The loss drops the hosts to 2-3 overall, 1-3 in conference play, while Fisher moves to 2-3 overall, 2-2 in Empire 8 action.
Morrisville State outgained the Cardinals 491 to 443 yards total offense on the day, 364 through the
air as Cory Benedetto (Rochester, N.Y.) completed 17 of 32 passes for 298 yards and two touchdown scores.
Cristina Pena (Ridgewood, N.Y.) added 66 yards and a touchdown to the passing game, adding another 75 net yards on the ground on 20 attempts, and a score.
Anthony Mella (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Marcus Jackson-Conner (Sodus, N.Y.) each posted 100+ receiving yards, Mella leading the way with a collegiate best 192 on five receptions for two touchdown scores. Jackson-Conner added 105 yards on five catches for the third receiving score.
Defensively, Caleb Wright (Cortland, N.Y.) led the Mustang efforts, posting a team best 13 tackles that included eight solo stops, while adding a fumble recovery to his tallies on the day. Marvin Burgess (Bronx, N.Y.) and Delroy Young (Binghamton, N.Y.) each added a double figure effort, registering 11 apiece. Burgess also forced and recovered a fumble, while Young posted a sack for a loss of 11 yards.
St. John Fisher collected a majority of their offensive game through the passing game as Naton registered 26 completions on 45 attempts for four touchdown scores and 372 yards.
Nearly half of the pass attempts went to wide out Bobby Campese who recorded 10 catches for 194 yards and two touchdown scores. Nigolian added five receptions for 69 yards, and the game winning touchdown.
Tony Fusco collected 75 yards for Fisher in the running game as the visitors gained a net 71 on the day.
Brandon Miller and Brandon Fuentes each notched double figures in tackles for the Cardinals, recording 11 and 10, respectively.
The contest proved to be an offensive shoot out from the get-go, as there were four scores alone in the first quarter, each registering under a minutes time in possession.
Morrisville State was able to get on the board first just over four minutes into the contest as Benedetto connected with Jackson-Conner who made the one-handed grab and raced down the Fisher sideline 85-yards for the score and early 6-0 Mustang lead.
In less than a minute, Naton hit Campese on the bubble screen who danced along the Fisher sideline, missing three tackles, to find the end zone 45 seconds later for the 7-6 Cardinal lead.
Again in less than a minutes time, Pena, out of the wildcat formation, hit a wide open Mella in stride in the center of the field for a 66-yard scoring pass play, regaining the lead for the Mustangs 13-7 with 9:33 to go in the first.
Morrisville State added another score less than two minutes later, as Benedetto found Mella wide open along the Cardinal sideline on a 74-yard scoring pass play to give the hosts the 13 point lead. Mella for the second time on the day, had the secondary beat by nearly five yards.
Fisher posted two straight tallies in the second quarter, the first a five-yard pass from Naton to Oliver Mold at the 13:01 mark, and a second Naton to Campese connection at the 9:46 mark to regain the lead for Fisher midway through the quarter.
Morrisville State regained the lead with 1:20 to go before the half as senior Jesse Astudillo (Wheeling, Ill.) hit a 30-yard field goal to give the Mustangs the 23-21 advantage at the break.
The lone score of the third quarter came early on as Fusco carried the ball up center for the one-yard running score, regaining the advantage for Fisher 28-23.
The final quarter proved to be the most thrilling as Morrisville State regained the one-point advantage, 29-28, on an eight-yard run by Pena up center to complete the seven-play, 44-yard drive with 11:14 to go in the fourth.
After Morrisville State's defense forced a three-and-out the Mustangs regained possession with under four minutes to go. After three minutes of play, Fisher forced the Mustangs to punt the ball away with under a minute to go in the contest.
Within seconds the visitors moved the ball downfield, as Naton connected with Nigolian on four straight plays, including two that were fingertip grabs, before hitting him again on a slant over center with 10.7 ticks remaining for the game winning touchdown score.
Morrisville State returns to the field next Saturday, traveling to Hartwick College.
Morrisville State College's curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges 2016 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2016 Best Colleges rankings. For more information about Morrisville State College, visit www.morrisville.edu.
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