UAlbany Captures Second Straight Northeast Conference Football Championship in 30-11 Win

Football UAlbany Sports Information

UAlbany Captures Second Straight Northeast Conference Football Championship in 30-11 Win

Albany, N.Y. ? David McCarty rushed for 104 yards and one touchdown and Tim Bush caught a pair of scoring passes, as UAlbany won its second consecutive Northeast Conference championship with a 30-11 victory over Wagner on Saturday, Nov. 15 at University Field.  UAlbany (8-3, NEC 7-0) became the second team in league history to go undefeated against conference opposition in back-to-back seasons.

The Great Danes, who have earned a Gridiron Class berth against the Pioneer League champion on Dec. 6, led 9-5 in the second quarter, but then ripped off 21 unanswered points to take control.  In a penalty-filled game, UAlbany executed an 11-play, 91-yard scoring drive late in the period.  Quarterback Vinny Esposito hit fullback Chris Kenneally with a 30-yard pass to move across midfield, before delivering a pair throws to Bush to get into the red zone.  McCarty then busted through the left side and dragged a couple of tacklers across the goal line on an 11-yard run with 1:16 left before halftime.  The junior tailback set the program's career and single-season rushing records on the touchdown blast.

            The two teams traded punts in the early part of the third quarter until Wagner (3-8, NEC 1-6) advanced near midfield.  But quarterback Matt Abbey was picked off in the left flat by cornerback Daniel Avery and the redshirt freshman raced up the sideline on a 56-yard touchdown return.  The Great Danes pushed out to a 30-5 lead with 12:49 remaining in the final period.  Esposito, who completed 15 of 25 passes for 197 yards, hooked up with Bush on a 27-yard touchdown strike.  Bush hauled in a career-high 10 passes for 141 yards in the contest.

            “It is hard to beat anybody,” said UAlbany coach Bob Ford, whose team won its fourth NEC title and third conference crown outright.  “We have all seen favorites get upset and we have all seen good football teams lose. It is hard to beat anybody, it is hard to go undefeated, and it is hard to go undefeated two years in a row when you are picked to win the championship.”

 In the second quarter, the Great Danes snapped a 3-3 deadlock with a short drive that was set up by Justin Gannon's 32-yard kickoff return.  After two runs by McCarty, Esposito connected with Bush on a 35-yard post pattern for a touchdown.  But the extra point attempt was blocked by linebacker Jason Haskins and defensive back Jorel Joseph returned the loose ball 82 yards for a defensive two-point conversion.

The Seahawks, who were held to 154 total yards, scored with three minutes remaining in the final stanza when reserve quarterback Tyler Newberry tossed a 2-yard pass to tight end Morgan Mizell.  Wagner's three quarterbacks combined for 11-of-37 through the air and were intercepted three times.

            “When we (the seniors) first came in we realized how much work it takes (to win a championship), said defensive tackle Tom Pandolf, who had four tackles and helped limit Wagner to 85 net yards on the ground.  “You wouldn't want to go out any other way.  We just tried to treat each game like a championship.”

            UAlbany's defense kept its fifth consecutive opponent under 300 total yards in a sparkling effort.  Freshman tailback Prince Young managed just 65 rushing yards on 17 carries.  Linebacker Chris Simpson and defensive end Eddie Delaney each had a team-high seven tackles, as their squad tied the program's Division I FCS record for single-season wins and extended its winning streak to seven in a row, tying another FCS mark.

            McCarty shattered five school records on the day, including the single-season mark for 100-yard rushing games with 10 and the career standard with 18.  ““It feels great,” he said. “This is something to be proud of, but we still have another game to play. It shows what kind of offensive line you have. I tell them every day that they do a heckuva of a job. All of the guys on the perimeter do a great job. I praise the whole offense.”

 

Championship Notes:  UAlbany won its fourth Northeast Conference championship (2002, 2003, 2007, 2008) ... the Great Danes extended their NEC winning streak to 13 consecutive games, the longest active Division I FCS conference streak ... UAlbany became the first NEC team since Robert Morris (1999 & 2000) to go undefeated in back-to-back seasons against conference opponents ... Dayton and Jacksonville will play for the Pioneer Football League crown and a Gridiron Classic berth on Nov. 22 ... the Great Danes, who host the Gridrion Classic on Dec. 6, will make their second consecutive appearance in the exempted postseason game ... TB David McCarty eclipsed Gary Jones' career rushing mark and upped his total to 3,082 yards ...

