St. John Fisher University Athletics

CANTON, N.Y. – St. John Fisher amassed more than 400 yards of offense and played sound defense from wire to wire as it topped St. Lawrence 30-10 in its first road test of the season on Friday night at Weeks Field at Leckonby Stadium. 

The Cardinals improved to 2-0 for a second straight season for the first time since 2019-21 and moved to 5-1 all-time against the Saints. St. Lawrence, which opened the season with an 18-10 road victory against Norwich, dropped to 1-1. 

The Cardinals piled up 426 yards of offense, averaged nearly seven yards per play, gained 29 first downs, and finished 7-of-10 on third down and 2-of-2 in the red zone. Quarterback Ryan Whitney threw multiple passing touchdowns and scored a rushing touchdown for the second straight week. The senior connected on 25 of 34 passes (73.5%) for 253 yards and two touchdowns, and ran nine times for 36 yards and a score. 

Sophomore running back Christian Beason led the Cardinals with a career-high 93 yards rushing and scored a touchdown on 17 attempts. Junior wide receiver Gavin Horton set career highs in receptions (9) and receiving yards (86), while senior wide receiver Mykel White and senior tight end Nate McGoldrick each had receiving touchdowns.

The Cardinals' defense held St. Lawrence to 208 yards (3.9 yards per play), including just 81 yards rushing. St. Lawrence quarterback Oliver Cheer struggled to get into a groove, completing only 50% of his throws for 124 yards and a touchdown. 

Senior linebacker Kyle DaMore led Fisher with 10 tackles, including five solo stops and one for a loss. Junior cornerback Micah Harshfield set career highs with seven tackles and three pass breakups.

How It Happened

After its first drive stalled in St. Lawrence territory, the Cardinals' offense got rolling on its second possession and reached the Saints' 32-yard line before the opening quarter ended. On the first play of the second quarter, Whitney found White in the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown, putting the Cardinals ahead 7-0. 

The Saints responded with a 15-play, 70-yard drive that ended with an Aidan Morris field goal to make it 7-3, but the Cardinals engineered two more scoring drives before halftime and took a 13-point lead into the break. Whitney tossed a 25-yard touchdown to McGoldrick with 1:54 left in the half, and after a quick St. Lawrence three-and-out, he amassed 55 yards while completing 5-of-7 passes, including three straight connections with Horton early in the drive, to get Fisher into field goal range in the final seconds. Senior kicker Logan Laratta drilled a career-long 40-yard attempt as time expired to give the Cardinals a 16-3 lead. 

St. Lawrence forced Fisher to punt to start the second half and pulled within six midway through the third quarter with a nine-play, 67-yard drive capped by a 15-yard touchdown pass from Cheer to Cole Phelan. The Saints, though, could not come up with another key defensive stop the rest of the way. 

The Cardinals regained the momentum with a 14-play drive that covered 72 yards and took 6:31 off the clock. Fisher moved the chains on three third-down plays during the methodical drive, which Beason punctuated with a four-yard touchdown run, his second collegiate score.

St. Lawrence reached the St. John Fisher 24-yard line on the ensuing possession before a negative rushing play and a false start derailed the drive. Down by 13 early in the fourth quarter, the Saints kept their offense on the field on 4th-and-16 and turned the ball over on downs as Cheer's pass fell incomplete. 

Fisher put the game out of reach with another lengthy touchdown drive – 10 plays spanning 66 yards in 6:41 – that Whitney ended with a three-yard touchdown rush. Beason wore down the Saints' defense as the Cardinals made their way down the field, gaining 41 yards on five rushing attempts. 

Game Notes

• The Cardinals have allowed just 18 points through their first two games, the fewest they have surrendered in the first two weeks of a season since 2011. That year, they allowed just 10 points (7 to Buffalo State, 3 to the University of Rochester) in the first two weeks. 

• The Cardinals have held their first two opponents under 100 yards rushing. It's the first time Fisher has held its first two opponents under that mark since 2019. 

• Whitney, who had five total touchdowns last week against FDU-Florham, has eight touchdowns (6 passing, 2 rushing) through two games. He's the first Fisher player to have that many scores in the first two weeks of a season since quarterback Matt Naton (7 passing, 1 rushing) in 2016. 

• Whitney has recorded a 70% completion percentage or better in three of his last four games dating back to last November. 

• Laratta has made all five of his field goal attempts since becoming the Cardinals' starting kicker late last season. His 40-yarder against the Saints marked a career-long. 

• White has recorded touchdown receptions in back-to-back games. 

• Junior wide receiver Michael LoRusso caught a career-high six passes for 35 yards. 

Up Next

The Cardinals face the University of Rochester at 2 p.m. next Saturday, Sept. 19, at Growney Stadium. St. John Fisher has not started 3-0 since 2019.