Game #10: Alfred University (5-4, 2-3 Empire 8) vs St. John Fisher College Cardinals (4-5, 1-4 Empire 8)
Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019; 1 p.m.
(Growney Stadium, Rochester, NY)
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The Matchup: A possible bowl berth is on the line for the Alfred University football team as the squad heads north to battle St. John Fisher College in the Saturday regular-season finale from Growney Stadium. The Saxons sit at 5-4 overall and 2-3 in conference games, while Fisher looks to finish the season at .500, with a 4-5 record and a 1-4 mark in conference contests.
 
Bowl Scenarios
With the 5-4 record, Alfred is ECAC bowl eligible, clinching their 16^th consecutive non-losing regular season. In addition, the Saxons are alive for the New York State Bowl, an annual series which pits the highest non-NCAA participating Empire 8 finisher against the highest non-NCAA participating Liberty League finisher. This season, due to second-place Cortland in the running for an at-large NCAA bid, it's possible that the third-place team will host the Liberty League runner-up.
 
Empire 8 Standings
The Saxons sit in fourth place in the Empire 8 standings at 2-3, tied with Utica and one game behind third-place Morrisville. With a win and a Morrisville loss vs. Brockport, AU would win the tiebreaker and finish in third place. Also, there's a potential for a three-way tie for third at 3-3 with Alfred defeating Fisher and Utica defeating Hartwick at home, with a Morrisville loss. AU would hold the tiebreaker in that scenario.
 

Series History
This is the 22^nd all-time meeting between rivals Alfred and St. John Fisher. The programs met late – in the 1992 season-opener, a 24-6 victory. The teams returned to action in 1995, a Fisher win which was later forfeited, and the teams have played each other every season since the formation of the Empire 8 in 1999. Alfred and St. John Fisher have split the last 10 games of the series, and the Saxons hold an 11-10 all-time record.
 
Last Time We Met
St. John Fisher defeated Alfred in the Empire 8 finale, a 28-14 victory at Yunevich Stadium. Nick Milgate led to AU's first score, sacking the Fisher quarterback and recovering the fumble at the Fisher 17-yard line. One play later, Nasir Smith scampered 17 yards for the AU touchdown. Fisher then scored 21 straight points to open up a 14-point lead. The second half began with Aaron Griffin leading an AU scoring drive, rushing for 27 yards, including a six-yard touchdown run, as the Saxons trailed by seven, 21-14. The Cardinals later took advantage of a short drive, scoring to bring the lead back to 14, at 28-14. The Fisher defense stymied the AU offense, picking off a pair of passes and forcing a turnover on downs in the fourth quarter.
 
Ben Burk passed for 77 yards on 23 attempts in the loss, throwing four interceptions. Smith rushed for 79 yards on 22 carries, while Griffin rushed for 66 yards on nine carries. Both recorded a rushing touchdown. Steven Moretti-Ransom caught two passes for 50 yards through the air. Cole Reed led the team with 14 tackles, three for loss, while Milgate and Leo Pamphile each recorded seven. Raeqwon Greer made five tackles and recorded an interception.

A Look at the Saxons
AU looks to snap a rare two-game losing streak this Saturday, as the Saxons sit with a 5-4 record. Statistically, Alfred averages 24.7 points per game, but is one of the nation's stingiest defenses, allowing just 16.4 points per game. Nationally, AU is 36^th in scoring defense, 20^th in rushing defense (86.8 yards per game), 21^st in passing yards allowed (157.8 yards per game), and 13^th in total defense (244.6 yards per game). Offensively, the Saxons are 38^th in third down conversion percentage (45.9 percent) and 23^rd in rushing offense (230.8 yards per game).
 
Individually, Casey Boston leads the team with 1,040 passing yards on 51.2 percent passing (83-for-162), throwing seven touchdowns. Boston also adds 206 yards on the ground on 56 carries and four touchdowns. Griffin is tied for the league lead in rushing yards, tallying 1,098 yards on 184 carries (122.0 yards per game) and 10 touchdowns. Nationally, Griffin is 13^th in rushing yards, 17^th in rushing yards per game, 35^th in rushing touchdowns, and 39^th with 5.97 rush yards per carry. Kevin Bragaglia is second on the team in rushing with 250 yards on 56 attempts (4.5 yards per rush) and three touchdowns. In the air, A.O. Othman leads the receiving corps with 22 receptions for 388 yards and four touchdowns. He's third in the league with 18.22 yards per reception. Zach Leinenbach (12 receptions, 195 yards, one touchdown) and Steven Moretti-Ransom (23 receptions, 132 yards) are AU's other receiving threats.
 
Raeqwon Greer and Nick Milgate lead a stout AU defensive squad. Milgate is the team leader with 100 tackles, adding 17 tackles for loss, four sacks, three forced fumbles, and an interception. He is 15^th nationally with 1.9 tackles for loss per game, 19^th with 11.0 tackles per game, and 31^st with 5.8 solo tackles per game. Greer is second on the team with 82 total tackles, 52 solo and seven for loss, adding one sack. Greer is 18^th nationally with 6.2 solo tackles per game, and has totaled 40 solo tackles over the last five contests, including 12 at Brockport last Saturday.
 
Last Time Out for the Saxons
It was a strong defensive effort for Alfred in its last game, a 16-7 loss to No. 25 Brockport on the road. Brockport jumped out to a 13-0 first-quarter lead, but the Alfred defense held one of the league's leading offenses at bay for the rest of the contest. The Saxons threatened to score throughout most of the game, but an early fumble and a pair of interceptions stalled a few early AU drives. The Saxons finally struck early in the fourth quarter, as Casey Boston found A.O. Othman for a 66-yard touchdown pass and reception, the longest of the season. Brockport's offense woke back up afterwards, going on a game-clinching, 21-play, 84-yard drive that took over 11 minutes, leading to a field goal for the final 16-7 margin.
 
