Football | 11/7/2019 10:58:00 AM
PITTSFORD, N.Y. – With forecasted temperatures in the low 30s and the potential for snow, the St. John Fisher College football team is back in action this Saturday as the Cardinals hit the road and travel to Morrisville to take on the Mustangs in another Empire 8 tilt. Fisher, which is coming off its bye week, will enter the contest with a 4-4 overall record and a 1-3 standing in the Empire 8 while Morrisville sits at 4-4, 2-2 after defeating Hartwick College last weekend.
Fans unable to make the journey – or just don't want to brave the elements – can still take in all of the action from anywhere by clicking the links below. You can also read up on this weekend's matchup including stats, rankings and more by reading our
GAME NOTES.
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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 contest will mark just the fifth time that Fisher and Morrisville have met on the gridiron with each team having won two games apiece. The Cardinals took the first two games in the series while the Mustangs have claimed a win in each of the last two seasons. Despite having only played a handful of times in their history, there's still quite a bit of familiarity between these two programs as head coach Curt Fitzpatrick quarterbacked 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.
"BYE"ing TIME: The Cardinals have traditionally been sound coming out of their bye week as Fisher has posted a 9-5 record over the last 14 seasons following a weekend off. The Cardinals have not enjoyed a bye week this late in the season, however, since 2016 when they had a break after week seven.
LAST TIME OUT: The Cardinals snapped the ball a season-high 84 times, but finished one play away from upsetting nationally-ranked SUNY Cortland on Saturday as the Cardinals came up on the wrong side of a 42-37 decision inside Growney Stadium. Fisher had a nine-point lead at halftime, 30-21, but Cortland scored back-to-back touchdowns in the third quarter to hold a slim edge, 36-30. The Red Dragons would kick a field goal to make it a 39-30 game before sophomore back
Dahmir Pross scored his third touchdown of the game to make it a one-score affair. The Cardinals had a final chance to win it as
Hunter Walsh hit
Will Blake three times to move the ball down to the Cortland 13, but that was as close as the Cardinals would come as time ran out on the comeback bid.
LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN: Through eight games of football so far this season, no one has totaled more interceptions than Fisher's
Jason Rodriguez as the Corning native is tied for the Division III lead with seven picks so far this year. Rodriguez has accounted for an INT in five games overall including back-to-back games and has had two picks in two different games already. The sophomore safety currently sits tied on the single-season list with Larry Long and
Troy Sant who totaled seven INTs in a season twice.
Mike Guinta sits atop the single-season interceptions list after corralling eight back in 2013 - remember - you can't spell Guinta without "int." With two games to go this season, Rodriguez hopes to give him some company at the top.
WHERE WE RANK: After eight games it seems only fair to put some statistical accomplishments into perspective. With two games remaining on the schedule, Fisher's
Will Blake has put together a big-time year so far as his 69 receptions lead the Empire 8 and rank sixth in Division III. The Penfield native has amassed 875 receiving yards already, which is tops in the conference and ranks 22nd among all Division III receivers. On the ground,
Dahmir Pross has broken the plane for 11 touchdowns already - the second-most in the Empire 8 while his 513 rushing yards ranks sixth among his counterparts. Freshman quarterback
Hunter Walsh has played well beyond his years as the McQuaid graduate leads the Empire 8 and ranks 20th in the nation with 2,260 passing yards.
PICK OF THE LITTER: Through eight games so far this season, the Cardinals are among the nation's leaders in interceptions this season with 16. Two weeks ago at Hartwick, Fisher had three more picks, which marked the third game this season that the Cardinals have had at least three interceptions in a single contest. Sophomore
Jason Rodriguez leads the team and is tied for the most interceptions in all of Division III with seven while
Anthony Manna and
Jack Fitzgerald each have three INTs.
AJ Ariosa,
Evan Strassberger and
Cameron Bellino have also come down with one interception apiece. Looking ahead to this weekend's pairing, the Mustangs have only thrown six picks all year.
SCOUTING MORRISVILLE: The Mustangs are coming off their most impressive offensive outing of the year last weekend as they defeated Hartwick on the road, 56-28. Morrisville's offense is capable of scoring points in bunches as head coach Curt Fitzpatrick's troops have topped 50 points in each of their last two games. Overall, the team ranks no worse than fourth in the Empire 8 in any offensive statistic. Its 299 passing yards per game and 22 passing touchdowns pace the Empire 8 while its 35.8 points per game is the second-highest total of any conference program.
Calling the shots in the huddle is junior quarterback Bill Flatow who ranks first in the conference with 21 touchdown tosses. Flatow's 2,221 yards is second among all Empire 8 slingers behind only Walsh while his 63.4 completion percentage leads the conference. Over eight games this season, Flatow has relied heavily on Jermaine Cooper and Toure' Hall, Jr. as the pair have combined to hauled in 98 receptions for over 1,300 yards. On the ground, Kinsey Williams has filled in nicely to the tune of 633 yards on 140 carries and 11 touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball, however, Morrisville has allowed nearly 400 yards a game to its opposition and ranks last in sacks with just nine over eight games. Its rushing defense is sixth in the Empire 8 as it surrenders over 150 yards per game and has allowed 16 rushing touchdowns already. Ernesto Mitchell leads the group with 82 total tackles while Jose Garcia has come up with 62 stops on the season. In the secondary, Nash Nelson leads the team with two picks while Jermaine Rankine has a team-leading 2.5 sacks.
WHAT'S NEXT?: The Cardinals will wrap up their regular season schedule at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 16th when Alfred University comes calling. Fisher, which will celebrate its senior class prior to kickoff, will be in search of its second consecutive win against the Saxons after earning a hard-fought 28-14 win over Alfred last season. That game saw Fisher rack up four turnovers including a pick-six by
Demarre Nelson that broke a 7-7 tie. Entering this week, Alfred was the top rushing team in the Empire 8 at nearly 260 yards per game, however, its passing attack has amounted to just 135 yards on average. In all, Fisher and Alfred have played 21 times since 1992 with Fisher holding an 11-10 edge in the series.
