ALFRED, NY – Alfred University football players Tyler Johnson (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa) and Maleke Fuentes (Olean, NY/Olean) have earned weekly honors from the Empire 8 Conference.

Johnson, a senior quarterback, was named the conference's Offensive Player of the Week, while Fuentes, a junior tailback, was named Special Teams Player of the Week. Both were honored for their play in Saturday's 38-17 win over visiting St. John Fisher, which pushed the Saxons' record to 10-0 (8-0 Empire 8) and gave AU the Empire 8's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III championship tournament.

Johnson completed 11 of 17 passes for 222 yards and four touchdowns and ran 17 times for 67 yards and a score. His rushing TD was the 41^st of his career, which broke the school record of 40 he shared with Jesse Raynor (1999-2003).

Fuentes averaged 45.3 yards on four kick returns. His 90-yard return on the second half kickoff led to an AU touchdown, increasing the Saxons' halftime lead from 17-7 to 24-7. Fuentes also had returns of 31, 26 and 34 yards, and caught a 26-yard TD pass to open Alfred's scoring.

AU, ranked 14^th in the country, opens NCAA tournament play Saturday (Nov. 19) at home against Bridgewater (MA) State. Kickoff is at noon.