ORONO, Maine - The University at Albany football team
continued to impress all those who have witnessed their play this season, as
the Great Danes overcame the No. 23 Maine Black Bears, 30-20, Saturday night at
Alfond Stadium.
The Great Danes (3-1) now own a 4-2 series advantage over
Maine (1-2) and a 7-5 all-time record against Colonial Athletic Association
opponents. In addition, the victory marked the first over a ranked opponent for
the UAlbany program since Sept. 19, 2009 when they also beat Maine (ranked 20th),
20-16.
“We looked like two lightweight boxers trading little puffy
jabs in there for about three quarters,” said head coach Bob Ford. “We just
couldn't seem to get enough offense going and they couldn't either to deliver
any kind of knockout punch. And then we finally got on track a little bit and
got enough offense to hold them off in the end.”
Kicker Sean Kenny made a name for himself, tying the program
record with three made field goals in the contest, representing the first nine
points of the game. Tailback Drew Smith led the offense with 114 rushing yards
on 18 carries, 144 all-purpose yards, and two touchdowns, while Kevin Chillis rushed twice for 88 yards total and accumulated 158 all-purpose yards.
Quarterback Will Fiacchi completed 13-of-29 pass attempts for a total of 132
yards.
Totaling 25 yards on three catches, senior Ryan Kirchner moved into sole possession of second place all-time at UAlbany with 137 career receptions. He is now 10 away from tying the program record.
Defensively, Dave Plungas led the squad with nine tackles,
while Olatunji Idowu and Jon Morgan each brought down eight.
While neither team scored in the first quarter of play,
there was still plenty of drama to keep the fans entertained. After both squads
were forced to punt in their opening drives, the Great Danes started their
drive with a big carry by Smith. However, as the Guilderland native reached
17-yards, the final hit knocked the ball loose and the Black Bears took over on
the visitor's 42-yard line.
In good field position, Dean Mercuris' monstrous sack for a
loss of nine yards set the Black Bears back, and UAlbany's defense snuffed out Maine's
run game. Maine looked as though they were going to win the race onto the
scoreboard with a 31-yard field goal, but the Great Danes special teams, who
have been stellar all season long, played spoilers. Jon Morgan batted the kick
into the hands of Justinian Mason and the Danes took control of the ball.
UAlbany broke the stalemate with Sean Kenny's 44-yard field
goal with 10:45 remaining in the first half, following a nine-play, 25-yard
drive.
Kenny put one through the uprights again with 6:12 to go in
the half from 39-yards out to give the Great Danes a 6-0 lead.
Making himself the story of the stanza, Kenny finished a
perfect 3-for-3 in the second quarter, making a 25-yard field goal in the final
seconds of the half to send the Great Danes into the locker room with a 9-0
lead.
Out of the break, Maine scored the first touchdown of the
contest at the 10:40 mark in the third quarter. Black Bear quarterback Damarr
Aultman connected a 19-yard pass to Marcus Wasilewski to cut the deficit to two
points.
However, 18 seconds later the Great Danes responded with
Kevin Chillis' 74-yard scamper into the end zone to take a 16-7 advantage after
Kenny's extra point.
With 4:10 remaining in the third quarter, the Black Bears slashed
into UAlbany's lead with a 31-yard field goal by Brian Harvey, making it a
four-point game, 16-10.
For the fourth time in the game, Maine entered the red zone
after a 45-yard pass downfield. But, the stellar UAlbany defense forced the
Black Bears to settle for a field goal from 30-yards out with 11:59 remaining
in the game, and the Great Danes continued to hold a double-digit lead, 23-13.
Although UAlbany was forced to punt on their next
possession, a misplayed catch on the falling pigskin at the other end of the field put the
ball back into the hands of the Great Danes at the 17-yard line. JoJo McClary
recovered the fumble that slipped through Maurice McDonald's arms and
put the Danes in great position to put the game away with 10:18 remaining.
However, it was all for naught, as Maine's James Kendall
intercepted Fiacchi's pass at the three yard line less than 30 seconds later.
