PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Football is back! The nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College Cardinals begin their quest for another Empire 8 championship and beyond at 1 p.m. on Saturday as the team travels to Washington and Jefferson for a non-conference matchup in Washington, Pa. in what will mark the season-opener for both programs.

Fans unable to make the journey to the Keystone State can still follow all of the action through live stats and video or by listening to ESPN Rochester's Gene Battaglia on the call. No. 23 Fisher, which is coming off an 8-3 campaign in 2016, returns a wealth of talent including 13 starters from last season's squad. Check out a full set of game notes to bring you up to speed on all the latest news, stats and more: GAME NOTES – WEEK ONE – WASHINGTON AND JEFFERSON.

The Cardinals and Presidents have faced each other twice prior to Saturday's meeting with Fisher coming out on top in each game.  The two teams last faced one another on September 14, 2013 as the Cardinals racked up 733 yards of offense en route to a 42-21 win in front of their home fans at Growney Stadium.

HIGH EXPECTATIONS: Nothing new here.  Over the last two decades, Fisher has cemented itself in the national conversation.  With nearly 100 wins over the last 10 seasons, this year's team hopes that it can continue that winning tradition.  With 69 returners from a season that saw the team grind out eight wins and qualify for the postseason for the 15th consecutive season, Fisher boasts one of the more experienced rosters in the conference, which should pay dividends down the stretch.
 
STARTING OFF STRONG: Traditionally, Fisher has fared well in its first game as the Cardinals have posted an 8-3 record since 2006 in season-openers.  In that stretch, they've averaged a shade over 34 points.  Last season, the team hosted Olivet and came out ahead with a 52-10 decision.
 
REMEMBER ME?: It's been a while since Fisher and Washington and Jefferson met on the gridiron as these two programs haven't faced one another since 2013.  In all, they've only played each other twice with the Cardinals coming away with a win in both games.  In 2013, Fisher defeated the Presidents, 42-21, behind 733 total yards of offense.
 
TOUGH WAY TO START: Most teams in the Empire 8 enter each season knowing that they face one of the tougher schedules in all of Division III.  This season, however, Fisher has the daunting task of taking on Washington and Jefferson, which is receiving votes in the latest D3football.com poll, No. 14 Hobart in week two and The College at Brockport in week three.  Those teams combined to post 25 wins in 2016 with the Statesmen advancing to the NCAA Division III Football Championship.  
 
ROAD WARRIORS: When all is said and done, Fisher will be one of the most tested teams in the football landscape as the Cardinals only have four home games on the docket this season.  The team won't play in front of its home fans until September 16, which also marks the playing of Courage Bowl XIII.  More importantly, with every game in the conference having significant playoff implications, head coach PAUL VOSBURGH'S squad will play its final two contests on the road at Morrisville and Buffalo State, respectively. 
 
COURAGE BOWL TICKETS: Speaking of Courage Bowl XIII - individual tickets are now on sale and can be purchased either through St. John Fisher College by calling Assistant Athletic Director, Jennifer Granger at (585) 385-8315 or through Camp Good Days.
 
WELCOME BACK: In all, the Cardinals are set to return 13 starters from last year's squad with eight on the offensive side of the ball and five lined up at defense.  The team also returns four players who were named All-Conference by the Empire 8 in 2016 including KHARI DEMOS, ROSS MATTHEWSON, WILL COON and DAVID CARROLL. 
 
CAPTAINING THE SHIP: Veteran leadership can often be the difference between winning close games and losing.  Earlier this season, Fisher announced its three captains with KHARI DEMOS, DAVID CARROLL and CHRISTOPHER BIRYLA being handed the reigns.
 
LET'S AIR THINGS OUT: Sometimes it can be difficult for an opposing defense to stop one talented
receiver - let alone five.  The Cardinals could potentially have the one of the region's top receiving corps with MIKE COLLICHIO, WILL COON, DYLAN HARRINGTON, WILL BLAKE and tight end WYATT STEHLE.  Collichio posted a team-high 69 receptions to go along with 937 yards and seven touchdowns while Coon caught 43 passes for a team-leading 946 yards and nine touchdowns.  Harrington snagged 34 passes for just shy of 400 yards while Blake and Stehle combined to corral 32 passes for nearly 500 yards and six scores.
 
