The football team suffered a heartbreaking 21-17 loss to 24th-ranked St. John Fisher College, falling to 4–3 overall and 2–3 in the Empire 8 Conference.
Bombers all but eliminated
With the loss, the Bombers are virtually eliminated from Empire 8 contention. They would need to win the next two games and hope 7th-ranked Salisbury University and Alfred University lose their remaining games. Interim Head Coach Mark McDonough acknowledged that the Bombers will be looking to play the spoiler against the undefeated Sea Gulls next Saturday at Butterfield Stadium.
Missed field goals prove costly … again
The math is simple, yet gut-wrenching. The Bombers lost by four, and sophomore kicker Garret Nicholson missed two field goals from 42 and 33 yards respectively. The field goals would have given the Bombers six points and possibly the win. It is the second straight year that missed field goals would lead to a Bomber defeat against 24th-ranked St. John Fisher. Last year, Andrew Rogowski ’11 had two field goals blocked in the Blue and Gold’s 13-10 loss to Fisher.
Running backs run wild
It was expected that the winner of this game would be the team that enjoyed more success running the football, and both teams had success in that area. The Cardinals were just more successful. Five different Cardinals carried the ball, led by junior running back Cody Miller, who ran for 208 yards on 28 carries and three touchdowns. His 36-yard run on fourth and one with 4:11 left in the game proved to be the difference.
High-flying Sea Gulls
As mentioned earlier, the 7th-ranked Salisbury Sea Gulls remained undefeated with a 24-21 win against Alfred. The Sea Gulls made it harder for themselves as they committed two turnovers in the fourth quarter, allowing the Saxons to score two touchdowns and cut the lead to three with more than five minutes remaining. The Saxons were unable to get the ball back as the Sea Gulls rushed for three first downs to end the game. The Sea Gulls will clinch the Empire 8 with a win at Ithaca and an Alfred loss at Utica College.