Fortunately, UAlbany's spectacular defense did not allow a single yard in the
three-and-out, making the Black Bears punt from the back of the end zone.
Drew Smith took advantage of the Great Danes' field
position, powering through the defense for a 27-yard rushing touchdown, giving
UAlbany a commanding 30-13 lead with 5:48 to go in the game.
In the waning minutes, Maine worked its way down the field
for a short pass into the end zone, cutting the deficit to 10. However, that
would be as close as the Black Bears would get, as UAlbany ran the clock out
the rest of the way.
“It felt good that we went in there and played with them,”
said Drew Smith. “Talent wise, we compete with the best of them and we came out
here and proved it. We want to prove that we can play in the CAA and we hope we
answered some questions tonight.”
The Great Danes return home next Saturday to take on
Northeast Conference foe Monmouth University at 1:00 p.m.
Scoring Summary (Final)
2012 University of Maine Football
ALBANY vs #23 Maine (Sep 22, 2012 at Orono, Maine)
ALBANY (3-1,1-0) vs. Maine (1-2)
Date: Sep 22, 2012 Site: Orono, Maine Stadium: Alfond Stadium
Attendance: 7101
Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
----------------- -- -- -- -- -----
ALBANY.............. 0 9 7 14 - 30
Maine............... 0 0 10 10 - 20
Scoring Summary:
2nd 10:45 ALBANY - Kenny, Sean 44 yd field goal
9 plays, 25 yards, TOP 3:27, ALBANY 3 - MAINE 0
06:12 ALBANY - Kenny, Sean 39 yd field goal
7 plays, 51 yards, TOP 2:12, ALBANY 6 - MAINE 0
00:00 ALBANY - Kenny, Sean 25 yd field goal
12 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:30, ALBANY 9 - MAINE 0
3rd 10:40 MAINE - Aultman, Damarr 19 yd pass from Wasilewski, Mar (Harvey, Brian kick)
10 plays, 69 yards, TOP 4:14, ALBANY 9 - MAINE 7
10:22 ALBANY - Chillis, Kevin 74 yd run (Kenny, Sean kick)
1 play, 74 yards, TOP 0:12, ALBANY 16 - MAINE 7
04:10 MAINE - Harvey, Brian 31 yd field goal
14 plays, 68 yards, TOP 6:05, ALBANY 16 - MAINE 10
4th 14:54 ALBANY - Smith, Drew 9 yd run (Kenny, Sean kick)
9 plays, 66 yards, TOP 4:10, ALBANY 23 - MAINE 10
11:59 MAINE - Harvey, Brian 30 yd field goal
5 plays, 52 yards, TOP 2:46, ALBANY 23 - MAINE 13
05:48 ALBANY - Smith, Drew 27 yd run (Kenny, Sean kick)
4 plays, 36 yards, TOP 2:15, ALBANY 30 - MAINE 13
02:15 MAINE - Johnson, Derric 4 yd pass from Wasilewski, Mar (Harvey, Brian kick)
13 plays, 86 yards, TOP 3:28, ALBANY 30 - MAINE 20
Kickoff time: 6:07 pm End of Game: 9:12 pm Total elapsed time: 3:05
Officials: Referee: Dennis Donovan; Umpire: N. Pergine; Linesman: T. Brown;
Line judge: M. Snyder; Back judge: M. Furtado; Field judge: J. O'Keefe;
Side judge: G. Mota;
Temperature: Wind: Weather: Overcast, Showers
Team Statistics
Team Statistics (Final)
2012 University of Maine Football
ALBANY vs #23 Maine (Sep 22, 2012 at Orono, Maine)
ALBANY MAINE
FIRST DOWNS................... 19 22
Rushing..................... 7 5
Passing..................... 8 15
Penalty..................... 4 2
NET YARDS RUSHING............. 247 135