Boston had one of his best passing performances of the season yardage-wise, completing 11-of-28 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown. Othman had a career day, with four receptions for a career-high 127 yards, adding a touchdown. Griffin added 38 yards on the ground against the nation's best run defense. Raeqwon Greer led the defense with 15 tackles (12 solo) and a sack, while Nick Milgate added 10 tackles, two for loss. Jason Gauthier and Caleb Marshall also recorded sacks. For his performance against Brockport, Greer earned his second D3football Team of the Week honor of the season this past Tuesday.
 
Looking Ahead
The Saxons will once again enjoy a difficult schedule in the 2020 season. On the non-conference front, AU will welcome Thiel and Ithaca to Yunevich Stadium, while the Saxons will take a trip to Ohio, facing Heartland Conference power Mount St. Joseph University for the first time. Alfred will finish off the non-conference portion with a trip to Rochester. In Empire 8 action, the Saxons will host Cortland, Brockport, and St. John Fisher, while making road trips to Morrisville, Hartwick, and Utica.
 
A Look at the Cardinals
St. John Fisher, at 4-5, looks to avoid a losing season for the third straight year, a feat only achieved twice in program history. The Cardinals had three losing seasons in a row from 1990-92, and six from 1996-2002. Interestingly enough, the Cardinals have finished .500 once in program history – a 4-4 season in 1988.
 
The Cardinals average a healthy 28.9 points per game, giving up 27.9 points defensively. Fisher is third in rushing defense (110.4 yards per game allowed) and second with 16 interceptions. Offensively, the Cardinals are second in passing offense (273.7 yards per game) and third in offensive efficiency (127.1).
 
Individually, Dahmir Pross is the league's leader in all-purpose yards, averaging 148.3 per game (1,335 total). Pross does a lot of his damage on the ground, leading the team with 630 rushing yards on 167 carries, scoring 11 touchdowns. He's also effective on special teams, averaging 23.4 yards per kick return. Hunter Walsh is one of the league leaders at quarterback as a rookie, second in passing yards with 2,389. He completes 55.6 percent (184-for-331) of his passes, adding 15 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. His main target is Will Blake, nearing the 1,000-yard receiving mark with 906 yards on 70 receptions, all league-best marks. Defensively, Justin Wheeler leads the team with 74 total tackles, 16 for loss. He's tied for third in the league with 6.5 sacks. Jason Rodriguez is one of the nation's leaders in interceptions, with seven.
 
Last Time Out for the Cardinals
Fisher gave up a season-high 49 points in a 49-13 road loss to Morrisville State College last Saturday. Morrisville's offense jumped out early with a 21-0 first quarter lead, capped by a Justin Donnelly 60-yard pick-six. The Cardinals briefly stopped the bleeding in the first play of the second quarter, as Hunter Walsh found Johnathan Letta on a 21-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-6. Morrisville's defense buoyed their offense, taking advantage of two interceptions, as Kinsey Williams scored on touchdown runs of five and 27 yards, and Mike Cirasuolo scored on a one-yard run as the Mustangs took a commanding 42-6 lead into half. Walsh connected on a five-yard pass to Pat Galer in the third quarter, but Morrisville responded with a second touchdown pass, bringing the score to 49-13.
Walsh completed 8-of-21 passes for 129 yards, tallying two touchdowns but throwing five interceptions. On the ground, Dahmir Pross led the way with 117 yards on 26 carries.
 
Milgate Takes Over in the #32
- Senior linebacker Nick Milgate was hand-selected by the AU coaching staff to wear the #32 at AU in 2019 in honor of NYS Trooper Nicholas F. Clark '11, who was tragically killed in the line of duty in the summer of 2018
- Milgate has 187 tackles and eight interceptions in his career entering the 2019 season
- He is a health & fitness management major
- Named a team captain for the 2019 season
- Native of Hilton, NY where he attended Hilton High School
- Named Empire 8 All-Conference Honorable Mention in 2017 and 2018
-Milgate currently leads the team with 100 tackles, four sacks, and three forced fumbles
-Milgate was honored by D3Football.com on Sept. 17 and Oct. 26, named to its Team of the Week
-Milgate earned ECAC Division III North Football Defensive Player of the Month for October
-Milgate also earned Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 21
 
 
AU Empire 8 Athletes of the Week honorees
•The Saxons have played nine games in 2019 and have placed a student-athlete on the Empire 8 Athlete of the Week slate in four of those weeks:
    -Week One        Leo Pamphile (Defensive: 10 tackles; five TFL; four sacks)
    -Week Four       Aaron Griffin (Offensive: 229 rushing yards; three rushing TDs)
    -Week Seven    Nick Milgate (Defensive: 11 tackles, 2.5 for loss, one Pass Breakup)
    -Week Eight     James Jones III (Special Teams: one blocked kick, one interception, four tackles)


AU D3Football.com Team of the Week honorees
•The Saxons have played nine games in 2019 and have placed a student-athlete on the D3Football.com Team of the Week on five occasions:
    -Week Two       Nick Milgate (13 tackles; 6.0 TFL; 2.0 sacks)
    -Week Four       Aaron Griffin (229 rushing yards; three rushing TDs)
    -Week Six          Raeqwon Greer (12 tackles; nine solo; two for loss)
    -Week Eight      Nick Milgate (15 tackles, six solo, two for loss, one sack, one forced fumble)
    -Week Ten        Raeqwon Greer (15 tackles, 12 solo, one for loss, one sack)