR leads the team with 75 tackles.  JARROD FANIEL has 55 stops to his name including 3.5 sacks while SCOTT IRONS leads the team with four sacks in all.  One thing Morrisville hasn't been able to do much of this season is force turnovers.  Entering Saturday, they rank last in the Empire 8 with just five interceptions and have forced just five fumbles.               
 
ON THE HORIZON: After Saturday's game, Fisher will close out season with its third straight contest against a State School as the Cardinals travel to Buffalo to battle the Bengals in both squads' Empire 8 finale.