Undefeated Football To Clash With Columbia On Hall Of Fame Weekend
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ALBANY, N.Y. -- The University at Albany football program looks to stay perfect Saturday when the Great Danes host Ivy League foe Columbia at 6:00 p.m. at Bob Ford Field. UAlbany enters Hall of Fame Weekend with a 3-0 record and a No. 24 ranking in The Sports Network Top-25 Poll.
THE SERIES
UAlbany leads the all-time series with Columbia, 1-0, overcoming the Lions, 44-21, on Sept. 24, 2011 in New York. The Great Danes own a 2-3 record against Ivy League opponents (Brown: 0-2, Columbia: 1-0, Cornell: 0-1, Yale: 1-0).
SCOUTING THE GREAT DANES
2014 Record: 3-0, 1-0 CAA
2013 Record: 1-11, 0-8 CAA (11th)
2014 CAA Preseason Poll: 10th/12
Head Coach: Greg Gattuso (1st season at UAlbany/13th overall as head coach) (3-0 / 100-32)
THE COACH: Greg Gattuso, a former head coach at Duquesne University and assistant head coach at both Pittsburgh and Maryland, was named the University at Albany's head football coach in December of 2013. Gattuso became the second football coach in the program's 41-varsity season history, taking the reins from program architect Bob Ford. Throughout both his playing and coaching career, Gattuso boasts a long history of exceptional success. As a defensive lineman at Penn State, Gattuso helped lead the Nittany Lions to a national title in 1982. In his first collegiate head-coaching role, Gattuso piloted Duquesne to a 97-32 record during his 12-season tenure, and while making three bowl appearances at Pittsburgh, he turned the defensive line into one of the best in the nation as an assistant head coach and hauled in a top-10 recruiting class. Gattuso comes to UAlbany after spending three seasons as a member Randy Edsall's University of Maryland coaching staff. There, he led the defensive line that ranked among the top in the ACC and was promoted to the position of assistant head coach in February 2012.
OVERVIEW: UAlbany enters the weekend with a 3-0 record, coming off the program's first CAA win – a 37-20 triumph over Rhode Island. In addition, the Great Danes overcame Holy Cross (14-13) in week one and Central Connecticut State (19-0) in week two. UAlbany is one of 11 FCS teams still with an undefeated record and boasts one of the top defenses in the country -- ranking first in the CAA and third in FCS for scoring defense (11.0), as well as first in conference and fourth in FCS for rushing defense (72.3). Redshirt sophomore linebacker Michael Nicastro leads the team with 24 tackles (13 solo), including 2.5 (9-yards) for a loss, as well a fumble recovery, followed by redshirt sophomore Rayshan Clark's 21 tackles (12 solo), seven breakups, and an interception. Offensively, redshirt senior Will Fiacchi has taken every snap, completing 46-of-88 passes with five touchdown tosses. Redshirt senior wide receiver Cole King has two TD grabs and 156 receiving yards on 10 catches. True freshman receiver Josh Gontarek leads the team with 14 receptions (154 yards), while redshirt senior tight end Brian Parker has recorded 10 receptions, 131 receiving yards, and two touchdown grabs.
SCOUTING THE LIONS
2014 Record: 0-1, 0-0 Ivy League
2013 Record: 0-10, 0-7 Ivy League (8th)
2014 Ivy League Preseason Poll: 8th/8
Head Coach: Pete Mangurian (3rd season at Columbia/ 6th overall as head coach) (3-18 / 19-32)
THE COACH: Peter K. Mangurian, veteran NFL coach, was named Columbia University's Patricia and Shepard Alexander Head Coach of Football in December 2011. Mangurian has more than 30 years of football coaching experience in the Football Championship Subdivision, Bowl Championship Subdivision and the National Football League. He has coached in five bowl games, four with Louisiana State University, including two Sugar Bowls. In the NFL, he coached in four AFC Championships and two Super Bowls. No stranger to the Ivy League, Mangurian was the head football coach at Cornell University from 1998-2000, compiling a 16-14 overall record, but bringing Cornell from last place in the Ivy League in 1998, to third in 1999 and second in 2000. Mangurian began his coaching career in 1979-80 at Southern Methodist University as an offensive line coach. He coached the offensive line at New Mexico State and Stanford before returning to his alma mater, LSU in 1984. With the Tigers, Magurian coached in two Sugar Bowls, the Liberty Bowl and the 1987 Gator Bowl. In 1988, Mangurian began a long stint in the NFL, first with head coach Dan Reeves and the Denver Broncos for five years as a tight end/half backs coach and offensive line coach. Mangurian moved with Coach Reeves to the New York Giants from 1993-96, and then to the Atlanta Falcons in 1997. After three years as the head football coach at Cornell University (1998-2000), Mangurian reunited with Reeves in Atlanta as the offensive line coach and then as the offensive coordinator in 2002-03. To round out his NFL coaching career, Mangurian spent four years with the New England Patriots coaching the tight ends (2005-2008) and two years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2009-10).
OVERVIEW: Columbia enters the weekend with a 0-1 record, coming off a season-opening 49-7 loss to No. 18/19 Fordham. The Lions had trouble defending Fordham's pass game, as Rams quarterback Mike Nebrich accrued 435 passing yards and four touchdowns, completing 32-of-48 attempts. Columbia junior Toba Akinleye piloted the defense with a team-high 11 tackles and two sacks. Offensively, junior quarterback Brett Nottingham completed 17-of-33 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown toss to sophomore tight end John Hunton. Going 0-10 in 2013, Columbia looks for the program's first win since Nov. 10, 2012, when the Lions overcame Cornell, 34-17, at home. The Lions' last road win came on Nov. 14, 2009 -- a 30-20 win over Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y.
