PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Fresh off a 42-14 win over Hartwick College last weekend, the St. John Fisher College football team will step back on the field at 2 p.m. on Saturday when it hosts Morrisville State in an Empire 8 showdown at Growney Stadium.
Fisher, which excelled in all three phases of the game against the Hawks, will look to keep its momentum going against a Morrisville team that enters play having defeated Utica College in its last outing.
Fans unable to make the trip to Pittsford can still follow the game with multiple options. Click on the links below to follow Fisher's progress.
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You can also get more in-depth coverage of this week's matchup with the Mustangs and dissect last weekend's win by diving into
THIS WEEK'S GAME NOTES HERE.
https://twitter.com/FisherAthletics/status/1052590059130707968
THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT: In case you missed it, Fisher Athletics launched its new mobile app last week - SJFC Athletics - in the App Store and on Google Play. The app, which gives fans, alumni, parents and more yet another opportunity to stay-up-to-date with the latest news, highlights, schedules and more, is free and features push notifications so you never miss a beat.
SERIES HISTORY: The Cardinals and Mustangs don't have the long-standing history that a Fisher/Brockport matchup boasts, but over the three previous games that the Cardinals and Mustangs have paired off, Fisher has come out on top twice. The two programs first met during the 2015 season, which coincided with Morrisville's first season in the Empire 8. That year saw the Cardinals post a 34-29 win behind 372 passing yards and four touchdowns from quarterback
Matt Naton.
Bobby Campese had a breakout game with 10 catches for 194 yards and a pair of scores. The following year, Fisher handed the Mustangs a 49-31 loss before falling in last year's meeting, 35-28.
WHEN WE LAST MET: Last season, Fisher and Morrisville met on November 4th with the Mustangs coming out on top by a touchdown. Fisher owned a 21-14 lead in the second quarter before back-to-back touchdowns by Morrisville staked the home team to a 28-21 lead in the final frame. Senior running back
James Chambers pulled Fisher even with just over nine minutes left to go in the game on a three-yard run, but the Mustangs orchestrated an eight-play, 53-yard game-winning touchdown drive to close out the conference win.
THOMPSON TWO-STEP: Last week, senior defensive back
Brennen Thompson was all over the field as the Herkimer native picked off two passes in Fisher's win over Hartwick. In the third quarter, Thompson stepped in front of a pass and nearly found pay dirt after taking the return 52 yards down to the Hartwick one yard line before being dragged down. That's not his best return, though. Last season at Morrisville, Thompson jumped a route and returned it 80 yards for a pick six. Who knows - maybe history will repeat itself.
DID YOU KNOW?: Morrisville's head coach 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.
THE PONY EXPRESS: Perhaps Morrisville's biggest strength lies in its ability to run the ball. Entering Saturday's matchup, the Mustangs rank third among all Empire 8 teams with 163.5 rushing yards per game. Nick Edmond leads the charge with nearly 90 yards per game, however, Morrisville may have a tough time running against Fisher's talented defensive line and quick linebacking corps. The Cardinals were able to limit the No. 25 Ithaca Bombers to just 58 yards on the ground while last week, Fisher surrendered just 71 rushing yards to Hartwick.
PERSPECTIVE IS IMPORTANT: During last week's impressive win over the Hawks, Fisher excelled in all aspects. In fact, the team produced some numbers that hadn't been seen in some time. The Cardinals' four rushing touchdowns were their most since 2014. Fisher had six takeaways in last Saturday's win - its most since 2013 while its 42 points were the most the team had scored since the 2016 season - a streak of 16 games. Head coach
Paul Vosburgh's squad had five sacks against the Hawks - a feat that had not happened since 2016 while defensive lineman
Sam Maddi recovered two fumbles in the win - the most for an individual since
Mike Donitzen in 2013.
