#24 Football Travels to New Hampshire

ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany Football Team hits the road for the second week in a row, this time traveling to Durham for a matchup with the UNH Wildcats. The Great Danes, now ranked No. 24 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25, have won their last three games, and currently sit with a 4-0 mark against FCS teams. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. with coverage on FloFootball and 104.5 The Team ESPN Radio.

Game Info

Saturday, October 14 vs. New Hampshire

Wildcat Stadium in Durham, N.H.

1:00 p.m. EST

FloFootball | 104.5 The Team | Live Stats | Media Center 

Leading the Pack

• Anton Juncaj and AJ Simon sit atop the entire FCS in sacks. Juncaj leads the nation with nine, averaging 1.5 per game. Simon follows closely behind in third place with seven. The two combined for five of UAlbany’s eight sacks two weeks ago against No. 16 Villanova, with Simon leading the way with three and Juncaj collecting two.
• Reese Poffenbarger went 18-25 last weekend against Towson, tossing two TDs in the team’s 24-17 victory. On the year, Poffenbarger has passed for 1,140 yards with 12 TDs and just three interceptions with a QBR of 123.47.
• Dylan Kelly had the best game of his career last weekend against the Tigers. He finished with 23 total tackles, the most by any FCS player in a single game this season, adding a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He garnered conference and national recognition for his efforts in the win.
• Aamir Hall sits fourth in the FCS with 1.8 passes defended per game. The first-year Great Dane is also tied for second in the nation with three interceptions through six games.
• Freshman running back Griffin Woodell has continued to be a force for the offense. After making his first collegiate start against No. 16 Villanova, the rookie backed up his huge performance with 76 yards on the ground, 54 yards through the air, and a receiving TD against Towson. He currently leads the team in touchdowns with four through the air and two on the ground.
• Poffenbarger has found 13 different receivers through six games. Brevin Easton and Marqeese Dietz lead the team with 18 receptions each, with Easton leading the way in yards with 212.
• The UAlbany defense ranks second in the CAA, allowing just 18.2 points and 303.2 yards per game. The team leads the conference with 24 total sacks.

Last Time Out

The Great Danes traveled to Maryland last Saturday to take on their CAA rivals in Towson, winning by a score of 24-17. Reese Poffenbarger went 18-25 for 225 yards and three total touchdowns. Griffin Woodell rushed 17 times for 76 yards and caught four passes for 54 yards and a touchdown. MarQeese Dietz caught four passes for 58 yards and one touchdown. Dylan Kelly recorded 23 total tackles and forced and recovered one fumble. Ori Jean-Charles recorded 17 total tackles and one interception.

The game came down to a goal line stand in the final minute of action. On a 4th and goal from the UAlbany one-yard line, the Great Dane defense held strong. Elijah Hills jumped off the line to reach the Towson running back in the backfield, with Kelly and Jean-Charles finishing the job to secure the win. 

Scouting New Hampshire

The Wildcats currently sit with an overall record of 2-3, having gone 0-2 in CAA play. The team is currently receiving votes in the Stats Perform Top 25 Poll and is ranked No. 24 in the AFCA Coaches FCS Top 25 Poll. The Wildcats started the season with a 51-17 thrashing of Stonehill before falling to Central Michigan, 42-45. The Wildcats rebounded with a 24-7 win over Dartmouth before dropping their last two games against CAA opponents No. 19 Delaware (25-29) and Towson (51-54, OT). 

The Wildcats currently have the highest scoring offense in the CAA – averaging 38.6 points per game. The offensive attack has been led by quarterback Max Brosmer, who has thrown for 1,588 yards and 14 TDs against just one interception, and star running back Dylan Laube. Laube has enjoyed an incredible season thus far, rushing for 399 yards and five TDs and gaining another 381 yards and four TDs through the air. He also tops the conference in kick and punt returns, adding two more TDs to his yearly totals. 

On the defensive side, UNH ranks 11th out of 15 CAA teams – allowing 30.4 points per game. The team as a whole has only registered eight total sacks.