UAlbany 30, Wagner 11 (Nov 15, 2008)

 

Scoring Summary

 
Scoring Summary (Final)
2008 UAlbany Football
Wagner vs Albany (Nov 15, 2008 at Albany, N.Y.)

Wagner (3-8,1-6) vs. Albany (8-3,7-0)

Date: Nov 15, 2008 ? Site: Albany, N.Y.  ? Stadium: University Field  ?  Attendance: 2317

Score by Quarters  Score 
Wagner   0  5  0  6  11 
Albany   3  13  7  7  30 

SCORING SUMMARY   WAGNER -ALBANY  
1st  04:20  ALBANY   Herb Glass 49 yd field goal 
         5 plays, 30 yards, TOP 1:23  0 - 3 
2nd  14:57  WAGNER   ORTIZ, Eric 31 yd field goal 
         7 plays, 38 yards, TOP 4:23  3 - 3 
  13:26  ALBANY   Tim Bush 35 yd pass from Vinny Esposito (Herb Glass kick blockd) 
         3 plays, 56 yards, TOP 1:31  3 - 9 
  13:26  WAGNER   JOSEPH, Jorel PAT return 
           5 - 9 
  01:16  ALBANY   David McCarty 11 yd run (Herb Glass kick) 
         11 plays, 91 yards, TOP 4:23  5 - 16 
3rd  08:43  ALBANY   Daniel Avery 56 yd interception return (Herb Glass kick) 
           5 - 23 
4th  12:49  ALBANY   Tim Bush 27 yd pass from Vinny Esposito (Herb Glass kick) 
         4 plays, 42 yards, TOP 2:11  5 - 30 
  03:00  WAGNER   MIZELL, Morgan 2 yd pass from NEWBERRY, Tyler (NEWBERRY, Tyler rush failed) 
         5 plays, 2 yards, TOP 2:12  11 - 30 

Kickoff time: 1:00 pm  ? End of Game: 3:55 pm  ? Total elapsed time: 1:55
Referee: John Gerbino  ?  Umpire: Tony Donato  ?  Linesman: A. Ciccaglione  ?  Line judge: Daniel Bush  ?  Back judge: Melvin Riddick  ?  Field judge: Matt Brewer  ?  Side judge: Ron Reidinger  ?  Scorer: Matthew Chmura  ? 
Temperature: 61  ? Wind: SSE13mph ? Weather: Cloudy, rain
 

Team Statistics

 
Team Statistics (Final)
2008 UAlbany Football
Wagner vs Albany (Nov 15, 2008 at Albany, N.Y.)

 Team Totals  WAGNER  ALBANY 
FIRST DOWNS  11  15 
   Rushing 
   Passing 
   Penalty 
NET YARDS RUSHING  85  114 
   Rushing Attempts  32  40 
   Average Per Rush  2.7  2.8 
   Rushing Touchdowns 
   Yards Gained Rushing  106  148 
   Yards Lost Rushing  21  34 
NET YARDS PASSING  69  197 
   Completions-Attempts-Int  11-37-3  15-26-0 
   Average Per Attempt  1.9  7.6 
   Average Per Completion  6.3  13.1 
   Passing Touchdowns 
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS  154  311 
   Total offense plays  69  66 
   Average Gain Per Play  2.2  4.7 
Fumbles: Number-Lost  0-0  1-1 
Penalties: Number-Yards  8-63  13-141 
PUNTS-YARDS  9-364  8-330 
   Average Yards Per Punt  40.4  41.2 
   Net Yards Per Punt  39.4  37.0 
   Inside 20 
   50+ Yards 
   Touchbacks 
   Fair catch 
KICKOFFS-YARDS  3-99  6-330 
   Average Yards Per Kickoff  33.0  55.0 
   Net Yards Per Kickoff  20.3  40.7 
   Touchbacks 
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD  2-14-0  4-9-0 
   Average Per Return  7.0  2.2 
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD  4-66-0  2-38-0 
   Average Per Return  16.5  19.0 
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD  0-0-0  3-57-1 
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD  0-0-0  0-0-0 
Miscellaneous Yards 
Possession Time  33:16  23:44 
   1st Quarter  10:23  4:37 
   2nd Quarter  7:03  7:57 
   3rd Quarter  8:47  6:13 
   4th Quarter  7:03  4:57 
Third-Down Conversions  3 of 17  3 of 15 
Fourth-Down Conversions  1 of 4  1 of 2 
Red-Zone Scores-Chances  2-3  1-1 
Sacks By: Number-Yards  0-0  1-15 
PAT Kicks  0-0  3-4 
Field Goals  1-1  1-1 
 

