PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College football team is back in action on Saturday as the Cardinals make their longest trip of the season to take on the Hartwick College Hawks in an Empire 8 bout at Wright Stadium. Fisher is coming off a tough road loss at Utica while the Pioneers will enter Saturday's game having been shut out by The College at Brockport.
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THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT: In case you missed it, Fisher Athletics launched its new mobile app last fall - 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. Speaking of apps, don't forget to download the Radio.com mobile app to listen to each and every football game - just search ESPN ROCHESTER.
SERIES HISTORY: Saturday's matchup marks the 25th time that Hartwick and St. John Fisher have squared off on the gridiron with the Cardinals having won 17 times overall including nine of the last 10 pairings. The Cardinals have averaged nearly 38 points per game in this series while limiting the Hawks to just 22 points per meeting. The last time Fisher played at Wright Stadium, however, it would be the Hawks that got the last laugh as Hartwick orchestrated a 13-play, 71-yard drive that culminated in a game-winning 21-yard field goal.
WHEN LAST WE MET: These two programs met up at Growney Stadium last season in a game that resulted in the Cardinals' first win of the year. Fisher forced Hartwick into a season-high six turnovers while the offense produced a season-high 42 points including 21 points in the third quarter alone. Head coach
Paul Vosburgh's squad produced five sacks in the win and held Hartwick to just 71 rushing yards.
LAST TIME OUT: The Cardinals are coming off another tough loss that came down to the final drive as Fisher fell at Utica last weekend, 34-28. After falling behind by 20 points in the second half, the Cardinals looked primed for another comeback bid. With Utica ahead by seven points and Fisher possessing the ball to begin the third quarter, the Pioneers quickly doubled their advantage with a 48-yard pick six to make it a 14-point game. From there, Utica tacked on another touchdown following a Fisher fumble at the one yard line to open up a 20-point cushion. The Cardinals continued to battle down the stretch with
Chris Park hauling in two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull Fisher within six points. After forcing Utica to punt twice over the final three minutes, the Cardinals ran out of time and fell to 0-2 in the Empire 8 standings.
911: We're not talking emergencies here - we're talking points. Over 24 games against Hartwick dating back to their first meeting in 1992, the Cardinals have scored 911 points against the Hawks - just shy of 38 per game. Some of the Cardinals' best offensive games in program history have come against Hartwick including a program record 70 points in 2005 that saw Fisher rack up 778 all-purpose yards and 10 touchdowns - both team records that still stand today. In all, Fisher has scored 55 points or more against Hartwick six times in its history. If that trend holds true, the Cardinals, who are averaging nearly 350 yards per game this season, should see the endzone often.
TRENDING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: It's easy to look at a loss and write it off, however, despite coming up short at Utica last weekend, the Cardinals looked to be showing signs of improvement. The team ran 84 plays in all, which was its most this season. The Cardinals had a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver for the first time since week one while freshman quarterback
Hunter Walsh posted a career-high in touchdowns on the day.
HE'S A 10 IN OUR BOOK: Senior wide receiver
Will Blake has been nearly unstoppable this season and has proven to be Walsh's top target through the first six games of the season. To date, Blake leads all receivers in the Empire 8 in receptions (44), yards (628) and is the only wideout in the conference to average over 100 receiving yards per game (104.7). The Webster native's four touchdown grabs are the fifth-most in the conference. On a national level, Blake ranks 15th among all Division III receivers in yards and eighth in catches. Look for that trend to continue after a 12-catch, 134-yard game last week that featured a 48-yard touchdown reception.
GROUNDING THE HAWKS: A large part of a team's success can be directly related to its ability to run the ball. Entering the weekend, Fisher is coming off its third game this season with a 100-yard rusher while the Hawks have failed to hit the century mark in their last two games. In fact, Hartwick finished last week with -67 yards on the ground in a shutout against The College at Brockport. Through five games this season, Hartwick's opponents have netted over 700 yards in the run game to go along with 16 touchdowns. Look for the Cardinals to add to their nine rushing scores this weekend.
SEEING RED: The Cardinals boast one of the top red zone offenses in all of Division III through six games this season. Fisher, which enters this weekend's bout averaging a tick under 27 points per game, has scored 19 times in 22 red zone chances - that's an 86.4 success rate - good for 32nd among all Division III teams.
SCOUTING HARTWICK: The Hawks have struggled to find a groove this season as they rank towards the bottom of the Empire 8 on both sides of the ball. Entering Saturday's matchup, Hartwick is averaging just under 258 total yards of offense, 14.0 points per game, and 65.2 rushing yards per contest - all of which are last in the conference. On the defensive side of the ball, the Hawks are last in rushing touchdowns allowed (16), passing yards allowed (276), points allowed (34.0), total yards (416.4) and rank sixth in terms of sacks.
Despite this, Grant Harmon has still thrown for five touchdowns and nearly 700 yards on the year with Kishaun Bell ranking among the conference's leaders in receiving yards and touchdowns. The Hawks' ground game is led by Devon Brown's 200 yards over five games.
Defensively, Kyle Kessler has accounted for 32 tackles while Noah Socash leads the team with 5.0 tackles for a loss. Hartwick's secondary has come away with seven interceptions on the season led by Kessler who has two to his credit.
HALL OF FAME NEWS: St. John Fisher College is set to induct eight new members into its Athletics Hall of Fame later this fall including three former football players. All-American Tim Bailey '11 will be inducted after a record-setting career under center. To date, he still ranks first in program history in completions (628), yards (8,352 – 1,500 more than second) and touchdowns with 77 while his 1010 attempts is second in team history. His 62.2 completion percentage is third all-time. On the single season list, Bailey's name appears three times in single-season attempts, yards and completions while he ranks first all-time in touchdowns for a season with 35. James Reile '08 will also be enshrined as the former running back is fourth all-time in rushing yards with over 3,100 while his 39 touchdowns are second in Fisher's storied history. Former All-American defensive end Terry Principe '80 will be inducted as well. Following his time in uniform, Principe played a significant role in helping to fundraise in order to sustain the program, which was a club at that time. Kyle Denhoff '12 (men's lacrosse), Colleen Maloney '11 (women's basketball), Sandy Spero '80 (wrestling), Luke Lennox '10 (men's soccer) and Irene Valentine '97 (softball) will also be honored.
