ALFRED, NY – The Alfred University Saxons (4-3, Empire 3-2) will travel to Oneonta, NY to take on the Hawks of Hartwick College on Saturday, October 27 in an Empire 8 showdown.
 
DATE – TIME:  November 10, 2018 – 12 PM
LOCATION: Rochester, NY – Fauver Stadium
LINKS: Video | Live Stats | Game Notes (PDF)
TICKET PRICES: Inquire with University of Rochester at (585) 275-4301

Series History 

This is the 47th meeting between the Saxons and the YellowJackets dating back to 1887. The University of Rochester is the first collegiate team AU played that is still around today (AU played Geneseo in 1896 but Geneseo ended the football program in the early 1900's).

The Saxons dominated the YellowJackets in 2017 to a 45-7 victory during Homecoming. Maleke Fuentes '18 rushed for 185 yards and two touchdowns while Nas Smith rushed for 138 yards and a TD on the day. Aaron Griffin found paydirt twice on 60 yards rushing. Quarterback Bryce Morrison threw for 85 yards on 8-of-15 (53.3%) passing and one touchdown.

Defensively, the Saxons were led by A.J. LiCata '18 with 13 tackles while Raeaqwon Greer and Cole Reed tallied nine and eight tackles, respectively. Greer and Kyle Moore had a forced fumble each. Nick Milgate had one interception.

The Saxons opened the game with 28 unanswered points on three rushing touchdowns and a touchdown reception by Jayden Gavidia. The YellowJackets finally got on the board in the third quarter when Matt Gallagher found Daniel DiLoreto from six yards out. Down the stretch Trevor Monk '18 tacked on three points from a 26-yard field goal while Griffin and Fuentes scored on the ground.

Last Game Out for the Saxons
AU is coming off a disappointing 28-14 loss to St. John Fisher College in Empire 8 play. Had the Saxons won the game (with the Cortland loss) they would have finished the season in second place and earned a berth to the New York State Bowl game. However, following the loss, Cortland clinched the berth for the second consecutive year.

The Saxons opened the game strong, forcing a fumble on the SJFC 17-yard line that was recovered by Nick Milgate. One play later, Nas Smith was scampering into the end zone to give AU the lead.

AU's next drive was thwarted inside their own red zone before it could get started. An errant punt went out-of-bounds at the Saxons' 15-yard line, giving SJFC favorable field position. Three plays later, the Cardinals were celebrating their first touchdown of the day.

SJFC took the lead 14-7 in the second quarter when DeMarre Nelson returned a pick-six from 25 yards out. Only minutes later, the Cardinal defense earned another interception that the offense converted into points, taking the lead 21-7 to the halftime break.

Just like the first half, the Saxons opened the second on a high note when Raeqwon Greer picked off his fifth pass of the season. The Saxons scored only minutes later on an Aaron Griffin run from six yards out.

Two drives later, just as it happened in the first, the Saxons were pinned back in their own end zone and an errant punt put the Cardinals back on the AU 15-yard line. One play later, SJFC increased the lead to 28-14, where the game would remain to the final horn.

Smith and Griffin ran for 79 and 66 yards, respectively, while scoring a TD, each. Cole Reed finished the game with a team-high 14 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss. Leo Pamphile and Nick Milgate chipped in with sevens tackles each.

1,000 Yard Rushing Watch!
Nas Smith currenlty 894 yards rushing in 2018. Therefore, if he rushed for 106 or more yards in this game, he will break 1,000 yards rushing for the first time in his career.