Individual Statistics

 
Individual Statistics (Final)
2008 UAlbany Football
Wagner vs Albany (Nov 15, 2008 at Albany, N.Y.)

Wagner
  
Albany
RUSHING  No.  Gain  Loss  Net  TD  Lg  Avg. 
YOUNG, Prince   17  67  65  10  3.8 
NEWBERRY, Tyler  26  26  11  6.5 
MIDDLETON, Ryan  11  1.1 
TEAM   -2  -2.0 
ABBEY, Matt   15  -13  -6.5 
Totals...  32  106  21  85  11  2.7 
  
  
RUSHING  No.  Gain  Loss  Net  TD  Lg  Avg. 
David McCarty   28  106  104  11  3.7 
Colin Simmons   29  29  12  7.2 
Frank Blasinsky  12  12  6.0 
Justin Gannon   0.3 
Justin Petersen  0.0 
TM  32  -32  -16.0 
Totals...  40  148  34  114  12  2.8 
 
PASSING  Cmp-Att-Int  Yds  TD  Long  Sack 
NEWBERRY, Tyler  7-18-0  46  13 
FARNSWORTH, A.   2-12-2  15  12 
ABBEY, Matt   2-7-1 
Totals...  11-37-3  69  13 
  
PASSING  Cmp-Att-Int  Yds  TD  Long  Sack 
Vinny Esposito   15-25-0  197  35 
Frank Blasinsky  0-1-0 
Totals...  15-26-0  197  35 
  
 
RECEIVING  No.  Yds  TD  Lg 
WOODS, Lon   29  12 
O'REILLY, Sean   15  12 
MIDDLETON, Ryan  14  13 
COLLINS, Tyrone 
MIZELL, Morgan  
Totals...  11  69  13 
  
RECEIVING  No.  Yds  TD  Lg 
Tim Bush   10  141  35 
Chris Kenneally  43  30 
Jason Poore  
Dan Archer  
Totals...  15  197  35 
  
 
PUNTING  No.  Yds  Avg  Long  In20  TB 
MUIR, Kyle   364  40.4  66 
Totals...  364  40.4  66 
  
PUNTING  No.  Yds  Avg  Long  In20  TB 
Chris Lynch   330  41.2  75 
Totals...  330  41.2  75 
 
   Punts  Kickoffs  Intercept 
ALL RETURNS  No  Yds  Lg  No  Yds  Lg  No  Yds  Lg 
O'REILLY, Sean   14  19 
COLLINS, Tyrone 
KINZEL, John  
PLACIDE, Frantz  57  47 
Totals...  14  19  66  47 
  
  
   Punts  Kickoffs  Intercept 
ALL RETURNS  No  Yds  Lg  No  Yds  Lg  No  Yds  Lg 
Daniel Bocanegra  16  15 
Daniel Avery   56  56 
Emerson Kinsey  
Dave Casale  
Justin Gannon   -7  32  32 
Totals...  15  38  32  57  56 
 
ALL PURPOSE  Rush  Rcv  KR  PR  IR  Total 
YOUNG, Prince   65  65 
PLACIDE, Frantz  57  57 
O'REILLY, Sean   15  14  29 
WOODS, Lon   29  29 
NEWBERRY, Tyler  26  26 
MIDDLETON, Ryan  14  23 
COLLINS, Tyrone  12 
KINZEL, John  
MIZELL, Morgan  
TEAM   -2  -2 
ABBEY, Matt   -13  -13 
Totals...  85  69  66  14  234 
  
