Football | 9/7/2017 12:47:00 PM

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College football team has another tall task at 12 p.m. on Saturday as the Cardinals travel to Hobart College for a non-conference battle at Boswell Field.  Fisher, which is coming off a hard-fought loss at Washington and Jefferson last week will look to rebound against a Statesmen team that allowed over 600 yards in its season-opening loss against The College at Brockport.

Get up to speed with everything you need to know for this week's game by reading the FULL GAME NOTES.

Follow all of the action through live stats and video or by listening to ESPN Rochester's Gene Battaglia on the call.
  TALE OF TWO HALVES...OR THREE QUARTERS: Fisher was firing on all cylinders for much of the first three quarters against Washington and Jefferson, however, the offense stalled as the game wore on, which allowed the Presidents to regroup and eventually take the lead.  After forcing a quick three-and-out to start, Fisher would reach the red zone on its next three trips.  The Cardinals went 56 yards on their opening drive, but missed a field goal before scoring back-to-back touchdowns including a 3-yard run by RYAN INGERSON and a 24-yard passing touchdown from JOSHUA MICHELS to JAMES CHAMBERS to open up a 14-0 lead.  Washington and Jefferson battled back to take a lead, but Fisher countered with two more touchdowns from WYATT STEHLE and DYLAN HARRINGTON, respectively, to hold a four-point edge, 27-23.  Over the course of the team's final four drives though, Fisher punted twice and threw two picks.
 
GOLIATH MEETS GOLIATH: Over the last decade or so, two Division III football teams stand above all others in New York State - Hobart and St. John Fisher.  Since 2006, Fisher has racked up 98 total wins and has made the NCAA Division III Football Championship five times while Hobart boasts 93 wins and six NCAA berths.  That's 191 combined wins between the two programs.  To put that into perspective, Hartwick (48), Utica (50), Buffalo State (48) and Brockport (52) have combined to win 198 total games in that same stretch.
 
FOLLOW THE LEADER: Both programs are driven by consistency so its no coincidence that both feature a head coach with at least 20 years of experience.  Fisher's PAUL VOSBURGH has been at the helm of the team since the 1991 season and in that span has notched over 160 career wins.  Hobart's Mike Cragg is heading into his 23rd season with the Statesmen.  The two coaches rank among Division III's elite as the pair is actually tied for 15th place on the all-time career wins list for active coaches with 166 apiece.  
 
FALL FROM GRACE: Last week, prior to the start of the 2017 season, both Hobart and St. John Fisher were included in the first D3football.com national poll.  Fisher held down the No. 23 spot while the Statesmen were ranked 14th-nationally to start the new year.  Heading into week two, however, both teams are coming off a week one loss and as such will be playing without a number next to their name.  Both teams are still receiving votes with Fisher earning 19 and Hobart receiving four. 
 
COURAGE BOWL XIII TICKETS: Individual tickets are still available but time is running out. Tickets, which are $5 apiece, can be purchased in the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Athletic Center Monday - Friday, 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. or by phone at (585) 385-8315.

STRONG START FOR MICHELS: In just his first collegiate start, quarterback JOSHUA MICHELS looked impressive.  The Brockport native was 26-for-57 for 354 yards and three touchdowns.  He also threw two interceptions late in the fourth quarter.  Overall, however, he orchestrated four trips to the red zone and moved the chains consistently after going 10-for-22 on 3rd down conversions and four-of-five fourth down chances.
 
WIDEOUTS ARE IN: As mentioned prior to week one's game, Fisher boasts a very talented and deep wide receiving corps.  Last week, the Cardinals had five players catch a pass with four hauling in at least five.  MIKE COLLICHIO snared seven balls for a game-high 111 yards while JAMES CHAMBERS and WYATT STEHLE each caught five passes and one touchdown each.  DYLAN HARRINGTON made five grabs for Fisher for 69 yards including a 38-yard touchdown pass.  This group will look to have a big game against Hobart as well after the Statesmen allowed 360 passing yards against Brockport last Saturday.
 
WHAT'S THE RUSH? One of Fisher's major strengths has always been its ability to run the ball.  The team has featured numerous 1,000-yard backs since 2010 and has relied on a two-headed approach the last two seasons.  Last week, however, the team only posted 86 total rushing yards with Chambers accounting for 41 yards and RYAN INGERSON gaining 34 yards and a touchdown on just four carries.  The Cardinals might have a bounce back week Saturday though as Hobart yielded 243 yards to the Golden Eagles and three touchdowns on 46 carries.  Brockport was able to pick up 5.3 yards per carry.
 
WE MEET AGAIN: Hobart and St. John Fisher have played 18 times in their history with the Cardinals winning seven of those matchups.  Fisher's last win against Hobart, however, was of significance as it came in the second round of the NCAA Division III Football Championship at Boswell Field.  In that game, the Cardinals earned a spot in the national quarterfinal after downing their hosts, 27-6, behind 354 yards of total offense.  Fisher had a shutout going until Hobart was able to punch in into the end zone on its final drive.  That year, the Cardinals went 10-3 and fell to Mary-Hardin Baylor in Texas despite out-gaining the Crusaders in yards, 452-371.
 
UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY: It's been a while since both teams headed into their respective week two matchups with an 0-1 record.  In fact, the last time that both Hobart and Fisher lost their season-opener was 2009 - Fisher was defeated by then No. 1 Mount Union while the Statesmen were undone by Dickinson.  Both teams would go on to win their following game.
 
SCOUTING HOBART: As mentioned earlier, Hobart is coming off a week one loss to Brockport in which it surrendered over 600 yards of offense in a 34-20 defeat.  That doesn't make the team any less dangerous, though.  The Statesmen have three players who were named Preseason All-America by D3football.com including quarterback SHANE SWEENEY, wide receiver BRANDON SHED and punter RIO SCHMIDT.  Sweeney will in all likelihood go down as the best signal caller in Hobart's storied history as he needs fewer than 1,000 yards on the season to break the all-time record.  Last week, the senior quarterback threw for 256 yards including 132 yards to Shed, but was also picked off three times.  At the wide receiver position, Shed is coming off a monster 2016 campaign where he racked up nearly 1,300 yards and 17 touchdowns while RAY CONLEY, ZACH WITHERS, JOSEPH BARROCAS and MATTHEW WOODS are expected to contribute this season.  Hobart, which is a pass-first offense, still features a capable back in TYNARD BARFIELD who posted 66 yards on the ground in just six attempts.  Overall as a team, the Statesmen only attempted 21 rushes all game last week.
 
Defensively, Hobart will need to make some adjustments following last week's performance as Fisher put up 440 total yards against a stout Washington and Jefferson unit.  JEDH DOWNEY, ALMAMY CONDE and AJ McFARLANE each claimed 10 tackles last week while SAM WHEELER, TOM D'ANTONIO and SEAN MOORE each had eight in the loss.  Hobart did force two fumbles and got through for two sacks.
 
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 play in front of its home fans for the first time next Saturday, September 16.  The game has added significance as it will be the 13th playing of the annual Courage Bowl to benefit Camp Good Days and Special Times.  The Cardinals will host Brockport beginning at 6 p.m. on Growney Stadium.  The game will be televised on Spectrum Sports.  Last season, Fisher came away with a thrilling 42-38 win over the Golden Eagles after overcoming a 28-7 deficit to start the third quarter.