DANES LEAP INTO TOP-25
After winning only one game in 2013, UAlbany has turned over a new leaf, opening the 2014 season with three consecutive victories and earning a No. 24 ranking in The Sports Network Top-25 Poll. UAlbany was last ranked in 2012 when the Great Danes sat at No. 20 in the media poll and No. 18 in the Coaches Poll with a 7-1 overall record, earning the program's highest Division I rating in history. The Danes entered The Sports Network Top-25 in in Week 8 at No 24, and then topped out at No. 20 the following week before falling out of the ranks.
GONTAREK NAMED FCS NATIONAL FRESHMAN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Wide receiver Josh Gontarek was named The Sports Network FCS National Freshman Player of the Week for his performance in the Great Danes' 37-20 victory over Rhode Island. Gontarek (Mount Airy, Md.) totaled 103 all-purpose yards in the program's first CAA win, and led UAlbany with five receptions and 87 receiving yards. Midway through the fourth quarter Saturday, Gontarek hauled in a 9-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Will Fiacchi, giving UAlbany a convincing 37-14 advantage. The touchdown reception marked Gontarek's first of his collegiate career. On the season, the true freshman leads UAlbany with 14 receptions and 154 receiving yards. Gontarek was also named the CAA Rookie of the Week for the first time this season.
TOOLE, GONTAREK EARN CAA HONORS
Patrick Toole and Josh Gontarek were named the CAA Special Teams Player of the Week and the Rookie of the Week, respectively, announced by the conference office Monday. Toole and Gontarek mark UAlbany's second and third players this season to earn CAA weekly honors, joining Neil Morrison who was named the Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 1. In their second season in the conference, the Great Danes have now had a player earn each one of the CAA weekly awards, as Omar Osbourne was named the Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 9, 2013. Toole had a career game against Rhode Island, sailing three straight field goal attempts through the uprights, including a 46-yarder and a pair of 23-yarders. His three field goals ties UAlbany's single-game record, while his 46-yard FG ties for the program's fifth longest. Toole contributed 13 points in UAlbany's 37-20 CAA win over URI. He made all four point-after kicks, as well as averaged 61.0 yards on seven kickoffs with two touchbacks.
COACH GATTUSO GETS WIN NO. 100
Head Coach Greg Gattuso recorded his 100th career win against URI (100-32/13th season) on Sept. 20th. He is the fifth active CAA coach to hit the century mark, joining Andy Talley of Villanova (234-145-2), Jimmye Laycock of William & Mary (225-166-2), Jack Cosgrove of Maine (122-123), and Sean McDonnell of New Hampshire (116-72).
GATTUSO TOPS FCS COACHING CHARTS
Head Coach Greg Gattuso is currently the winningest active coach at the FCS level by percentage with a .758 winning percentage (100-32). In 12 years at Duquesne, Gattuso accrued a 97-32 record and has now led the Great Danes to a 3-0 start in 2014. His percentage also ranks second amidst the winningest FCS coaches all-time, following Dayton's Mike Kelly (246-54-1) with a .819 winning percentage.
FIACCHI SURPASSES 5,000 PASSING YARDS
With 188 passing yards against URI, redshirt senior quarterback Will Fiacchi hit the 5,000 career passing yard milestone. Fiacchi ranks third all-time with 5,047 passing yards. Fiacchi has started every game under center for the past three seasons (2012-14) -- 26 consecutive games.
OSBOURNE ON THE RUN
Omar Osbourne recorded his eighth and ninth 100+ rushing performance in his career this season at CCSU (110 yards, 35 carries) and at Rhode Island (153 yards, 27 carries). Osbourne leads the CAA currently, averaging 116.0 rushing yards per game. In UAlbany's archives he ranks seventh all-time with 2,365 rushing yards -- 247 yards away from taking over sixth all-time.
3-0 START
For the second time since going Division I, UAlbany is off to a 3-0 start, and is currently the only CAA school with a perfect record. The best start in FCS history came in 2001 when the Danes began 5-0.
TOP RANKED SCORING DEFENSE
With eight shutout quarters through three games this season, UAlbany ranks first in the CAA and third in FCS for scoring defense (11.0), as well as, first in the CAA and fourth in FCS for rushing defense (72.3).
TURNOVERS GALORE
UAlbany ranks first in the nation for turnover margin (2.67), gaining nine turnovers this season, while losing only one. In addition, UAlbany is tied for fourth in FCS for fumble recoveries, recovering seven, while losing none.
100 FCS WINS
The Great Danes' 19-0 victory over CCSU marked the 100th FCS win for the program. UAlbany turned Division I in 1999 and owns a 101-69 overall record.
UALBANY INDUCTS 2014 HALL OF FAME CLASS
The University at Albany has announced that it will induct Mari Werner (WBB), Liz Tucker (WBB), Ty Curran (FB), and the 1984 men's and women's cross country teams into the Athletics Hall of Fame this fall. UAlbany will honor the inductees on Saturday, Sept. 27th at a luncheon prior to the Great Danes Hall of Fame football game versus Columbia.
Ty Curran (Football Player & Athletics Contributor): Curran, a four-time letterman, was an offensive lineman for the undefeated 1974 football team, which was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013. In addition to being a standout during his tenure, Curran has been an integral contributor in many University fundraising endeavors, including the naming of Bob Ford Field.
UP NEXT
Amidst a three-game home stretch, the Great Danes return to Bob Ford Field, hosting CAA opponents James Madison (Oct. 4) and Richmond (Oct. 11).