Rushing Attempts............ 37 39
Average Per Rush............ 6.7 3.5
Rushing Touchdowns.......... 3 0
Yards Gained Rushing........ 253 151
Yards Lost Rushing.......... 6 16
NET YARDS PASSING............. 132 264
Completions-Attempts-Int.... 13-29-1 23-36-1
Average Per Attempt......... 4.6 7.3
Average Per Completion...... 10.2 11.5
Passing Touchdowns.......... 0 2
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS........... 379 399
Total offense plays......... 66 75
Average Gain Per Play....... 5.7 5.3
Fumbles: Number-Lost.......... 1-1 3-1
Penalties: Number-Yards....... 5-39 9-95
PUNTS-YARDS................... 4-179 5-161
Average Yards Per Punt...... 44.8 32.2
Net Yards Per Punt.......... 35.2 29.8
Inside 20................... 2 1
50+ Yards................... 1 0
Touchbacks.................. 1 0
Fair catch.................. 1 2
KICKOFFS-YARDS................ 6-386 4-234
Average Yards Per Kickoff... 64.3 58.5
Net Yards Per Kickoff....... 41.0 36.5
Touchbacks.................. 0 0
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD. 1-12-0 2-18-0
Average Per Return.......... 12.0 9.0
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD 4-88-0 6-140-0
Average Per Return.......... 22.0 23.3
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD.. 1-0-0 1-0-0
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD. 0-0-0 0-0-0
Miscellaneous Yards........... 7 0
Possession Time............... 26:56 33:04
1st Quarter................. 5:36 9:24
2nd Quarter................. 10:01 4:59
3rd Quarter................. 4:28 10:32
4th Quarter................. 6:51 8:09
Third-Down Conversions........ 6 of 16 4 of 15
Fourth-Down Conversions....... 2 of 2 3 of 3
Red-Zone Scores-Chances....... 2-3 4-5
Touchdowns.................. 1-3 2-5
Field goals................. 1-3 2-5
Sacks By: Number-Yards........ 1-9 1-5
PAT Kicks..................... 3-3 2-2
Field Goals................... 3-3 2-3
Individual Statistics
Individual Statistics (Final)
2012 University of Maine Football
ALBANY vs #23 Maine (Sep 22, 2012 at Orono, Maine)
ALBANY
Rushing No Gain Loss Net TD Lg Avg
--------------------------------------------
Smith, Drew 18 114 0 114 2 27 6.3
Chillis, Kevin 2 88 0 88 1 74 44.0
Osbourne, Omar 10 35 0 35 0 8 3.5
Meek, Jake 2 7 0 7 0 6 3.5
Miseikis, Ben 3 5 1 4 0 4 1.3
Fiacchi, Will 2 4 5 -1 0 4 -0.5
Totals... 37 253 6 247 3 74 6.7
Passing Cmp-Att-Int Yds TD Long Sack
--------------------------------------------
Fiacchi, Will 13-29-1 132 0 21 1
Totals... 13-29-1 132 0 21 1
Receiving No. Yds TD Long
-----------------------------------
Kirchner, Ryan 3 25 0 11
Gay, Jameel 2 34 0 21
Smith, Drew 2 30 0 17
King, Cole 2 23 0 20
Parker, Brian 2 10 0 6
Osbourne, Omar 1 6 0 6
Chillis, Kevin 1 4 0 4
Totals... 13 132 0 21
Punting No. Yds Avg Long In20 TB
----------------------------------------------
Layton, Paul 4 179 44.8 53 2 1
Totals... 4 179 44.8 53 2 1
Punts Kickoffs Intercept
All Returns No.Yds.Lg No.Yds.Lg No.Yds.Lg
---------------------------------------------
Kirchner, Ryan 1 12 12 0 0 0 0 0 0