  
ALL PURPOSE  Rush  Rcv  KR  PR  IR  Total 
Tim Bush   141  141 
David McCarty   104  104 
Daniel Avery   56  56 
Chris Kenneally  43  43 
Colin Simmons   29  29 
Justin Gannon   32  -7  26 
Daniel Bocanegra  16  22 
Frank Blasinsky  12  12 
Jason Poore  
Dan Archer  
Emerson Kinsey  
TM  -32  -32 
Totals...  114  197  38  57  415 
 
FIELD GOAL ATTEMPTS 
ORTIZ, Eric  2nd  14:57  31 yards  Good 
  
FIELD GOAL ATTEMPTS 
Herb Glass  1st  04:20  49 yards  Good 
 
KICKOFFS  No.  Yds  TB  OB  Avg. 
ORTIZ, Eric   99  33.0 
  
KICKOFFS  No.  Yds  TB  OB  Avg. 
Herb Glass   330  55.0 
 
FUMBLES: Wagner-None. Albany-Justin Gannon 1-1.
 

Box Score

 
Box Score (Final)
Wagner vs Albany (Nov 15, 2008 at Albany, N.Y.)

Score by Quarters     1  2  3  4   Score
-----------------    -- -- -- --   -----
Wagner..............  0  5  0  6  - 11       Record: (3-8,1-6)
Albany..............  3 13  7  7  - 30       Record: (8-3,7-0)



Scoring Summary:
1st 04:20 ALBANY - Herb Glass 49 yd field goal, 5-30 1:23, WAGNER 0 - ALBANY 3
2nd 14:57 WAGNER - ORTIZ, Eric 31 yd field goal, 7-38 4:23, WAGNER 3 - ALBANY 3
    13:26 ALBANY - Tim Bush 35 yd pass from Vinny Esposito (Herb Glass kick blockd), 3-56 1:31, WAGNER 3 - ALBANY 9
    13:26 WAGNER - JOSEPH, Jorel PAT return, , WAGNER 5 - ALBANY 9
    01:16 ALBANY - David McCarty 11 yd run (Herb Glass kick), 11-91 4:23, WAGNER 5 - ALBANY 16
3rd 08:43 ALBANY - Daniel Avery 56 yd interception return (Herb Glass kick), , WAGNER 5 - ALBANY 23
4th 12:49 ALBANY - Tim Bush 27 yd pass from Vinny Esposito (Herb Glass kick), 4-42 2:11, WAGNER 5 - ALBANY 30
    03:00 WAGNER - MIZELL, Morgan 2 yd pass from NEWBERRY, Tyler (NEWBERRY, Tyler rush failed), 5-2 2:12, WAGNER 11 - ALBANY 30



                                 WAGNER   ALBANY
FIRST DOWNS...................       11       15
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............    32-85   40-114
PASSING YDS (NET).............       69      197
Passes Att-Comp-Int...........  37-11-3  26-15-0
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS.....   69-154   66-311
Fumble Returns-Yards..........      0-0      0-0
Punt Returns-Yards............     2-14      4-9
Kickoff Returns-Yards.........     4-66     2-38
Interception Returns-Yards....      0-0     3-57
Punts (Number-Avg)............   9-40.4   8-41.2
Fumbles-Lost..................      0-0      1-1
Penalties-Yards...............     8-63   13-141
Possession Time...............    33:16    23:44
Third-Down Conversions........  3 of 17  3 of 15
Fourth-Down Conversions.......   1 of 4   1 of 2
Red-Zone Scores-Chances.......      2-3      1-1
Sacks By: Number-Yards........      0-0     1-15


RUSHING: Wagner-YOUNG, Prince 17-65; NEWBERRY, Tyler 4-26; MIDDLETON,
Ryan 8-9; TEAM 1-minus 2; ABBEY, Matt 2-minus 13. Albany-David McCarty 28-104;
Colin Simmons 4-29; Frank Blasinsky 2-12; Justin Gannon 3-1; Justin Petersen
1-0; TM 2-minus 32.

