Football | 9/21/2024 7:00:00 PM
PITTSFORD, NY — Senior wide receiver Jaylen Brantley set a program record for single-game receiving yards as the St. John Fisher University football team's offense erupted in a 42-40 victory over Keystone College at Growney Stadium on Saturday.
The Cardinals, coming off an early season bye week, improved to 1-1 overall in beating Keystone for the second straight year. Keystone dropped to 1-2.
In sync with sophomore quarterback Ryan Whitney from the start, Brantley caught six passes for 249 yards and had touchdowns of 81 and 91 yards. His 91-yard score, which got the Cardinals on the board in the second quarter, was one of the longest plays from scrimmage in program history. Jimmy Smith's 97-yarder in 2007 is Fisher's longest receiving touchdown.
"My boy (Ryan) Whitney gave me a look," Brantley said of the 91-yard score. "We saw the coverage (before the play) and gave each other a look. He threw a bomb and I just had to finish it.
"It feels great to get a win. We had the whole team come together as one. Everyone doing their part made it way easier."
The Cardinals finished with 618 yards of offense, with 279 on the ground and 339 through the air. Senior running back Peyton Nolan, a 2023 All-Empire 8 pick, rushed for 148 yards and a score on 21 attempts in his season debut.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
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Keystone found the end zone twice in the opening quarter. Quarterback Donald Leach found receiver Jayson Nami for a 58-yard touchdown, and running back Mujaheed Muhamm rushed for a 20-yard score.
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The Cardinals started chipping away at their 13-0 deficit in the second when Whitney found Brantley for a 91-yard touchdown on 3rd-and-4 from the St. John Fisher 4-yard line.
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Minutes later, sophomore safety Timothy Vanderbrink snagged his first career interception and returned it 43 yards for a score. Senior kicker Kyle Farewell gave Fisher a 14-13 lead with the extra point.
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The Cardinals fell behind again later in the second quarter when Leach and Brown connected for another touchdown — that one a 9-yard strike — to put Keystone ahead again.
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Leach found Jorden Cook for a 23-yard score about two minutes later to extend Keystone's lead. The Cardinals trailed 27-14 at halftime.
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The Cardinals struck back again on their first drive in the third quarter, as junior running back Camden Chance capped a six-play, 91-yard drive with a 48-yard touchdown, the first of his career.
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Keystone appeared primed to respond on the subsequent drive but stalled deep inside Fisher territory. Senior linebacker Joe Miscia made two key tackles, including one on 4th-and-2 from the 8-yard line, to get Fisher's defense off the field.
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Three plays later, Whitney and Brantley carved through Keystone's secondary again on a pass up the seam for an 81-yard touchdown. Fisher went ahead 28-27 with Farewell's point-after attempt.
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After a Giants defender ran into Farewell on a punt early in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals decided to go for it on 4th-and-1 from the Keystone 42-yard line. Chance gained two yards to extend Fisher's drive and found the end zone again three plays later. He churned his way through Keystone defenders and received a push from his offensive line on the 4-yard score.
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A minute later, Muhamm ripped off a 62-yard score to bring the Giants within two (35-33). The Cardinals' defense held strong on Keystone's two-point attempt to maintain the lead.
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Nolan essentially put the game away with a 38-yard touchdown run with just more than six minutes remaining. The Cardinals led by nine, 42-33, after Farewell's sixth successful point-after attempt of the game.
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Leach and Brown connected for their third touchdown – that one a 42-yarder – in the final minute of the quarter. The Cardinals recovered Keystone's onside kick attempt to secure the 42-40 victory.
NOTABLES
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Whitney set career highs in passing yards (339), passing touchdowns (2), pass completions (16) and completion percentage (61.5).
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Whitney became the first Fisher quarterback to throw for more than 300 yards since Hunter Walsh threw for 324 in a 31-28 win over Alfred in November 2019.
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Whitney's 339 yards marked the most by a Fisher quarterback since Walsh threw for 397 in a loss to Cortland in October 2019.
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Nolan recorded his sixth career 100-yard rushing game.
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Fisher's 279 yards rushing were its most in a game since it amassed 348 yards in a win over Hartwick last October.
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Since the beginning of last season, Fisher has rushed for over 200 yards in five games.
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Fisher's defense forced two turnovers in the contest. Vanderbrink and linebacker JaQuan Davis recorded their first career interceptions.
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Vanderbrink also led the Cardinals with a career-high 10 tackles.
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Defensive lineman Zach Dreisbach had nine tackles, including 1.5 for a loss of yards.
UP NEXT
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Fisher faces Wilkes University next Saturday, Sept. 28, at noon in Wilkes Barre, Pa.
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The Cardinals beat Wilkes 29-20 last season at Growney Stadium.
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Next week's contest will mark the second meeting between the programs.
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