FARGO, N.D. – The University at Albany football team is set to kick off its 2021 season with a trip to No. 4 North Dakota State University (NDSU) this Saturday with the team traveling west to take on the powerhouse Bison. The game will be broadcast on ABC North Dakota as well as ESPN+. Local fans can also tune to 103.9 The Breeze to listen to the game from their radios.
 
Game Info
Saturday, September 4 at No. 4 North Dakota State
3:30 p.m. EST / 2:30 p.m. CST
ESPN+ | 103.9 The Breeze |  Live Stats | Game Notes
 
Head Coach Greg Gattuso on 2021
"We're just excited to get back and play some great football. We have a challenging schedule to start, one home game and four on the road, but we've had all summer to prepare and we feel like the team is in a good spot both physically and mentally. The staff and the student-athletes are particularly excited to see Casey Stadium packed and buzzing again for the first time since 2019."
 
Leading the Pack

• The UAlbany season begins on the road at NDSU. The Great Danes are set to take on one of the country's premier football programs before returning to the Capital Region for the home opener on Sept. 11 against CAA foe Rhode Island. Following the home opener, UAlbany is tasked with going on the road for three consecutive games over the next month, with a bye slated for Sept. 25.
• This will be the second time the Great Danes take the field in 2021, having taken part in a truncated spring season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. UAlbany played in four CAA games, going 1-3 before opting out of the remainder of the season due to health and safety concerns.
• Saturday's game against NDSU will be the first time UAlbany plays in front of fans since the conclusion of the 2019 season. The entirety of the 2021 spring season was played without fans in attendance. Notable Great Danes on the two-deep who have yet to experience a crowd include Jared Verse, Mike Gray, Will Marotta, and Jackson Ambush. There are no seating capacity restrictions at the Fargodome.
• Dome sweet dome – two of UAlbany's first three games this season (NDSU and Syracuse) will be played in a dome.
• UAlbany received votes in the latest Stats Perform FCS Poll – joining Richmond, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island as CAA teams just outside the top 25.  
• UAlbany ranked 11^th nationally in total defense last spring, allowing 272.5 ypg.
• Karl Mofor ran for a CAA-best 115.0 ypg last spring and topped the conference with 1,290 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns in 2019.
• Jeff Undercuffler passed for a program-record 3,543 yards in 2019 and his 41 touchdown passes were the most by a freshman in FCS history and also set a school record.

 
Scouting NDSU
North Dakota State was picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference behind South Dakota State in a preseason poll of the league's media, head coaches and sports information directors. The Bison are no strangers to the spotlight, having won eight national championships since 2011 and 16 overall in the program's history. North Dakota State has a 96-22-5 record on opening day, and the Bison have won 22 straight home openers since a 23-21 loss to Emporia State in 1998.
 
Head Coach Greg Gattuso on NDSU
"It's going to be a tough game. NDSU is one of the toughest teams in the country, and we have to go play them in their own building. The atmosphere there is incredible, but we just need to stick to our game plan and our style of football. Succeeding in this kind of environment is key for this team if we want to be in the playoff conversation come November."
 
Series Record
Saturday's matchup will be the first time the Great Danes faceoff against the Bison in the program's history. UAlbany is 11-35 all-time against ranked Division I FCS teams. The highest ranked opponent ever defeated by UAlbany was then No. 7 ranked Villanova in 2017.
 
Around the CAA
Three CAA teams cracked the Stats Perform FCS Top 25: James Madison (No. 2), Delaware (No. 5), and Villanova (No. 16). Receiving votes in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 were Richmond, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and UAlbany. All twelve CAA teams will see action for the first time this week. Games begin on Thursday with two CAA matchups – New Hampshire at Stony Brook and Delaware at Maine. Saturday's games include:

• UAlbany at NDSU
• Villanova at Lehigh
• Richmond vs. Howard
• Elon vs. Wofford
• Towson at Morgan State
• James Madison vs. Morehead State
• Rhode Island vs. Bryant
• William & Mary at Virginia

 
Offensive Accolades
Quarterback Jeff Undercuffler and running back Karl Mofor were recently named to the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) FCS National Performer of the Year Trophy Watch List. The Great Danes represented two of 44 total student-athletes around the country that were named to the list, with the award being announced in January of 2022.
 
Before the 2021 spring season, Undercuffler was named to the HERO Sports Preseason All-America Second Team, CAA Preseason All-Conference Honorable Mention, and the Phil Steele CAA Preseason All-Conference Second for his efforts in 2019. After his 2021 spring season was cut short due to injury, Undercuffler was still named a HERO Sports All-American for his efforts earlier in the year.
 
Mofor was a leader on offense for the Great Danes in 2021, picking up All-CAA Second Team honors at the conclusion of the season. The senior running back from Greenbelt, Md., ranked first in the CAA in yards per game at 115.0 and also led the league in rush attempts at 114. He came in at second in the conference in all-purpose yards (136.2/game), seventh in total offensive plays (114) and 10th in total offensive yards (460). Mofor finished the season with three touchdowns to his name - two on the ground in UAlbany's game against Maine, and another through the air the week prior when the Great Danes faced New Hampshire. The star running back was also named a Stats FCS Preseason All-American and was named to the Walter Payton Award Watch List. This season, he was named to the Preseason All-CAA Team.
 
A Hot Start in Cold Weather
Defensive end Jared Verse got his first taste of college football in UAlbany's cold spring season, and immediately made an impact. He was named the CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year after his four-game showcase, recording 22 tackles (15 solo), 10 tackles for loss for 36 yards, four sacks, one quarterback hit, and one blocked field goal. He recorded a season-high two sacks against Rhode Island on Mar. 20, and followed that performance up with 10 tackles the next week against rival Stony Brook. Despite playing only four games, Verse ranked tied for second in the CAA in sacks (first among freshman) and first in the conference in tackles for loss, averaging 2.5 per game.
 
In addition to being named the CAA's Defensive Rookie of the Year, Verse was named to the All-CAA Second Team, was named a finalist for the Stats Perform FCS Jerry Rice Award, and was named a HERO Sports All-American.
 
Hear from the Great Danes
"It's just a great feeling and an honor to go out there and play a game we love with our brothers. Fall is here. We just have to be us, that's all that matters." - Quarterback Jeff Undercuffler
 
"Our team is always prepared for success. It's going to be an amazing game from the jump, but we are prepared to go out there and succeed." – Defensive End Jared Verse
 
Season Schedule
Click here for UAlbany's full 2021 online season schedule.
Sept. 4             at NDSU
Sept. 11           RHODE ISLAND
Sept. 18           at Syracuse
Oct. 2              at Delaware
Oct. 9              at William & Mary
Oct. 16            VILLANOVA
Oct. 23            MAINE
Oct. 30            at Towson
Nov. 6              NEW HAMPSHIRE
Nov. 13            MORGAN STATE
Nov. 20            at Stony Brook
 
Let's Get Social
Keep up with all of the latest news, highlights, and insights on UAlbany football by following the team on Twitter and Instagram and by using the hashtags #BeGreat and #WinTheDay.