POISE IN THE POCKET: Senior quarterback
Alejandro Utset may have made his first-career start in a Fisher uniform last weekend against Hartwick, but it was hard to tell as the San Juan, Puerto Rico native looked calm, cool and collected. Utset went 20-for-33 in the win with 206 yards and two touchdowns. The offensive line looked its best, too as Fisher allowed a season-low one sack and paved the way for the Cardinals to rack up over 100 rushing yards for the first time this year.
MALACHI TWOVALL: Malachi Duvall had a breakout game last weekend as the Webster native led Fisher's rushing attack with 10 carries and an average gain of 3.8 yards per carry. Duvall also found the end zone not once, but twice for his first career touchdowns.
OUR SCHEDULE IS TOUGHER THAN YOURS: A lot can be said when you're 1-4, but what most forget is that the quality of the opponent is important. Entering Saturday's game, Fisher boasts the 13th toughest schedule in all of Division III. Fisher's opponents carry a winning percentage of .692 overall and have included the No. 4, No. 15 and No. 25 ranked teams. The next closest Empire 8 school is Buffalo State at 39th overall.
SCOUTING MORRISVILLE: As mentioned earlier, the Mustangs do what Mustangs do - they run. Entering Saturday's game, head coach Curt Fitzpatrick boasts the third-best rushing attack in the conference. When it comes to offense, however, Morrisville can be a bit one-sided at times as the team's passing attack ranks seventh in the Empire 8 at just over 200 yards per game.
Brandon Gwinner leads the way at quarterback for the Mustangs as the senior has accumulated 1,017 yards through the air with 10 touchdowns over six games. His favorite target so far has been Raffaele Bradshaw who has a team-leading 32 catches and 337 receiving yards. Petrit Boga provides a big red zone target with 14 catches for 238 yards and a team-high four touchdowns.
On the ground, we mentioned the running attack led by 240-pound Nick Edmond. Through six games, Edmond has accrued 531 yards on 125 carries - good for 4.2 yards a carry. The Mustangs are a run-heavy offense with 255 carries this season compared to just 168 passing attempts.
Defensively, Mike Bodnar leads the team with 54 tackles while Jose Garcia has come up with 46 stops through six games. The Mustangs may have their secondary woes exposed on Saturday against Fisher's powerful passing game as Morrisville ranks seventh overall in the conference in passing yards allowed and is last in passing touchdowns allowed (18) and interceptions with three. The defensive line has just eight sacks in six games - two fewer than Fisher, which has played five games.
HALL OF FAME NEWS: St. John Fisher College is set to induct seven new members into its Athletics Hall of Fame later this fall including Brennan Fortune '08 who played a significant role in helping to build the team in to what it is today. Fortune could be considered not only one of the greatest offensive lineman to have played at Fisher, but one of the best in Division III history. A three-time All-American (one preseason), Fortune was named to the All-Decade Team by D3football.com. During his four seasons, Fisher amassed 41 wins including three berths in the NCAA Division III Championship. In 2006, the Cardinals vied for a national championship and reached the semifinals for the first time in team history. With Fortune on the line, the running game exploded for the Cardinals' offense as he helped block for Mark Robinson who is currently in our hall of fame. He is a three-time All-Conference honoree. Joining Fortune in this year's class are Jenna Waldron '10 (women's volleyball), Dave Wood '09 (men's lacrosse), Dan Jurik '10 (baseball), Rev. Albert Gallmon '74 (men's basketball), Nicole Lanieu '02 (softball) and Patrick Tobin '62 (Honorary).
WHAT'S NEXT: Following Saturday's matchup with Morrisville, Fisher will head back on the road for the next two weeks beginning with the high-powered SUNY Cortland Red Dragons on October 27th. Last season, Fisher dashed Cortland's Empire 8 title dreams with a 35-28 win as
James Chambers had nearly 300 yards of offense alone. This season, Cortland is once again ranked among the Empire 8's leaders in scoring, passing yards and points allowed. From there, Fisher will travel to Alfred on November 3rd for a meeting with the Saxons who had been receiving votes until this week's poll.
