PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher University football team, after playing its last three games on the road, returned to Growney Stadium on Saturday afternoon and delighted its fans with a 56-0 victory over Hartwick College.
Fisher (3-3) pulled back to .500 on the season with the victory and improved to 2-1 in the Empire 8. Hartwick fell to 1-5 overall (0-3 Empire 8).
The Cardinals amassed more than 500 yards of offense for the second time this season and held the Hawks to 125 yards. The shutout marked the Cardinals' first since their 3-0 victory over RPI in September 2022.
Cardinals quarterback Ryan Whitney completed 12 of 21 passes for 160 yards with two touchdowns, the first to wide receiver Jackson Cusack in the first quarter and the other to tight end James Kennedy in the third. Cuscack has scored touchdowns in back-to-back games, while Kennedy recorded the first of his career.
Whitney, a sophomore, also rushed nine times for a career-high 70 yards and found the end zone twice in the second quarter.
The Cardinals ran for a season-high 270 yards and six touchdowns as a team. Running backs Camden Chance and Peyton Nolan each scored twice and combined for 159 yards on the ground. Chance, a junior who began his collegiate athletic career as a basketball player at Oswego State, amassed a career-high 104 yards on 18 rushes.
Dating back to the start of last season, the Cardinals have rushed for 200 yards or more in six games. They have done so twice this season, as they gashed Keystone College for 250 yards in a 42-40 victory in September.
Hartwick's offense struggled to move the ball on the Cardinals from the jump, gaining well under 50 yards in the first half. The Hawks finished the game with only four first downs and gained just 24 yards rushing in the contest.
Cardinals safety Trenton Sherman, cornerback DeAndre Green and linebacker JaQuan Davis intercepted passes in the first half. All three turnovers led to Fisher touchdowns.
The Cardinals have won 16 of their 19 games against Hartwick since 2005, including the last six in a row. Fifteen of the Cardinals' 16 victories in the series since then have come by three scores or more.
Shoutouts And Other Notes To Know
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Wide receiver Mykel White caught three passes for a career-high 103 yards. He had receptions of 24 and 64 yards.
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Davis now leads the Cardinals with two interceptions this season.
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Sherman and Green recorded their first interceptions of the season.
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Cusack has scored receiving touchdowns in back-to-back games.
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Kennedy caught his first career touchdown pass.
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The Cardinals have scored 50-plus points in back-to-back games.
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Kicker Kyle Farewell matched his career high with eight extra-point attempts made.
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The Cardinals racked up six tackles for a loss as a team. Defensive lineman Zach Dreisbach recorded a season-best two of them.
Up Next
The Cardinals face No. 2 Cortland at 1 p.m. next Saturday, Oct. 26, at SUNY Cortland's Stadium Complex.