PASSING: Wagner-NEWBERRY, Tyler 7-18-0-46; FARNSWORTH, A. 2-12-2-15;
ABBEY, Matt 2-7-1-8. Albany-Vinny Esposito 15-25-0-197; Frank Blasinsky 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING: Wagner-WOODS, Lon 4-29; O'REILLY, Sean 2-15; MIDDLETON, Ryan
2-14; COLLINS, Tyrone 2-9; MIZELL, Morgan 1-2. Albany-Tim Bush 10-141; Chris
Kenneally 3-43; Jason Poore 1-7; Dan Archer 1-6.

INTERCEPTIONS: Wagner-None. Albany-Daniel Avery 1-56; Emerson Kinsey 1-1;
Dave Casale 1-0.

FUMBLES: Wagner-None. Albany-Justin Gannon 1-1.

Stadium: University Field      Attendance: 2317
Kickoff time: 1:00 pm   End of Game: 3:55 pm   Total elapsed time: 1:55
Officials: Referee: John Gerbino; Umpire: Tony Donato; Linesman: A. Ciccaglione;
Line judge: Daniel Bush; Back judge: Melvin Riddick; Field judge: Matt Brewer;
Side judge: Ron Reidinger; Scorer: Matthew Chmura;
Temperature: 61        Wind: SSE13mph  Weather: Cloudy, rain



Wagner vs Albany (Nov 15, 2008 at Albany, N.Y.) SACKS (UA-A): Wagner-None. Albany-Eddie Delaney 1-0. TACKLES (UA-A): Wagner-HASKINS, Jason 4-8; OGUNLANA, O. 4-5; GAGE, Stefen 4-4; PENTZ, Ryan 4-3; JAEGER, Chris 3-4; JOSEPH, Jorel 4-2; PLACIDE, Frantz 3-1; HARKINS, Joseph 0-4; SPINKS, Jeremy 0-4; BROWN, Robert 1-2; STANFORD, J. 1-2; DILORENZO, Greg 1-1; ISSAKA, Adams 0-2; ABDUL, Patrick 0-2; ADDERLEY, A. 0-2; DOWLING, Dallas 1-0; JOHNSON, Ken 1-0; CRITCHLEY, Mike 0-1; MCKILLOP, J. 0-1. Albany-Chris Simpson 4-3; Eddie Delaney 2-5; Tom Pandolf 3-1; Ross Bertrand 2-2; Dave West 3-0; Mark Peretore 2-1; Emerson Kinsey 2-1; Kareem Cooper 2-0; Mike Kelly 2-0; Raymond Dorcely 2-0; Chris Blais 2-0; Dave Casale 2-0; Chris Wilk 1-1; Trevor Anderson 1-1; Rich Duff 0-2; Erasto Nova 1-0; Nick Krajacic 1-0; Jeff Benway 1-0; Vinny Esposito 1-0; L.B. McCloskey 1-0; Kyle Hussey 0-1. Game Starters: Wagner POS ## OFFENSE TE 83 MIZELL, Morgan LT 67 FERIOZZI, Joe LG 97 HERNANDEZ, K. C 75 GREEN, C. RG 63 GONZALEZ, Chazz RT 77 ANDERSON, Q. TE 47 ZAGORSKI, Peter WR 88 CRAWFORD, David WR 2 WOODS, Lon QB 7 FARNSWORTH, A. RB 22 YOUNG, Prince POS ## DEFENSE DE 91 BROWN, Robert DT 90 HARKINS, Joseph DT 99 ADDERLEY, A. DE 92 ABDUL, Patrick MLB 43 HASKINS, Jason OLB 44 SPINKS, Jeremy LB 9 JAEGER, Chris CB 20 JOSEPH, Jorel S 3 PLACIDE, Frantz CB 19 PENTZ, Ryan S 12 GAGE, Stefen Albany POS ## OFFENSE TE 89 Dan Archer LT 74 Raphael Nguti LG 78 Andrew Stevens C 75 Kevin Richards RG 72 Nik Schultz RT 76 Jon Leible WR 1 Tim Bush WR 85 Jason Poore QB 7 Vinny Esposito FB 46 Justin Petersen TB 3 David McCarty POS ## DEFENSE DE 96 Eddie Delaney DT 94 Tom Pandolf DE 90 Mike Kelly OLB 28 Emerson Kinsey ILB 51 Chris Simpson ILB 24 Mark Peretore DT 91 Trevor Anderson CB 18 Ross Bertrand S 22 Dave West FS 31 Dave Casale CB 5 L.B. McCloskey Player participation: Wagner: 1-COLLINS, Tyrone, 4-ABBEY, Matt, 5-JOHNSON, Ken, 6-TRUEBLOOD, Kyle, 10-DOWLING, Dallas, 11-O'REILLY, Sean, 15-DILORENZO, Greg, 18-NEWBERRY, Tyler, 25-OGUNLANA, O., 26-MIDDLETON, Ryan, 27-PADA, Mikah, 32-CRITCHLEY, Mike, 34-ZIEGLER, Adam, 35-HEANEY, Keith, 36-BROWN, Jeremiah, 39-MUIR, Kyle, 41-LINEHAN, Nick, 45-SMITHMAN, Erik, 55-MCKILLOP, J., 65-BROWN, Tyrone, 66-KINZEL, John, 71-JOHNSON, Zach, 79-ISSAKA, Adams, 81-MATTHEWS, J., 86-CHIRCHIRILLO, J, 89-SCHARF-GARCIA, 95-STANFORD, J., 96-ORTIZ, Eric, 98-JOHNSON, Joe. Albany: 2-Jean Juste, 4-Chris Lynch, 8-Devin Wooten, 9-Frank Blasinsky, 11-D. Bocanegra, 12-Dan Di Lella, 13-Herb Glass, 19-Daniel Avery, 20-Colin Simmons, 25-Chris Kenneally, 26-Justin Gannon, 27-Jeff Benway, 29-Erasto Nova, 30-Chris Blais, 32-George Williams, 37-Kareem Cooper, 41-Alfred Pryor, 43-Raymond Dorcely, 50-Rich Duff, 53-Nick Krajacic, 55-Kyle O'Keefe, 57-Chris Wilk, 61-Chaz Mitchell, 62-Andy Sparano, 64-Vince Gonzales, 66-Matt Faughnan, 71-Keith Peifer, 80-Luke Weaver, 87-John Lullen, 93-Kyle Hussey, 95-Zach Gallo, 99-Wil Moushey.

