Football Looks to Rebound, Hosts Rhode Island for Homecoming

ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany Football Team is looking to rebound as the Great Danes host Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) foe Rhode Island on Saturday afternoon. UAlbany will welcome back friends, family, and alumni back to campus as the University holds its annual Homecoming celebration. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. with coverage on FloFootball and 104.5 The Team ESPN Radio.

Game Info

Saturday, October 21 vs. Rhode Island

Casey Stadium in Albany, N.Y.

3:30 p.m. EST

FloFootball | 104.5 The Team | Live Stats | Media Center | Fan Program

Leading the Pack

• Anton Juncaj and AJ Simon continue to sit atop the FCS in sack totals. Juncaj still leads the nation with 10 in total, 1.5 sacks in front of Illinois State’s Amir Abdullah and two sacks in front of William & Mary’s Nate Lynn. AJ Simon follows closely behind with seven. Juncaj is also tied for the national lead in TFLs with 14. 
• Quarterback Reese Poffenbarger is coming off one of his best games of the season, tossing four TDs and 373 yards against UNH a week ago. He has totaled 16 TDs through the air and 1,513 passing yards so far this season, adding another three TDs on the ground.
• Dylan Kelly, who was named the National Defensive Player of the Week after his game against Towson in which he recorded 23 tackles, paces the entire nation in tackles with 90. The next closest player in the CAA is Richmond’s Tristan Wheeler, coming in with 71 – a full 19 behind Kelly.
• Corner Aamir Hall sits second in the FCS with 13 total passes defended. The first year Great Dane is also tied for second in the country with three interceptions on the year.
• Wideouts Julian Hicks and Brevin Easton are coming off monster games for the Purple & Gold, with both of them hauling in two TDs each. Both players also crossed the 100-yard threshold, with Hicks totaling 162 and Easton totaling 106.
• The UAlbany defense sits third in the CAA in points allowed, giving up just 21.0 per game. The team leads the league in sacks (24), is tied for second in interceptions (8), and ranks fifth in defensive efficiency (121.2).

Last Time Out

The Great Danes traveled to Durham, New Hampshire last Saturday, falling in a shootout to the UNH Wildcats, 31-38. The offense was clicking all afternoon for UAlbany, with Reese Poffenbarger having his best game of the season passing for 373 yards and four TDs. Poffenbarger's favorite target was wideout Julian Hicks, who enjoyed his best career game in the Purple and Gold. Hicks finished with 162 yards, the first time he has over broken the 100-yard barrier. He also hauled in two TD passes from 75 and 32 yards out. The 75-yard reception was the longest offensive play for the Great Danes this season. Brevin Easton followed closely behind, posting his own 100-yard receiving game after finishing with a total of 106. Easton also brought in two long TD passes from Poffenbarger, one from 50 yards out and one from 38 yards out. Dylan Kelly led the defense in tackles, finishing with 11 total (six solo) and one TFL. Anton Juncaj and William Martin III also finished with one TFL each. Ghassan Chehade posted his first career interception, pulling down a jump ball at the line late in the second quarter – leading to a UAlbany field goal before the half.

Scouting Rhode Island

The Rams come into Casey Stadium with an overall record of 4-3 and a CAA record of 2-2. The Rams started off conference play strong with wins over Stony Brook (home) and Maine (road) before dropping their last two CAA matchups to Villanova (road) and Richmond (home). The team is averaging 30.43 points per game on the offensive side of the ball while allowing 26.86 points per game on the defensive side. 

Individually, quarterback Kasim Hill has been one of the most prolific passers in the CAA this season. The signal-caller is averaging 291 passing yards per game, tossing 15 TDs and six INTs through seven games. His favorite target has been Kahtero Summers, who has hauled in 30 receptions for 588 yards and four TDs. He is followed closely by Marquis Buchanan (24 receptions, 413 yards, three TDs) and Darius Savedge (29 receptions, 399 yards, four TDs). Leading the ground game is Ja’Den McKenzie with 327 yards on 56 attempts with four TDs. 

Defensively, AJ Pena has been a force in the backfield – leading the team with 6.6 sacks and 11. 5 TFLs. He sits with 41 total tackles through seven contests. Evan Stewart leads the defense in total tackles with 52 (24 solo) followed by Brent Jackson with 45 (23 solo). Defensive back Syeed Gibbs leads the team in interceptions with three. 

Dominating Defensive Performance

Dylan Kelly had a performance of a lifetime against Towson on Oct. 7. 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 sit just outside the Stats Perform and AFCA Top 25 Polls, receiving votes after being ranked No. 24 a week ago before a tough road game at UNH. Delaware (5-1) climbed to #7 in both polls after defeating North Carolina A&T, 21-6, last Saturday to increase its winning streak to four. William & Mary (4-2), which was off last week, is ranked #13 in both polls. Villanova (5-2) rejoined the Stats poll at #22 following its 21-0 triumph over Elon last Saturday. New Hampshire (3-3) moved up to #22 in the AFCA poll after battling past UAlbany, 38-31, last week. Rhode Island (4-3) and UAlbany (4-3) are among other teams receiving votes. The Rams and Great Danes face off on Saturday.

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). 

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.

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.

Let’s Get Social

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