Albany, N.Y. - David McCarty rushed for two touchdowns and Justin Gannon scored on a 78-yard punt return as UAlbany pounded out a 55-10 Northeast Conference victory over Duquesne before a homecoming crowd of 6,255 on Saturday, Oct. 10 at University Field. The Great Danes have won 16 straight against conference opponents, the nation's longest Division I FCS streak.
     The Great Danes put together a 28-point second quarter en route to a 41-7 halftime lead. Leading 13-0 in the second period, outside linebacker Jon Morgan picked up a fumble and sprinted 56 yards to paydirt. After the defense held the Dukes on fourth down at its own 17-yard line, UAlbany's offense came up with a quick strike. Quarterback Vinny Esposito found Tim Bush on a deep post and after hauling in the pass the senior wide receiver eluded a defender on a 81-yard scoring play.
     "We practice game-changing plays on Thursdays each week," said Morgan, a redshirt freshman who had four tackles. "We are trying to get turnovers (as defenders). I am not sure that deflated them, but our defense has been holding tight in the red zone."
     UAlbany (4-2, NEC 3-0) wrapped two scores around a Duquesne touchdown over the final minute of the second half. Esposito scrambled from the pocket on a 5-yard scoring run to finish off a drive that was aided by a personal foul penalty. The Dukes Jay Spinks hauled in a 12-yard touchdown pass with 15 seconds left in the period. But after recovering an onside kick, Duquesne quarterback Connor Dixon was picked off by safety Jake Ciccarello whose 26-yard return gave the Great Danes a final offensive play with one second left. Esposito lofted a 32-yard pass to the back of the end zone and wide receiver John Lullen came up with the touchdown catch to complete a bizarre ending to the period.
     UAlbany marched 80 yards in eight plays with the second-half kickoff for a 48-7 advantage. McCarty, a senior tailback, carried five times in the offensive series. He broke through the middle of the line and bounced off two tackles on a 23-yard touchdown run with 11:58 left in the quarter. McCarty left the game after that point with 145 rushing yards on 18 attempts.
     In the first quarter, McCarty, who reached the 100-yard mark for the fourth consecutive game, capped an 80-yard drive with a one-yard blast for a 6-0 lead after the extra-point was missed. His 33-yard scamper set up the game's first points. Esposito, who connected on 7 of 12 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns, keyed the scoring sequence with a 30-yard completion to tight end Paul Booker. Justin Gannon then electrified the home crowd with his punt return for a touchdown, the first by a Great Dane since 1998, as he broke several tackles on his way up the right sideline.
     "We knew they would be punting with the wind," explained Gannon, who racked up 119 all-purpose yards. "(Kareem) Cooper had a great block on their inside gunner. Everyone did their job. The special teams have stepped up this year and it's because those players on the unit have another year of experience."
     Dixon, a Michigan State transfer, completed 20 of 31 passes for 194 yards. Duquesne (2-4, NEC 1-2) added Eric Duale's 33-yard field goal midway through the third quarter. The Great Danes, who won their 11th consecutive home game, closed the out the scoring on quarterback Andrew Smith's 58-yard dash early in the final period.
     "We won the battle at the line scrimmage, ran the football, special teams came up with some plays, and the defense gave us another stellar performance," said UAlbany coach Bob Ford, whose club tied the NEC record for consecutive wins against conference opponents, established by Robert Morris earlier in this decade. "We had many big and explosive plays today."

Paw Prints:  UAlbany's 55 points tied the second-highest total against a Northeast Conference opponent ... Duquesne allowed its most points since Oct. 23, 1999 ... UAlbany established program records for points in a quarter (28) and points in one half (41) ... the Great Danes posted season-highs in rushing yards (278) and total yards (471) against Duquesne ... the crowd of 6,255 fans was the sixth largest to watch the Great Danes play in the history of University Field ... UAlbany is 8-3 all-time in homecoming games at the Division I FCS level ...

UAlbany 55, Duquesne 10 (Oct 10, 2009)

Duquesne (2-4,1-2) vs. Albany (4-2,3-0)

Date: Oct 10, 2009 • Site: Albany, N.Y.  • Stadium: University Field  •  Attendance: 6255