HE'S CALLING THE SHOTS NOW: With the departure of All-Conference quarterback MATT NATON, JOSHUA MICHELS was named the starting quarterback heading into week one.  Michels, who is a highly touted quarterback out of Brockport High School, stands at 6-4 and has shown a lot of potential during the preseason.  Washington and Jefferson will also start a new quarterback in Alex Rowse after losing Pete Coughlin to graduation.  Coughlin passed for 3,124 yards and 35 touchdowns last year and added another 560 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.
 
NELSON ISLAND: This is a lonely, lonely place my friends.  Last season junior cornerback DEMARRE NELSON put the conference on notice after coming away with five interceptions - the second highest total in the Empire 8.  This season, don't be surprised if opposing teams choose not to throw to his side of the field.  As a team, the Cardinals' secondary led the Empire 8 with 17 interceptions.
 
THEY SAY HASTE MAKES WASTE: ...but here at Fisher we like to rush.  The Cardinals will once again have a strong ground game as JAMES CHAMBERS returns to the mix for his senior season.  The Division I transfer will get the bulk of the work this season after posting nearly 400 yards and two touchdowns in 2016.  In just five games last year, Chambers averaged 77.0 yards per game and was tough to bring down in the open field as he averaged 6.3 yards per carry.  It helps having two All-Conference lineman blocking for you in ROSS MATTHEWSON and KHARI DEMOS.  RYAN INGERSON is also slated to get some work at running back for the Cardinals.
 
DID YOU KNOW?: Entering the 2017 season, head coach PAUL VOSBURGH ranks among the all-time greats in Division III Football coaching history having compiled 166 career wins in 28 overall seasons.  Among active coaches, Vosburgh's win total ranks 15th and is tied with Hobart's Mike Cragg.  
 
SCOUTING THE PRESIDENTS: Washington and Jefferson is coming off another successful season after posting nine wins in 2016 and a victory in the ECAC Presidents' Bowl against Brockport.  Head coach Mike Sirianni's team may have lost its top quarterback, but the Presidents still field a strong team.  At the wide receiver position, Jesse Zubik is coming off a record-setting season after hauling in 97 catches for 1,413 yards and 18 touchdowns.  Cody Hearst and Braydon Toy are also back for another season after collecting 22 and 26 receptions, respectively.  In the backfield, Washington and Jefferson will look to Jordan West and EJ Thompson.  West is the only back on the roster with any experience after gaining 31 yards on five carries.  On the defensive side of the ball, the Presidents led the Presidents' Athletic Conference with 40 sacks and held opponents to 23.6 points per game.  As a collective, however, the defense ranked eighth in the conference in passing yards allowed (234.1) and surrendered over 370 yards of offense per contest.
 
HALL OF FAME NEWS: The St. John Fisher College Athletics Hall of Fame will see two former football players enshrined during an induction ceremony on November 3 at the Woodcliff Hotel and Spa as Noah Fehrenbach '06 and Gene Lang '07 will each be honored.  A three-time All-Conference honoree and an All-American selection in 2005, Fehrenbach rewrote the record books at Fisher and is still the program's all-time leader in receiving yards with 3,083 (nearly 1,500 yards more than second place), receptions (205) and touchdowns (36).  A two-time All-American, Lang was named to the Third-Team All-Decade Team by D3football.com at the conclusion of his career at linebacker.  To date, he still ranks third all-time in total tackles with 325.  Lang is a two-time First-Team All-Conference selection by the Empire 8 and was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year in 2006 – the conference's first-ever player to earn that award.  Furthermore, he was named All East Region by D3football.com twice and went on to be named the 2006 Don Hansen Gazette Linebacker of the Year.
 
ON THE HORIZON:  Fisher will continue play on the road in week two (September 9) when it travels to Geneva, N.Y. to face nationally-ranked Hobart College.  Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m.  These two teams last met on November 20, 2013 during the second round of the NCAA Division III Football Championship with Fisher coming out on top, 27-6.