Football Returns with Road Game at Monmouth

ALBANY, N.Y. –  The University at Albany football team returns to CAA conference play after a bye week. The Great Danes begin week six of the 2022 season with a matchup against the Monmouth Hawks at Kessler Stadium in West Long Branch, N.J. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. EST with coverage on FloFootball and 104.5 The Team. 

Game Info

Saturday, October 8th at Monmouth

1:00 p.m. EST 

FloFootball | 104.5 The Team |  Live Stats | Media Center 

Leading the Pack

• Quarterback Reese Poffenbarger rolls into week six being twice named CAA Rookie of the Week (9/19 & 9/26). The freshman thus far has completed 74-of-119 pass attempts for 1,083 yards. He’s tossed eight TDs over four games. 
• Todd Sibley has made a big impact for the Great Danes. The grad transfer from Pitt was given the ball 18 times for 188 yards, scoring a 97-yard TD on the first play of the game last time out against CCSU. On the year, Sibley has been given the ball 57 times compiling 433 yards, five TDs, and averaging 7.6 yards per attempt. He’s added another 55 yards and a TD through the air. He ranks second in the CAA with 108.75 rushing yards per game.
• Tight end Thomas Greaney leads the receiving corps with four TDs and sits fourth in the conference with 76.25 yards per game. He’s totaled 305 yards in just four contests.
• Graduate student Julian Hicks made a big impact for the UAlbany offense. He’s brought in 13 receptions for 236 yards on the season, taking in two TDs. 
• Linebacker Dylan Kelly leads the team in tackles with 37 (22 solo, 15 ast), the fifth-most in the CAA. He is followed by Jackson Ambush (35), AJ Mistler (31) and Larry Walker Jr. (25). 
• Defensive end AJ Simon is eighth in the CAA and leads the team with 2.5 sacks on the year. He has a total of 3.5 TFLs for 14 yards. 
• On special teams, Tyler Pastula is averaging 44.94 yards per punt, which leads the CAA. Kicker John Opalko is 4-5 on the season, hitting a long of 36 yards. 
• The Great Dane boast the best red zone offense in the CAA. The team has scored on 13 of its 14 trips (92.86%) and is the only unit in the conference to not give up a turnover within their opponent’s 20-yard line. 

Last Time Against Monmouth

The last time the Great Danes faced the Hawks came on Sept. 14, 2019. The game was tied with back-and-forth scoring, until UAlbany trailed by one touchdown in the fourth quarter. With four seconds left in regulation, the Great Danes scored - forcing the teams into overtime. Despite record-setting plays from former signal caller Jeff Undercuffler and future NFL-er Juwan Green, UAlbany fell to Monmouth 38-35. 

Scouting Monmouth

In five games this season, Monmouth (3-2) leads in multiple categories in the CAA. The Hawks dropped their first two games against New Hampshire, 31-21, and Fordham, 52-49. Since then, the Hawks have put together a three-game winning streak, taking down Georgetown, 45-6, 10th ranked Villanova, 49-42, and most recently Lehigh, 35-7. 

• Offensively, the Hawks are outscoring opponents by averaging 39.80 points per game. In five games, the offense has totaled 2,494 yards, or 498.8 per game. The numbers are close to an even split, with 1,290 yards coming through the air and 1,204 yards coming on the ground.
• On the defensive side of the ball, Monmouth is allowing 27.60 points per game. Opponents are averaging over 2,145 yards of offense, with 792 coming from the ground and 1,353 coming through the air. The defense has recorded six interceptions and three fumble recoveries. 

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

Monday, five CAA Football teams were ranked in both the Stats Perform and AFCA Coaches FCS 25 polls, which was tied for the most ranked teams of any league. Delaware (5-0) stayed at No.6 in both polls after its 24-10 triumph over Towson last week. Elon (4-1) climbed to No. 14 in the Stats Perform poll and No. 18 in the AFCA poll after outlasting Richmond, 30-27 in double overtime for its fourth straight win. Villanova (3-2) rose to No. 13 in the AFCA poll and is No. 15 in the Stats poll after a 45-20 victory at Maine last week. William & Mary (4-1) moved up to No. 16 in the Stats Perform poll and No. 17 in the AFCA Coaches poll after rallying past Stony Brook 27-10, last week. Richmond (3-2) slipped to No. 23 in the Stats rankings and was among others receiving votes in the AFCA poll following the 30-27 double-overtime setback at Elon. Rhode Island (3-2) moved up to No. 23 in the AFCA poll and was the top team in others receiving votes in the Stats poll following its 38-10 win over Brown. Monmouth (3-2) was among others receiving votes in both polls, while New Hampshire (3-2) picked up votes in the Stats Perform poll.

This week’s matchups include:

• UAlbany at Monmouth
• Towson at Elon
• Maine at Hampton
• Delaware at William & Mary 
• Stony Brook at New Hampshire

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. 

Welcome to the CAA

This summer, the CAA announced the addition of two new conference members for football – Hampton University and Monmouth University. The Great Danes are one of the first teams that get to “welcome” the two new challengers to the conference. UAlbany’s second CAA game of the year is schedule for Oct. 8 on the road against the Hawks, followed by a home contest the following week against the Pirates at Casey Stadium. 

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*

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

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