Chillis, Kevin 0 0 0 3 66 31 0 0 0
Harris, Clay 0 0 0 1 22 22 0 0 0
Mason, J 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Totals... 1 12 12 4 88 31 1 0 0
Field goal attempts
----------------------------------------
Kenny, Sean 2nd 10:45 44 yds - Good
Kenny, Sean 2nd 06:12 39 yds - Good
Kenny, Sean 2nd 00:00 25 yds - Good
Kickoffs No. Yds TB OB Avg
---------------------------------------
Kenny, Sean 6 386 0 0 64.3
Maine
Rushing No Gain Loss Net TD Lg Avg
--------------------------------------------
Stevens, Rickey 20 83 0 83 0 20 4.2
Wasilewski, Mar 13 46 16 30 0 9 2.3
Jones, Nigel 6 22 0 22 0 10 3.7
Totals... 39 151 16 135 0 20 3.5
Passing Cmp-Att-Int Yds TD Long Sack
--------------------------------------------
Wasilewski, Mar 23-36-1 264 2 45 1
Totals... 23-36-1 264 2 45 1
Receiving No. Yds TD Long
-----------------------------------
McDonald, Mauri 11 93 0 20
Johnson, Derric 7 89 1 45
Aultman, Damarr 2 52 1 33
Stevens, Rickey 2 15 0 11
Ebeling, John 1 15 0 15
Totals... 23 264 2 45
Punting No. Yds Avg Long In20 TB
----------------------------------------------
Ondish, Jeffrey 4 140 35.0 45 0 0
Wasilewski, Mar 1 21 21.0 21 1 0
Totals... 5 161 32.2 45 1 0
Punts Kickoffs Intercept
All Returns No.Yds.Lg No.Yds.Lg No.Yds.Lg
---------------------------------------------
McDonald, Mauri 2 18 18 0 0 0 0 0 0
Johnson, Derric 0 0 0 2 49 35 0 0 0
Jones, Isaiah 0 0 0 4 91 29 0 0 0
James, Kendall 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Totals... 2 18 18 6 140 35 1 0 0
Field goal attempts
----------------------------------------
Harvey, Brian 1st 04:34 31 yds - Blocked
Harvey, Brian 3rd 04:10 31 yds - Good
Harvey, Brian 4th 11:59 30 yds - Good
Kickoffs No. Yds TB OB Avg
---------------------------------------
Ondish, Jeffrey 4 234 0 0 58.5
FUMBLES: ALBANY-Smith, Drew 1-1. Maine-Wasilewski, Mar 2-0; McDonald, Mauri 1-1.
Drive Chart
Drive Chart (Final)
2012 University of Maine Football
ALBANY vs #23 Maine (Sep 22, 2012 at Orono, Maine)
Drive Started Drive Ended Consumed
Team Qtr Spot Time Obtained Spot Time How Lost Pl-Yds TOP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALBANY 1st A35 15:00 Possession A35 15:00 Kickoff 0-0 0:00
ALBANY 1st A22 15:00 Kickoff A45 13:12 Punt 4-23 1:48
ALBANY 1st A25 10:28 Punt A42 10:09 Fumble 2-17 0:19
ALBANY 1st A21 04:34 Missed FG M39 01:05 Punt 9-40 3:29
ALBANY 2nd A49 14:12 Punt M26 10:45 *FIELD GOAL 9-25 3:27
ALBANY 2nd A28 08:24 Punt M21 06:12 *FIELD GOAL 7-51 2:12
ALBANY 2nd A12 04:36 Punt A13 03:44 Punt 3-1 0:52
ALBANY 2nd A18 03:30 Interception M07 15:00 *FIELD GOAL 12-75 3:30#
ALBANY 3rd A26 10:34 Kickoff M00 10:22 *TOUCHDOWN 1-74 0:12
ALBANY 3rd A34 04:04 Kickoff M00 14:54 *TOUCHDOWN 9-66 4:10#
ALBANY 4th A32 11:53 Kickoff A36 10:18 Punt 3-4 1:35
ALBANY 4th M17 10:18 Fumble M15 09:44 Interception 2-2 0:34#
ALBANY 4th M36 08:03 Punt M00 05:48 *TOUCHDOWN 4-36 2:15
ALBANY 4th M43 02:15 Kickoff M23 00:00 End of half 4-20 2:15
MAINE 1st M15 13:12 Punt M42 10:28 Punt 6-27 2:44
MAINE 1st A42 10:09 Fumble A14 04:34 Missed FG 10-28 5:35#