Dominating Defensive Performance

Dylan Kelly had a performance of a lifetime last week against Towson. The senior linebacker ended the game with 23 total tackles, the most by any FCS player in a single game this season and the second most in a single game all-time in the UAlbany record books. The was just one tackle shy of tying the UAlbany record of 24 set by Don Mion in 1974. Kelly added a forced fumble and recovery in the win and was also a key contributor on the final defense play of the game that sealed the win for the Great Danes. 

For his efforts, Kelly was not only named the conference’s Defensive player of the Week, but was also named the Stats Perform FedEx Ground FCS National Defensive Player of the Week – the first national award of his career. 

Into the Rankings

The Great Danes finally broke into the Stats Perform Top-25 poll this past week, coming in at No. 24. It is the first time the team has been ranked since the 2021 spring season. The Great Danes remain undefeated in FCS play, and 2-0 in CAA play, securing two home victories and two road victories. 

Delaware (No. 8) led all CAA teams in the poll, followed by William & Mary (No. 11) and UAlbany. Other CAA teams receiving votes in the poll included Villanova, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Elon. 

Record Breakers

The UAlbany defense combined to record 10 sacks in the season opener against Fordham, a single-game record. The previous record, eight, was set in 2017 against New Hampshire. Leading that charge was defensive end Anton Juncaj, Juncaj finished with four sacks on the day, claiming his own individual record for most sacks in a single game. Also having impressive nights were AJ Simon, who finished with three sacks, Dylan Kelly (2), and Ronnell McCorn (1). 

UAlbany Football Weekly

Turn the channel to MY4* Albany every Saturday morning at 11:30 for UAlbany Football Weekly, presented by USX Pest Control. 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. 

*UAlbany Football Weekly will also be posted to UAlbanySports.com every Saturday at 12:00 p.m. for fans to watch online. 

Meet the Leadership Council

Every year, the UAlbany players and coaching staff elect a “Leadership Council” comprised of players who show an extortionary level of leadership both on and off the field. This year’s council is comprised of nine total student-athletes, five coming from the offensive side of the ball and four coming from the defensive side. On offense, Leadership Council selections include quarterback Reese Poffenbarger, Tight End Ian Renninger, wide receiver Roy Alexander, and linemen Scott Houseman and Ozzie Hutchinson. On defense, safety Larry Walker Jr., lineman AJ Simon, and linebackers Dylan Kelly and Ori Jean-Charles get the nod. 

A Decade at UAlbany

It’s been a decade since Head Football Coach Greg Gattuso took over the reins of the UAlbany program, replacing legendary long-time coach Bob Ford. In ten years, Gattuso has amassed a 39-57 overall record, leading the Great Danes on some of their most historic seasons. The 2019 season saw the Great Danes win nine games, including their first-ever FCS playoff game, at home against Central Connecticut State. The Danes went 9-5 overall, including 6-2 in the CAA to finish second after being picked 11th in the preseason coaches’ poll.  The 2019 team featured six All-CAA selections and two major awards, including Offensive Rookie of the Year Jeff Undercuffler, with Gattuso landing CAA Coach of the Year honors.  Gattuso was also a finalist for the STATS Eddie Robinson Award, presented annually to the top head coach in FCS football.

Gattuso was a defensive lineman at Penn State, where he 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.

Going Cashless

UAlbany Athletics will shift to an entirely cashless payment model for all events starting with the 2023-24 season. Additionally, gates for UAlbany football games will now open 60 minutes prior to kickoff.

In shifting to cashless operations, the UAlbany Department of Athletics modernizes the pregame and gameday experience for Great Danes fans, who will now enjoy shorter wait times in line for tickets, concessions, and merchandise, as well as enhanced security and convenience in their transactions.

On gameday, the UAlbany Athletics ticketing box office, merchandising, concessions, and parking will accept all major credit cards.  Additionally, concessions will further accept Apple Pay, and parking will further accept both Apple Pay and Google Pay.

All events hosted by the UAlbany Department of Athletics will be subject to the new cashless policy.  For more information, please contact the UAlbany Ticket Office by phone at (518) 442-DANE or by email at GreatDaneTickets@albany.edu.

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