EDWARDSVILLE, Pa. – Wilkes University (2-2) rallied to overcome a 21-0 deficit in the second half en route to a 28-21 victory over the St. John Fisher University football team (1-2) on Saturday afternoon at Schmidt Stadium.
Wilkes scored 14 points in the final four minutes of the third quarter and 14 more in the fourth – with one touchdown coming on an interception return – to stun the Cardinals. Fisher scored all 21 of its points in the first half.
The Cardinals scored on the game's opening possession, driving 77 yards on nine plays. Junior running back Camden Chance, a transfer from the Oswego State basketball team, capped the lengthy march down the field with a 2-yard rushing touchdown, his third of the season.
In the second quarter, senior defensive lineman Zach Dreisbach sacked Wilkes quarterback Xavier Powell, who fumbled on the hit. Senior linebacker Joe Miscia recovered the ball at the Wilkes 24-yard line, where Fisher's offense took over.
The Cardinals cashed that turnover in for points about three minutes later on sophomore quarterback Ryan Whitney's four-yard touchdown run. Senior specialist Kyle Farewell's subsequent extra point put Fisher ahead 14-0.
Fisher ended the half the way it began – with a long scoring drive. The Cardinals drove 90 yards on eight plays and went ahead by three touchdowns on senior running back Peyton Nolan's 1-yard rushing score.
Wilkes, behind a combination of big plays and Fisher's mistakes, began flipping the game upside down late in the third.
After Farewell missed a 24-yard field goal with just more than five minutes left in the quarter, Wilkes running back Elijah Jules ripped off a 38-yard touchdown to get the Colonels on the board.
Two minutes later, Steele Hess intercepted Whitney's pass and returned it deep into Cardinals territory. The Colonels pulled within one score on Zane Grover's 15-yard touchdown pass to Jimmy Johnson on the final play of the quarter.
The Cardinals seemed poised to respond, as they reached the Wilkes 2-yard line on the first drive of the final quarter. But Wilkes made another key play – that time stopping Nolan for a loss of six yards on 4th-and-2 – to stay in the game.
Nine plays and 92 yards later, Wilkes pulled within a point on Jules' second touchdown run of the half and tied the game with Nick Volpone's extra point.
The Cardinals, once again, gave themselves a chance to regain control on the subsequent drive. A 10-yard Whitney rush, a 10-yard pass completion to wide receiver Drew Smith and an 11-yard pass completion to James Kennedy got the offense to the Wilkes 47-yard line. The drive essentially stalled there.
Donell Mackey-Woodson intercepted Whitney's 2nd-and-5 pass and returned it 65 yards for a touchdown as the game clock dipped under a minute, completing a stunning second half.
Game Notes
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Nolan rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown on 25 attempts.
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The Cardinals rushed for 190 yards and three scores as a team.
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Wide receiver Jaylen Brantley had three catches for 61 yards.
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Wide receiver Evan Delutis led Fisher in catches (4). He had 59 yards receiving.
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Whitney, who threw for 290 yards, completed passes to nine different players.
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Defensive lineman Zach Dreisbach recorded Fisher's first sack of the season. He also had 1.5 tackles for a loss.
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Linebacker JaQuan Davis had a career-high two tackles for a loss of yards.
Up Next
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The Cardinals face SUNY Brockport in the 19th annual Courage Bowl next Saturday, Oct. 5, at Eunice Kennedy Shriver Stadium.
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Brockport has won the last six games in the series.
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Fisher last beat Brockport in September 2016.
