Football | 10/14/2021 11:00:00 AM
PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College football team will look to make it two wins in a row at 1 p.m. on Saturday as it welcomes the Alfred University Saxons to Growney Stadium for a critical Empire 8 showdown.
Fisher (3-3) is coming off a big win over Morrisville last weekend while the Saxons (2-3) enter play having defeated Hartwick in a close game, 24-21.
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With just over two days to go before kickoff,
check out this week's game notes for all the details surrounding the 23rd meeting between these two programs.
GOLDEN DAYS: The traditional gift for 50 years of marriage is gold and this year marks the golden anniversary of the St. John Fisher College football program. Founded in 1971 as a club team, Fisher has won nearly 280 games and boasts a winning percentage of nearly .600 in that time. The College has enjoyed eight seasons with at least 10 wins, six Empire 8 conference title, five NCAA berths, three club national championships and hundreds of All-Conference honorees.
WHEN LAST WE MET: The Cardinals and Saxons played to an epic finish on November 16, 2019 with Fisher evening its season record at 5-5 behind a 31-28 win. The Cardinals trailed 28-20 late in the fourth quarter before
Johnathan Letta recovered a fumble in the end zone and
Hunter Walsh connected with
Pat Galer on a two-point conversion to knot things up at 28-28. Alfred looked to move the ball with under seven minutes to play, but Fisher's defense forced the Saxons to punt. From there, the Cardinals used 12 plays and drove 62 yards before
Joe Dotterweich drilled a game-winning 28-yard field goal to sink the visitors, 31-28, and make Fisher bowl eligible.
SERIES HISTORY: Saturday's pairing will mark the 23rd time these two programs have met on the gridiron dating back to 1992. In that stretch, Fisher has won 12 games including the last two.
LAST TIME OUT: The Cardinals snapped a three-game skid last weekend and evened their season record at 3-3 following a 28-23 win over Morrisvile inside Drake Stadium.
Joseph Torrillo had two touchdowns while
Dahmir Pross ran for nearly 100 yards and a score. Saturday's win is proof that stats don't always tell the entire story as Fisher was out-gained by over 200 yards and possessed the football for just 20 minutes, but a pick sick from
Justin Rodriguez and a big stop on fourth-and-one allowed the Cardinals to escape with the all-important conference victory.
NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE: Over the first six games of the season, Fisher's boasts one of the top tacklers in the entire country as sophomore
Joe Miscia enters Saturday's meeting with 80 total tackles on the year - the most of any player in Division III. Miscia finished last weekend's tilt at Morrisville with a career-high 19 tackles, which earned him Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week honors. His 19 stops marked the most for a Fisher player since David Carroll had 20 tackles against Utica College on October 14, 2017 - the difference? Carroll's total came in a 5-overtime game whereas Miscia did it in 60 minutes.
IT'S TAYLOR TIME: Most teams in the Empire 8 have gotten the message that kicking the ball to
TySean Sizer in generally a dangerous proposition, however, over the last few games defensive back
Taurian Taylor has shown that Fisher boasts a solid 1-2 punch in the return game. Over nine chances, Taylor actually leads the conference in return attempts and ranks sixth in the Empire 8 in average at nearly 18 yards per try. He's also a solid option at cornerback with a team-leading four pass breakups to go along with 17 tackles and one interception on the year.
FLIPPING THE FIELD: Special teams can often make or break a game. Through their first six games, the Cardinals have been able to pin their opposition deep in their own end as
Joe Dotterweich ranks fourth in the conference in punting at over 35 yards per kick. The North Tonawanda native has amassed nearly 1100 yards on 31 punts including a conference-leading eight inside the 20.
FOUR SCORE AND...: Good things happen when you score the football and keep the opposing offense on the sideline. Over its first two games, Fisher was averaging nearly 30 points per game, but the Cardinals hit a rut over the last month and managed to score just 35 total points in a three-game stretch. Flash back to last weekend and the team found the end zone four times - a trend the coaching staff hopes will continue this week against an Alfred defense that is surrendering 26 points on average.
SCOUTING ALFRED: The Saxons haven't exactly lit up the scoreboard this season as Alfred enters Saturday's clash ranked last in the Empire 8 scoring at just 10 points per contest through its first five games. Kevin Bragaglia has been a bright spot for head coach Bob Rankle as the graduate student leads the team and is among the Empire 8's leaders in rushing yards with nearly 300 to date. While the ground game has shown flashes, the passing game has been nearly non-existent for Alfred this season with just 573 total yards through the air. Zuke Smith takes a majority of the snaps and is 25-for-71 on the year with 285 yards, two touchdowns and two picks.
Defensively, Alfred can get into its opponent's backfield with 35.0 tackles for a loss already including seven sacks. Christopher Cox leads the team with 48 total tackles while Joe Copp and Jeremiah Young each have made 41 stops.
LOOKING AHEAD: Following Saturday's meeting with Alfred, the Cardinals will make their way to Oneonta to take on the Hartwick College Hawks in another Empire 8 showdown. The Cardinals have traditionally owned Hartwick having accumulated 18 wins over 25 historical meetings. Over the last 10 seasons, head coach
Paul Vosburgh's teams have gone 9-1 against the Hawks with an average margin of victory of over three touchdowns.
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 Audacy mobile app to listen to each and every football game - just search ESPN ROCHESTER.
