Football | 10/27/2022 12:45:00 PM

PITTSFORD, NY – The St. John Fisher University football team is set to return to action this Saturday, Oct. 29 when the Cardinals host the Hartwick College Hawks. Fisher, who had their bye last week, enter play with a 3-4 record overall, going 1-2 in the conference. Meanwhile, the Hawks enter play on a four game losing streak, having dropped to a 2-5 record, including an 0-4 nark in the Empire 8 conference.

Last Time Out: The Cardinals took their last contest by a 21-7 score over Alfred University. While the first half was offensively slow, Malachi Duvall, Aaron Chase, and Gabe Maloni each made big plays to tie the game at 7-7 in the third quarter. Looking to take the lead, Peyton Nolan used three rushes to reach the end zone giving the Cardinals their first lead of the day. After the defense forced a three and out, Duvall rushed twice for 51 more yards to secure his first touchdown on the day and pad the lead to 21-7, the eventual final score.

Scouting Hartwick: Fisher has won three straight over Hartwick, including topping them by a 28-7 score last season. Michael Krafty started at quarterback, completing 18-of-28 passes for 175 yards. In the win, Nolan finished with 52 yards on 12 rushes.
Strong defensive performances kept the first quarter scoreless, but the first drive of the second quarter, in a 12-play 80-yard drive, was capped off by a touchdown. Later, with the game tied, a touchdown from Shane O'Dea gave Fisher the edge. Two touchdowns in the fourth quarter would bring the lead to 28-7.

Fisher would finish with 344 total yards, including 227 in the air. The Cardinals defense held the Hawks to just 234 total yards.

We Want Moore: The defensive player to watch this week is Deorion Moore, who was recognized on the Team of the Week for games on Oct. 14-15. The Cardinals and Moore held Alfred to only 188 yards in the air. In the win, Moore recorded four tackles, one pass break up, and two interceptions that were be returned for 37 yards. The two picks also occurred in the redzone, stopping big drives from Alfred and preventing them from scoring.

Offensive Player to Watch: Nolan is the offensive player of the week to watch, coming off a performance against Alfred where he rushed for 45 yards over 14 attempts. This marks the most rushes in a game since the first game of the season on Sept. 3, when Nolan rushed for a career-high 105 yards.

Last season, Nolan appeared in five games, rushing for 88 yards and averaging 3.7 yards a carry over 24 attempts. This season, the sophomore has rushed for 264 yards, averaging 4.0 yards a carry over 66 attempts. Nolan has also added 61 receiving yards this season over 8 receptions.

Looking Ahead: The Cardinals will head to Cortland on Saturday, Nov. 5 for their final away game of the Season. Fisher will look to upset Cortland and snap a three-game losing streak against the Red Dragons.

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