ALFRED, NY ‑‑ The Alfred University football team defeated visiting St. John Fisher, 38-17, Saturday afternoon at Yunevich Stadium to win the Empire 8 Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III championship tournament.
AU, ranked 14th in the nation, ended the season 10-0 (8-0 Empire 8), giving the Saxons their first undefeated regular season since the 1981 team finished with the same regular season mark. By defeating 18th-ranked Fisher, AU won the Empire 8 title outright and became the first team in league history to finish a season unbeaten.
Alfred outgained Fisher, 345 yard to 298, as Saxon senior quarterback Tyler Johnson threw for four touchdowns and ran for another. The Saxon defense harassed Fisher quarterback Matt Naton, the league's leader in passer efficiency, all game long. Naton threw for 264 yards on 25-of-45 passing, but was sacked six times and intercepted twice.
Fisher (8-2, 6-2 E8) got on the scoreboard first, taking the opening kickoff and driving 81 yards in 11 plays, with Naton tossing a 21-yard TD pass to William Coon 4:51 into the game. Alfred answered, going 68 yards in seven plays, as Johnson capped the drive with a 26-yard TD pass to junior tailback Maleke Fuentes with 6:07 left in the opening frame.
The Saxons scored the next 17 points to take a commanding 24-7 lead early in the third. Johnson's one-yard run 1:27 into the second quarter ended a six-play drive that began after junior linebacker Shaquille Muscadin intercepted Naton at the Fisher 34. Johnson's 41st rushing touchdown of his career broke the school record he shared with Hall of Fame tailback Jesse Raynor (1999-2003).
A 39-yard field goal by junior Trevor Monk with 5:17 left in the half put the Saxons up 17-7. Fuentes returned the second-half kickoff from out of his own endzone 90 yards to the Fisher 10, and a penalty moved it to the Cardinal 5. Three plays later, Johnson connected with senior wide receiver Brendan Buisch on a nine-yard touchdown and AU led 24-7 1:44 into the third.
Fisher pulled to within 10 points on the Cardinals' ensuing drive, marching 71 yards in seven plays, with Naton tossing a nine-yard TD pass to James Flagler to make it 24-14 with 10:47 left in the third.
After the teams exchanged punts, Alfred took over at their own 27-yard line and two plays later, Johnson connected with Buisch on a 70-yard bomb that put the Saxons up 31-14 with 6:44 left in the third. Fisher drove deep into Saxon territory on its next drive, but settled for a 33-yard Devin Dzikowicz field goal with 2:47 left in the third to make it 31-17. AU closed out the scoring early in the fourth, driving 62 yards in nine plays before Johnson tossed a 17-yard TD to senior tight end Ralph Pagliei 2:38 into the final frame.
Johnson completed 11 of 17 passes for 222 yards with four TDs and no interceptions. He also ran for a game-high 67 yards on 17 carries, while senior tailback Casey Bright ran 14 times for 40 yards. Buisch finished with four receptions for 114 yards and a pair of scores. Pagliei caught three balls for 40 yards and junior wideout Rodney Etienne had two catches for 31 yards.
Fisher was held to just 34 yards on the ground, with Tony Fusco running for a team-high 26 yards. Mike Collichio caught a game-high nine passes for 50 yards; Dylan Harrington caught five for 63; and Coon caught four for 57 and a TD.
Junior linebacker A.J. LiCata had eight tackles (seven solo), including two for loss and a sack, while freshman linebacker Isaiah Moak had eight (half-sack). Muscadin had five tackles (2 ½ for loss, one sack) to go with his interception, and freshman end Josh Rivers, senior nose guard Zach Brinkley and junior tackle Dave Carloni each had solo sacks. Freshman cornerback Shemar Hayes had three tackles, two pass breakups and an interception.
David Carroll had a game-high 13 tackles (1 ½ for loss) to lead the Fisher defense. D.J. Logory added 12 tackles and Michael Chase had eight.
The NCAA Division III tournament begins next Saturday (Nov. 19). The Saxons, the top-seeded team in last week's NCAA East Region rankings, will learn their first-round opponent Sunday evening, when the NCAA announces the tournament field and pairings during its selection show. The selection show can be viewed on-line at ncaa.com beginning at 6 p.m.