ST. JOHN FISHER GAME NOTES

ITHACA, N.Y. – After a 34-0 shutout victory over Morrisville State last weekend, the Ithaca College football team moved its record (4-3) above .500 on the season. Ithaca will look to build off its dominant defensive performance this Saturday as the Bombers travel to No. 24 St. John Fisher College at 1 p.m. at Growney Stadium.

Game Coverage:

Time Warner Cable will televise the game on channels 51, 323, 324 and 325.

Live Stats | Live Video | Radio

All-Time Series:
Ithaca and Fisher have split the 18 all-time meetings between the two schools dating back to 1998. Ithaca dominated the series early on as the Bombers won the first six meetings by an average of 28.8 points per game, including shutout victories of 44-0 (1999) and 52-0 (2001).

Since 2002, Fisher has claimed nine of the 12 meetings. The Cardinals handed Ithaca its first shutout loss last season, 34-0, for the first time since 2002 (21-0 setback to Brockport). Fisher won a stretch of seven consecutive contests from 2006-12, and scored more than 30 points in five of those games.

The conference foes have played to overtime twice in the series. In 2005, Ithaca earned a 41-35 victory, and in 2011, Fisher claimed the outing, 13-10.

Last Time Out:

The Bombers got back on the winning track last week with a 34-0 shutout of Morrisville State under sloppy field conditions at Butterfield Stadium. Nearly four straight days of rain turned the Butterfield natural grass surface into a mud pit, but Ithaca used that to its advantage to force five turnovers and hold an opponent scoreless for the first time since 2013.

Dominant Defense:

After surrendering season-highs in points (42) and yards (418) to Brockport on Oct. 15, the Bombers defense put together their best performance of the season against Morrisville.

Morrisville entered the game with an average of nearly 408 yards a game, but Ithaca held the Mustangs to 219 yards of offense in the contest. The Bombers picked off three passes and recovered two fumbles in the victory, to go along with five sacks.

Over the past three games, Ithaca is plus-six in turnover differential, compared to minus-four in the other four contests.

Zazzara Is On A Roll:

Junior JR Zazzara has proven himself to be the top receiving for the Bombers this season. Since the game at Hobart on Sept. 17, Zazzara has caught eight touchdown passes on 19 receptions for 412 yards. In each of the last three tilts, Zazzara has found the end zone twice in each game.

He has surpassed 100-plus yards in each of the past two games and is just three touchdowns shy of the single-season record of 11 at IC.

Schemm Takes One Back:

Junior Jordan Schemm brought back a 60-yard punt for a touchdown against Morrisville last week to cap off the 34-0 outcome. Schemm was named Empire 8 Conference Special Teams Player of the Week for that return and currently ranks second in the country in punt return average at 18.2 yards. He is also eighth in kick return average at 30.8.

Scouting the Cardinals:

Fisher enters Saturday's game with a 6-1 overall record and is ranked 24th nationally in the latest d3football.com top 25 poll. Fisher has spent most of the season in the top 25, but fell out after its 23-6 loss to Utica on Oct. 15. The Cardinals were ranked 13th at the time of that setback.

The Cardinals average 413.1 yards per game – 264.1 passing and 149.0 rushing. Fisher also puts up an average of 34.7 points per game, and have posted more than 42 points in three contests.

Quarterback Matt Naton has thrown for 1,350 yards and 13 touchdowns this season despite missing two games. Collin Fiutko stepped in nicely for the Cardinals when Naton was out and threw for 497 yards and five touchdowns on a 72-percent completion percentage.

Mike Collichio and William Coon have both eclipsed 500 receiving yards this season, while James Chambers has rushed for 385 yards.

Defensively, DJ Logory leads the way with 82 total tackles. The entire unit has racked up 18 sacks and 11 interceptions on the season.

Empire 8 Schedule:

Hartwick at Buffalo State - 11:15 a.m.
Ithaca at No. 24 St. John Fisher - 1 p.m.
Brockport at No. 15 Alfred - 1 p.m.
Morrisville at Cortland - 1 p.m.
OFF: Utica

Statistics:

Ithaca | St. John Fisher | Empire 8

Up Next:

Ithaca returns home on November 5 for a 1 p.m. kickoff against Buffalo State. Next Saturday's contest marks Family Weekend on South Hill, as well as Senior Day for 21 Bombers playing in their final home game at Butterfield Stadium.