Football | 9/26/2019 11:15:00 AM

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – With three wins under their belt through the first three weeks of the season, the St. John Fisher College football team will look to make it four in a row on Saturday as the Cardinals travel to Ithaca to take on the No. 13 Bombers in a non-conference battle on the grass at Butterfield Stadium.  Fisher will look to keep its momentum going after the Cardinals erased an 11-point second half deficit and scored 35 unanswered points in a 40-16 rout of The College of New Jersey last Saturday while the Bombers sit at 2-0 with wins over Saint Vincent and Alfred.

Fans unable to make the trip to the southern tip of Cayuga Lake can still keep track of all the action by clicking the links below.  You can also learn more about Saturday's matchup including statistics, schedules, news and more by reading this week's GAME NOTES HERE.

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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 the 22nd time that these two storied programs will meet on the gridiron with Ithaca holding a slim lead in the series, 11-10. Over the last 10 meetings, however, Fisher holds the edge, 6-4.  Wins have seem to come in pairs over the last six meetings, though, with Ithaca winning in back-to-back years followed by two in a row for Fisher.  Ithaca has posted a W in each of the last two seasons, however, if very recent history holds true, perhaps the tides will swing in the Cardinals' favor. 
 
LAST TIME OUT: It was a tale of two halves for the Cardinals last week as Fisher was unable to generate much on the offensive end of the field over the first 30 minutes of play.  As a result, head coach Paul Vosburgh's squad found itself in an 11-point hole entering the third quarter.  The break in action seemed to be enough to re-energize Fisher on both sides of the ball as the Cardinals erupted for 35 unanswered points en route to a 40-16 win over The College of New Jersey.  In all, Fisher produced 17 first downs and had 276 total yards of offense, but the Cardinals forced two second half turnovers and finished with four sacks to slow the Lions to a crawl.
 
SAFETY BLANKET: The Cardinals' front seven has been a force to be reckoned with all season.  Through three games, the Cardinals have been in their opponents' backfield often.  The team ranks second in the Empire 8 with 11 sacks under its belt so far.  Last week, the team matched its season-high with 4.0 sacks led by junior defensive end LeMar Peters.  The Syracuse native was credited with 2.0 sacks on the day one of which came in the end zone where the Lion's QB was flagged for intentional grounding giving the Cardinals their first safety since October 29, 2016 when they defeated Ithaca, 34-17.
THAT'S GOOD PR: The Cardinals boast the top punt return unit in the Empire 8 through three games thanks in large part to Division I transfer TySean Sizer.  The Irondequoit native racked up 105 punt return yards last week against the Lions including a 76-yard punt return that gave Fisher its first lead since the first quarter.  Sizer is averaging 27.0 yards per return and has accrued twice as many return yards as the next closest player in the conference.
 
CONFERENCE AND NATIONAL RECOGNITION: The Cardinals received a further boost in their confidence in the early part of the week as the Empire 8 and D3football.com released their weekly awards.  At the conference level, Jason Rodriguez and TySean Sizer were honored after both played a pivotal role in the Cardinals' 40-16 win over TCNJ last weekend.  Sizer, who was named the Empire 8 Special Teams Player of the Week, brought the crowd to its feet with a 76-yard highlight reel punt return for a touchdown while Rodriguez was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week after hauling in two more key interceptions in the second half.  The Corning native would go on to be named to D3football.com's Team of the Week for his efforts marking the second consecutive week that a Cardinal has been selected for national recognition.
 
GAME WITHIN THE GAME: So far through three games this season there aren't many teams in Division III that win the turnover battle as frequently as the Cardinals.  Entering this weekend's matchup with Ithaca, Fisher ranks fifth in all of Division III in turnover margin (+9).  Fisher's 11 turnovers in just three games is the seventh-most in the country while its nine interceptions is tied for the second-highest total across the Division.  Fisher will look to continue that trend on Saturday against a Bombers squad that has just two turnovers all season. 
 
SCOUTING ITHACA: The Bombers climbed nine spots in the latest D3football.com national poll after moving to 2-0 behind a 27-9 win over Alfred last weekend.  Entering Saturday's key regional matchup, Ithaca is leading the Liberty League conference at 46.5 points per game while its 289.5 passing yards on average is good for the second-most per game in its conference.
 
Ithaca's offense is loaded this year with transfer Joe Germinerio calling the shots under center.  If you recognize that name, it's because he spent the last few seasons at Brockport.  On the outside, Germinerio has two big targets at his disposal including All-American wideout Will Gladney who has 179 yards and a team-leading three touchdowns this year.  Andrew Vito leads the team with 19 catches for 199 yards in two games.  On the ground, Ithaca features Isaiah D'Haiti who has 55 rushing yards to go along with two TDs.  Germinerio has also shown the ability to run over his career and currently accounts for 21 yards and a score.
 
Defensively, Ithaca is led by Michael Roumes' 15 tackles while Nick Garone and John Hadac, who was recently named to the D3football.com Team of the Week, have each racked up 14 tackles on the year.  Hadac leads the Bombers with 4.5 tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks while Garone is the team's top interception man with two.
 
The Bombers feature a solid attack on special teams as well as they lead the Liberty League in punting average (44.8) and punt return average (22.0).  
 
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.