Football Wraps Up Preseason Camp: A Defensive Overview
ALBANY, N.Y. -- The University at Albany football team closed its preseason camp Friday with an intrasquad scrimmage at Bob Ford Field. The Great Danes are now one week away from opening the 2014 season versus Holy Cross, marking the program's first game under the direction of Head Coach Greg Gattuso.
In his first season as the Great Danes' defensive coordinator, Bob Benson, who started his coaching career as a graduate assistant in 1986 at UAlbany under the tutelage of Bob Ford, has been happy with how the defense has implemented the new system in preseason.
The Great Danes return five defensive starters from a year ago, beginning with Tim Kologrivov on the line. The redshirt senior from Wyckoff, N.J., played in all 12 games, totaling 26 tackles and forced a fumble. He also played a key role in the game-saving fourth-and-goal goal-line stand in the waning minutes of UAlbany's victory over Colgate.
Redshirt senior Christian Dorsey, a third-team All-CAA selection, is one of three returning starting linebackers. Dorsey finished second on the team with 85 total tackles (46 solo) and forced two fumbles. Sophomore Marcel Ngachie returns after a stellar rookie season, playing in 10 games with 44 tackles (18 solo) and a forced fumble. Outside linebacker Michael Nicastro, a redshirt sophomore from Clarksville, Md., ranked sixth on the team with 62 tackles (29 solo) in his first active season, and led the squad with two fumble recoveries.
Redshirt senior Kyle Jordan also adds experience to the linebacker corps, returning after missing the majority of 2013 due to injury. He played in every game in 2011 and 2012, helping the Great Danes to back-to-back NEC titles.
In the secondary, senior safety TJ Idowu will look to have another solid season after leading the team with 94 tackles (51 solo) last season. The Wexford, Pa. native also ranked 14th in the CAA, averaging 7.8 tackles per game.
The Danes kick off the 2014 season at home versus Holy Cross on Aug. 30th. The game will air on ESPN3 at 6:00 p.m. Season and single game tickets are currently on sale. Click here to explore ticketing options.
