Football Returns Home Against CCSU for Hometown Heroes Game

ALBANY, N.Y. –  The University at Albany football team returns to Bob Ford Field at Tom and Mary Casey Stadium for week four of the 2022 season with a matchup against the CCSU Blue Devils. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. EST with coverage on FloFootball and 104.5 The Team. 

Game Info

Saturday, September 24 vs. CCSU

3:30 p.m. EST 

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

Hometown Heroes

Saturday’s game will mark the ninth consecutive season the Great Danes have honored military members and recognized the family of Army Lt. Col. Todd J. Clark, a graduate of Christian Brothers Academy in Albany, who was killed in action in Afghanistan. Additionally, for the third consecutive season, the program will show its appreciation for the Capital Region's police, firefighters, paramedics, and local health care workers. Local Hometown Heroes will have their name displayed on the back of a UAlbany football player's helmet with a special decal.

Leading the Pack

• Quarterback Reese Poffenbarger rolls into week four following a historic performance. The freshman thus far has completed 56-of-93 pass attempts for 826 yards. He’s tossed six TDs over three games and has a rating of 156.11. 
• Todd Sibley had another outstanding week for the Great Danes. The grad transfer from Pitt was given the ball 17 times for 123 yards, racking up four TDs against Fordham. On the year, Sibely has amassed 247 yards on the ground and is averaging 6.6 yards per attempt.  
• Graduate Student Julian Hicks made a big impact for the UAlbany offense against Fordham. He brought in three receptions for 82 yards and was on the receiving end of one of Poffenbarger’s TD throws in the second half. 
• Roy Alexander completed six receptions for 127 yards, Thomas Greaney had four receptions for 56 yards, and Brevin Easton tallied three receptions for 21 yards and a TD in the second half last week. 
• Linebacker AJ Mistler leads the team in tackles with 29 (15 solo, 14 asst). He is followed by Dylan Kelly (28), Jackson Ambush (21), and Larry Walker Jr. (21). 
• Defensive end AJ Simon still leads the team with 2.0 sacks on the year. He has a total of 3.0 TFLs for nine yards. 
• On special teams, Tyler Pastula is averaging 44.88 yards per punt. Kicker John Opalko is 3-4 on the season, hitting a long of 36 yards. 

Last Time Against CCSU

The last time the Great Danes faced the Blue Devils was a memorable one. The matchup came on Nov. 30 of 2019 in the FCS playoffs. The Great Danes won their first ever FCS playoff game, a 42-14 rout, against CCSU at home. In that game, Jeff Undercuffler threw for six touchdowns, two of which went to future NFL-er Juwan Green. 

Scouting CCSU

In three games this season, CCSU (0-3) has been fighting to find its first win. The Blue Devils fell 28-3 in their season opener at UConn before returning home against Sacred Heart, falling 14-10. CCSU most recently played Southeastern Louisiana this past weekend, falling 70-6. 

• Offensively, the Blue Devils are averaging just 6.3 points per game. In three games, the offense has totaled 710 yards, or 236 per game. The numbers are close to an even split, with 125 yards coming through the air and 111 yards coming on the ground on average.
• On the defensive side of the ball, CCSU is allowing 37.3 points per game. Opponents are averaging over 400 yards of offense, with 252 coming from the ground and 176 coming through the air. The defense has recorded one interception and four fumble recoveries. 

A Historic Performance

Freshman quarterback Reese Poffenbarger went off a week ago against Fordham. The rookie signal caller passed for a school record 412 yards, the first time a UAlbany QB surpassed the 400-yard mark. He completed three TD passes, one each to Todd Sibley, Julian Hicks, and Brevin Easton. For his efforts, he was named the CAA Rookie of the Week. 

In total, the Great Danes scored six TDs last week. Aside from Poffenbarger’s three scoring tosses, running back Todd Sibley ran in an additional three. He finished the day with 123 yards on the ground and another 46 through the air, where he was on the receiving end of a 45-yard catch-and-run TD to end the first half.

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

For the second consecutive week, eight CAA Football teams were either ranked or receiving votes in the latest FCS Top 25 polls that were released on Monday. Five CAA squads were ranked in both the Stats Perform and AFCA Coaches Top 25 polls, while three others received votes. Delaware (3-0) moved up to a season-best No. 8 in both polls after its 42-21 victory at nationally ranked Rhode Island last Saturday. Villanova (2-1) slipped to No. 9 in the Stats poll and No. 10 in the AFCA poll after dropping a 49-10 decision at Army. William & Mary (3-0) climbed to a season-best No. 14 in both polls following its 34-7 victory at Lafayette. Rhode Island (2-1) dropped to No. 20 in the Stats poll and No. 21 in the AFCA poll after its setback to Delaware. Richmond (2-1) rejoined both Top 25 polls after defeating Lehigh, 30-6, last week. Elon (2-1) and New Hampshire (2-1) were among others receiving votes in both polls, and Hampton (3-0) got votes in the AFCA poll for the first time this season.

CAA Football’s five ranked teams in the polls matched the Big Sky and Missouri Valley for the most of any conference.

This week’s matchups include:

• CCSU at UAlbany*
• URI* at Pitt
• Stony Brook* at Richmond*
• Monmouth* at Villanova*
• Elon* at William & Mary*
• UNH* at Towson*
• Hampton* at Delaware* 

*Denotes 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. 

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

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

Let’s Get Social

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