MAINE 1st M20 01:05 Punt M25 14:12 Punt 3-5 1:53
MAINE 2nd M18 10:40 Kickoff M35 08:24 Punt 6-17 2:16
MAINE 2nd M27 06:06 Kickoff A33 04:36 Punt 5-40 1:30
MAINE 2nd A48 03:44 Punt A48 03:30 Interception 3-0 0:14
MAINE 3rd M31 14:54 Kickoff A00 10:40 *TOUCHDOWN 10-69 4:14#
MAINE 3rd M19 10:15 Kickoff A13 04:10 *FIELD GOAL 14-68 6:05#
MAINE 4th M35 14:45 Kickoff A13 11:59 *FIELD GOAL 5-52 2:46#
MAINE 4th M17 00:00 Punt M17 10:18 Fumble 0-0 0:00
MAINE 4th M03 09:44 Interception M04 08:03 Punt 3-1 1:41
MAINE 4th M14 05:43 Kickoff A00 02:15 *TOUCHDOWN 13-86 3:28#
ALBANY 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd
Qtr Qtr Qtr Qtr Half Half Total
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Time of possession 05:36 10:01 04:28 06:51 15:37 11:19 26:56
3rd Down Conversions 2/4 2/7 2/2 0/3 4/11 2/5 6/16
Avg Field Position A22 A26 A30 M41 A25 A49 A36
4th Down Conversions 0/0 1/1 0/0 1/1 1/1 1/1 2/2
MAINE 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd
Qtr Qtr Qtr Qtr Half Half Total
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Time of possession 09:24 04:59 10:32 08:09 14:23 18:41 33:04
3rd Down Conversions 0/3 1/5 2/4 1/3 1/8 3/7 4/15
Avg Field Position M31 M32 M25 M17 M31 M20 M26
4th Down Conversions 1/1 0/0 1/1 1/1 1/1 2/2 3/3
Drive Chart (By Quarter)
Drive Started Drive Ended Consumed
Team Qtr Spot Time Obtained Spot Time How Lost Pl-Yds TOP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALBANY 1st A35 15:00 Possession A35 15:00 Kickoff 0-0 0:00
ALBANY 1st A22 15:00 Kickoff A45 13:12 Punt 4-23 1:48
MAINE 1st M15 13:12 Punt M42 10:28 Punt 6-27 2:44
ALBANY 1st A25 10:28 Punt A42 10:09 Fumble 2-17 0:19
MAINE 1st A42 10:09 Fumble A14 04:34 Missed FG 10-28 5:35#
ALBANY 1st A21 04:34 Missed FG M39 01:05 Punt 9-40 3:29
MAINE 1st M20 01:05 Punt M25 14:12 Punt 3-5 1:53
ALBANY 2nd A49 14:12 Punt M26 10:45 *FIELD GOAL 9-25 3:27
MAINE 2nd M18 10:40 Kickoff M35 08:24 Punt 6-17 2:16
ALBANY 2nd A28 08:24 Punt M21 06:12 *FIELD GOAL 7-51 2:12
MAINE 2nd M27 06:06 Kickoff A33 04:36 Punt 5-40 1:30
ALBANY 2nd A12 04:36 Punt A13 03:44 Punt 3-1 0:52
MAINE 2nd A48 03:44 Punt A48 03:30 Interception 3-0 0:14
ALBANY 2nd A18 03:30 Interception M07 15:00 *FIELD GOAL 12-75 3:30#
MAINE 3rd M31 14:54 Kickoff A00 10:40 *TOUCHDOWN 10-69 4:14#
ALBANY 3rd A26 10:34 Kickoff M00 10:22 *TOUCHDOWN 1-74 0:12
MAINE 3rd M19 10:15 Kickoff A13 04:10 *FIELD GOAL 14-68 6:05#
ALBANY 3rd A34 04:04 Kickoff M00 14:54 *TOUCHDOWN 9-66 4:10#
MAINE 4th M35 14:45 Kickoff A13 11:59 *FIELD GOAL 5-52 2:46#
ALBANY 4th A32 11:53 Kickoff A36 10:18 Punt 3-4 1:35
MAINE 4th M17 00:00 Punt M17 10:18 Fumble 0-0 0:00
ALBANY 4th M17 10:18 Fumble M15 09:44 Interception 2-2 0:34#
MAINE 4th M03 09:44 Interception M04 08:03 Punt 3-1 1:41
ALBANY 4th M36 08:03 Punt M00 05:48 *TOUCHDOWN 4-36 2:15
MAINE 4th M14 05:43 Kickoff A00 02:15 *TOUCHDOWN 13-86 3:28#
ALBANY 4th M43 02:15 Kickoff M23 00:00 End of half 4-20 2:15
Defensive Statistics
Defensive Statistics (Final)
2012 University of Maine Football
ALBANY vs #23 Maine (Sep 22, 2012 at Orono, Maine)
