ALFRED, NY – Junior wide receiver Maleke Fuentes (Olean, NY/Olean) scored four touchdowns as the Alfred University football team hammered visiting Hartwick, 42-18, Saturday afternoon at Yunevich Stadium.

The AU defense held Hartwick's vaunted passing attack in check for most of the game. Hawk quarterback John Garcia, who had thrown for more than 2,100 yards in six games coming in, was held to 86 in the first two quarters as the Saxons took a 35-10 lead into the halftime break. Meanwhile, Alfred junior quarterback Tyler Johnson (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa) threw for 270 yards and a pair of touchdowns, with 255 yards coming in the first half.

Fuentes rushed for 46 yards and three touchdowns and caught four passes for 58 yards and a score as AU improved to 5-2 overall and 3-2 in Empire 8 play. Hartwick falls to 2-5 and 0-5 in conference games.

Hartwick looked good early, taking the opening kickoff and driving 70 yards in seven plays, with Tito Pichardo scoring on a seven-yard run 4:13 into the game. After an AU interception, the Hawks drove inside the Alfred 5-yard line but AU junior free safety Shyheim Wingate (Jamaica, NY/Holy Cross) forced a fumble and sophomore linebacker A.J. Licata (Lake View, NY/Frontier) recovered at the Saxon 6. Three plays later, on first-and-15 from the AU 28, Johnson passed to junior tight end Mike Brien (Victor, NY/Victor) and Brien rumbled 72 yards for the tying TD with 5:39 left in the opening frame.

Alfred scored on its next five possessions to take command of the game. The Saxons tallied a pair of second-quarter TDs, the first on a six-yard run by freshman tailback Stephen Almond (West Schuyler, NY/Whitesboro) 2:32 into the period that capped a 10-play 69-yard drive and the second on a six-yard Fuentes run that ended a six-play 43-yard drive midway through the second.

Hartwick's Korey Jubie booted a 22-yard field goal to make it 21-10, but AU answered with two touchdowns in the final two minutes to take a 35-10 lead into intermission. With 1:46 left in the half, Fuentes scored on a two-yard run as the Saxons drove 75 yards in nine plays. Hartwick went three-and-out on its ensuing possession, giving Alfred the ball at the Hawk 41-yard line after a short punt. Five plays later, Fuentes scored on a 15-yard pass from Johnson with 20 seconds left in the frame.

Alfred went up 42-10 on a 12-yard Fuentes run on the Saxons' opening possession of the second half before Hartwick closed out the scoring with a TD pass from Garcia to Ron Richards with 13:20 left in the final quarter.

Alfred amassed 440 yards of total offense. Johnson completed 13 of 24 passes for 270 yards and two scores. Junior tailback Casey Bright (Pulaski, NY/Pulaski), Johnson and Fuentes ran for 57, 48 and 46 yards, respectively, as the Saxons finished with 170 yards rushing.

Fuentes (58 yards) and freshman wide receiver Emile Frigon (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa) (47 yards) each had four catches. Bright (53 yards) and junior wide receiver Brendan Buisch (Hornell, NY/Hornell) (40 yards) each caught two passes.

Garcia finished with 283  yards on 19-of-40 passing, with 150 coming in the fourth quarter after the game was well in hand for the Saxons. Wideout Carl Holmes (Cuba, NY/Cuba-Rushford) caught five passes for 55 yards and wide receiver Brad Garcia had three catches for 76 yards. Pichardo finished with 69 yards rushing on nine carries.

Sophomore end Toby Hale (Swampscott, MA/Swampscott) had five tackles (3 ½ for loss) with 2½ sacks and a forced fumble to pace the Saxon defense. Senior linebacker Corry Wallace (Mastic Beach, NY/Longwood)  had a game-high 10 tackles (2 ½ for loss); Licata had eight tackles; and Wingate had six tackles, two pass breakups, a forced fumble and an interception.

Michael Servider and Ricky Geraldo each had aseven tackles for Hartwick, while Malik Wynter and Eugene Allen each had an interception.

Alfred is in action next on Saturday, Oct. 31, at 1 p.m. at E8 foe Brockport.