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Players Mentioned

Trevor Anderson

#91 Trevor Anderson

DT
6' 2"
Sophomore
Dan Archer

#89 Dan Archer

TE
6' 3"
Senior
Daniel Avery

#19 Daniel Avery

CB
5' 9"
Redshirt Freshman
Jeff Benway

#27 Jeff Benway

FS
5' 11"
Redshirt Freshman
Ross Bertrand

#18 Ross Bertrand

CB
5' 11"
Sophomore
Chris Blais

#30 Chris Blais

OLB
6' 0"
Sophomore
Frank Blasinsky

#9 Frank Blasinsky

QB
6' 0"
Junior
Daniel Bocanegra

#11 Daniel Bocanegra

WR
6' 1"
Senior
Tim Bush

#1 Tim Bush

WR
5' 9"
Senior
Dave Casale

#31 Dave Casale

FS
6' 2"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Trevor Anderson

#91 Trevor Anderson

6' 2"
Sophomore
DT
Dan Archer

#89 Dan Archer

6' 3"
Senior
TE
Daniel Avery

#19 Daniel Avery

5' 9"
Redshirt Freshman
CB
Jeff Benway

#27 Jeff Benway

5' 11"
Redshirt Freshman
FS
Ross Bertrand

#18 Ross Bertrand

5' 11"
Sophomore
CB
Chris Blais

#30 Chris Blais

6' 0"
Sophomore
OLB
Frank Blasinsky

#9 Frank Blasinsky

6' 0"
Junior
QB
Daniel Bocanegra

#11 Daniel Bocanegra

6' 1"
Senior
WR
Tim Bush

#1 Tim Bush

5' 9"
Senior
WR
Dave Casale

#31 Dave Casale

6' 2"
Junior
FS