ALBANY
## Player Solo Ast Tot TFL/Yds FF FR-Yd Intc BrUp Blkd Sack/Yds QH
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
45 Plungas, Dave 5 4 9 . . . . . . . .
37 Idowu, Olatunji 3 5 8 . . . . 1 . . .
11 Morgan, Jon 1 7 8 . . . . . 1 . .
28 Mason, J 4 3 7 . . . 1-0 . . . .
21 Saddler, Leon 1 6 7 . . . . 2 . . .
6 Exantus, R 4 2 6 . . . . . . . .
36 Helmer, Alex 1 5 6 . . . . . . . .
22 Wilk, Chris 2 3 5 . . . . . . . .
31 Jordan, Kyle 2 3 5 . . . . . . . .
35 Mercuris, Dean 1 4 5 1.0/9 . . . 1 . 1.0/9 .
43 McClary, Jojo 2 2 4 . . 1-0 . . . . .
59 Smith, Andrew 1 3 4 . . . . . . . .
55 Bakou, Ocieka . 3 3 . . . . . . . .
25 Harris, Clay . 3 3 . . . . . . . .
99 Connell, Cory . 3 3 . . . . . . . .
94 Kologrivov, Tim 2 . 2 . . . . . . . .
33 Dorsey, C 1 1 2 . . . . . . . .
19 Baylor, Brandon 1 . 1 . . . . . . . .
73 Cunningham, J 1 . 1 . . . . . . . .
52 Fasano, Joe . 1 1 . . . . . . . .
90 Bradley, Tom . 1 1 . . . . . . . .
51 LaDucer, Mat . 1 1 . . . . . . . .
26 Sullivan, Mike . 1 1 . . . . . . . .
13 Kenny, Sean . 1 1 . . . . . . . .
Maine
## Player Solo Ast Tot TFL/Yds FF FR-Yd Intc BrUp Blkd Sack/Yds QH
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
24 Al-Mateen, Khar 3 10 13 . . . . . . . .
4 Russell, Troy 5 5 10 . . . . 1 . . .
1 Dennis, Donte 3 6 9 . . . . . . . .
3 James, Darlos 3 5 8 . 1 . . . . . .
52 Wilson, Matthew 1 6 7 . . . . . . . .
92 Bates, Trevor . 6 6 0.5/1 . . . . . . .
15 Clay, Jamal 1 4 5 . . 1-0 . . . . .
6 Eastman, Troy 1 3 4 . . . . . . . .
44 Enslen, Kris 1 3 4 1.0/5 . . . . . 1.0/5 .
99 Cole, Michael 1 1 2 . . . . . . . .
94 Toriola, David . 2 2 0.5/0 . . . . . . .
17 Jones, Isaiah 1 . 1 . . . . . . . .
10 Ofori, Axel 1 . 1 . . . . . . . .
5 James, Kendall 1 . 1 . . . 1-0 1 . . .
35 Ondish, Jeffrey 1 . 1 . . . . . . . .
32 Samuels, Randy . 1 1 . . . . . . . .
97 Clark, Devin . 1 1 . . . . . . . .
96 Roach, Erwin . 1 1 . . . . . . . .
95 Kozlakowski, Mi . 1 1 . . . . . . . .
9 Alston, Doug . 1 1 . . . . . . . .
