Football Ready to Face Hampton on Homecoming Weekend

ALBANY, N.Y. –  The University at Albany football team returns to Bob Ford Field at Tom and Mary Casey Stadium for the 2022 edition of Homecoming Weekend. The team is set to face new CAA foe Hampton. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EST with coverage on FloFootball and 104.5 The Team. 

Game Info

Saturday, October 15 vs. Hampton

3:30 p.m. EST 

FloFootball | 104.5 The Team |  Live Stats | Media Center | Tickets

Leading the Pack

• The UAlbany offense ranks in the upper echelon of the league in scoring (5th), total offense (6th), and total offensive average per play (3rd). 
• Todd Sibley continues to rank towards the top of the CAA in rushing. He is averaging 115.8 yards per game on the ground, which falls second in the conference. He’s rushed for seven TDs and has added one more through the air. 
• Quarterback Reese Poffenbarger is averaging 269 passing yards per game, throwing for nine TDs thus far and boasting a pass efficiency of 151.12. He also proves to be dangerous on the ground as UAlbany’s second-leading rusher, running for 27.2 yards per game and scoring a TD last week against Monmouth.
• Thomas Greaney continues to be a top-tier receiver in the CAA, ranking in the conference’s top-10 in receptions per game (5.0) and receiving yards per game (66.2). 
• Jackson Ambush (21 solo, 24 ast) and Dylan Kelly (26 solo, 19 ast) lead the team in tackles with 45 each. They are followed by AJ Mistler (35) and Larry Walker Jr. (28).
• On special teams, Tyler Pastula is averaging 45.24 yards per punt - a CAA best mark. Kicker John Opalko has gone 5-6 on field goals with a long of 36 yards. On extra points, he is a perfect 19-19. 

1, 2, 3 In-a-Row for Poffenbarger

In three consecutive games, Reese Poffenbarger has been named the CAA Rookie of the Week. He’s led the Great Danes offense with games of 412 passing yards, 257 passing yards, and 263 passing yards. In that span, he tossed six TDs and ran in for another. He has yet to throw an interception this season in five games. 

This past week, Poffenbarger led the UAlbany offense to 31 points in the team's narrow setback at Monmouth. He completed 22 of 39 passes for 263 yards and a touchdown, an eight-yard strike to wideout Roy Alexander late in the fourth quarter. The rookie once again proved to be a dual threat, using his legs to rush for 70 yards. He added another rushing touchdown to his resume at the start of the fourth, fooling the Monmouth defense with a fake handoff and running it in himself.

First Time Against Hampton

Saturday’s matchup with Hampton will be the first time the two teams meet in their histories. Hampton joined the CAA this year after having previously played in the Big South. 

Scouting Hampton

The Pirates started off the year hot with three-straight wins, taking down Howard (31-28), Tuskegee (42-10), and Norfolk State (17-7). Since then, however, the team has dropped it’s first two matchups in the CAA. The Pirates suffered a blowout loss from Delaware on Sept. 24 by a score of 3-35. Following a bye in week five, Hampton dropped another contest, this time against Maine, by a score of 24-31. In that game, the Pirates surrendered what was a 24-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

• Hampton leads the league with 11 interceptions thrown this season. On the flip side, UAlbany sits in last with just one interception on the year. 
• The Hampton offensive line has proven to be extremely effective, allowing a league-low 1.0 sacks per game.  
• The Hampton offense is averaging 23.4 points per game while the defense is allowing 22.2 points per game. 
• Hampton/s two main backs, Darran Butts and Elijah Burris, have thus far collected 215 and 174 yards on the ground, respectively. 
• Quarterback Malcolm Mays has thus far completed 55 of 99 pass attempts and has tossed eight TDs and nine interceptions. 
• Qwahsin Townsel leads the defense with 50 tackles (19 solo, 31 ast).
• Nine different Pirates defensive players have recorded at least 2.0 TFLs this year. 

UAlbany Football Weekly

Turn the channel to MY4 Albany every Saturday morning at 11:30 for UAlbany Football Weekly, presented by Mohawk Chevrolet. See Coach Gattuso and players in studio, hear special mic’d up segments, and learn about the team with weekly feature stories. It’s all UAlbany football, every Saturday, all season long. 

Around the CAA

CAA Football topped all conferences with six ranked teams in the latest Stats Perform and AFCA Coaches FCS Top 25 polls that were released on Monday. William & Mary (5-1) vaulted to No. 11 in the Stats Perform poll and No. 13 in AFCA Coaches poll after defeating previously unbeaten Delaware, 27-21, last Saturday. The Tribe, which is off to its best start since 2010, has a bye this week. Delaware (5-1) slipped to No. 12 in the AFCA poll and No. 13 in the Stats poll after its narrow setback at William & Mary. The Blue Hens also have a bye this week. Elon (5-1) remained at No. 14 in the Stats Perform poll and No. 18 in the AFCA poll after extending its win streak to five with a 27-10 triumph over Towson last week. The Phoenix hit the road to face nationally ranked Rhode Island on Saturday. Villanova (3-2), which was off last Saturday, is ranked No. 16 in the AFCA poll and is No. 17 in the Stats poll. The Wildcats return to action with a road game at nationally ranked Richmond this Saturday. Richmond (3-2), which was on a bye last week, moved up to No. 21 in the Stats poll and entered the AFCA poll at No. 25. The Spiders entertain nationally ranked Villanova on Saturday. Rhode Island (3-2), which was also idle last week, edged up to No. 22 in the AFCA poll and entered the Stats poll at No. 25. The Rams are back in action on Saturday as they host nationally ranked Elon. Monmouth (4-2), which is on a four-game winning streak, and New Hampshire (4-2), which sits atop the CAA standings at 4-0, are among others receiving votes in both polls.

This week’s gamed include:

• Hampton at UAlbany
• Monmouth at Maine
• Elone at Rhode Island
• UNH at Dartmouth*
• Villanova at Richmond
• Stony Brook at Fordham*

*Denotes non-CAA team

Meet the Leadership Council

Every year, the UAlbany players and coaching staff elect a “Leadership Council” comprised of guys who show an extortionary level of leadership both on and off the field. This year’s council is comprised of eight total student-athletes, five coming from the offensive side of the ball and three coming from the defensive side. Players on this year’s council include offensive lineman Scott Houseman, quarterback Joey Carino, tight end Thomas Greaney, center Kobe Thomas, linebacker Jackson Ambush, linebacker AJ Mistler, running back Todd Sibley, and defensive back Larry Walker Jr.

Preseason Honors

UAlbany was picked to finish in 12th place in this year’s CAA Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The low mark comes as no surprise as the team comes off a year in which they went 2-9. The last time the Great Danes finished with a similar record was in 2018, when the team finished with a 3-8 mark. The next year though? The Great Danes went 9-5 overall and won their first ever postseason game, a 42-14 clobbering against CCSU. 

Linebacker Jackson Ambush (Defense) and punter Tyler Pastula (Special Teams) both received preseason conference honors. In addition, defensive lineman Anthony Lang was named Honorable Mention. Ambush led the team in total tackles last season as a freshman. Pastula transferred from CAA foe Delaware, but not before being named All-CAA First Team and collecting two Special Teams Player of the Week awards in 2021. 

Season Schedule

Click here for UAlbany’s full 2022 online season schedule. 

Sept. 3             at No. 10 Baylor          L, 10-69

Sept. 10           NEW HAMPSHIRE*     L, 23-28

Sept. 17           at Fordham                 L, 45-48

Sept. 24           CCSU                           W, 45-26

Oct. 1              BYE

Oct. 8              at Monmouth*           L, 31-38

Oct. 15            HAMPTON*

Oct. 22            at Villanova*

Oct. 29            STONY BROOK*

Nov. 5              at Elon*

Nov. 12            MAINE*

Nov. 19            at Rhode Island* 

* Denotes CAA Matchup

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 #UAUKNOW and #WinTheDay.