Football Returns to Road, Travels to Towson

ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany Football Team rolls into Towson, Md., on Saturday afternoon to take on the Tigers from Unitas Stadium. The Great Danes have won their last two games, including a 31-10 stomping of No. 16 Villanova last weekend, and currently sit with a 3-0 mark against FCS teams. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. with coverage on FloFootball and 104.5 The Team ESPN Radio.

Game Info

Saturday, October 7 vs. Towson

Unitas Stadium in Towson, Md. 

4:00 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 1.8 per game. Simon follows closely behind with seven, tied with William & Mary’s Nate Lynn. The two combined for five of UAlbany’s eight sacks a week ago against No. 16 Villanova, with Simon leading the way with three and Juncaj collecting two. Linebacker Ori Jean-Charles also collected two and Joseph Greaney one in the Danes’ 31-10 win on Saturday – a game in which the defense shutout the Wildcats in the second half.
• Reese Poffenbarger got back into rhythm this past Saturday against No. 16 Villanova, tossing three TDs and passing for 239 yards. ON the season, he is 86-164-2 with a 52.4% completion percentage, 10 passing TDs, and an average of 183.0 yards per game. He has added an additional two TDs on the ground, rushing for a total of 97 yards.
• Dylan Kelly has been making plays all over the field this season. He leads the team with 48 tackles, 30 solo and 18 assisted, averaging 12.0 per game to pace the CAA. This past week, the linebacker had a huge fumble recovery that later led to UAlbany’s first TD of the afternoon.
• Aamir Hall collected his third INT of the season on Saturday, picking off the Wildcats in the UAlbany end zone late in the game. His total of three ranks tied for second in the FCS. He leads the team with seven PBUs and has also recorded a forced fumble.
• Freshman running back Griffin Woodell was given his first start last week, taking full advantage. He gained 87 yards on the ground along with a TD, adding another 38 yards through the air with another TD. It was the second week in a row he recorded at least two scores, and sits with five on the season thus far.
• Poffenbarger has found 12 different receivers through five games thus far, but his favorites have been Brevin Easton and Caden Burti. Easton leads the team in receptions (16) and yards (185). Woodell leads the team in TDs (3), followed Roy Alexander (2) and Julian Hicks (2).

Last Time Out

The Great Danes, in front of a crowd of over 7,000 people, put on a show this past Saturday against then 16th ranked Villanova. The defense had a game to remember – forcing five turnovers and eight total sacks throughout the day, shutting out the Wildcats in the second half. The offense capitalized on the defense's monster game, scoring 21 points on drives following a turnover. UAlbany would go on to win, 31-10, to move to 3-2 on the season and 3-0 in FCS play. 

AJ Simon led the defense with three sacks, followed by Anton Juncaj and Ori Jean-Charles with two each, and Joseph Greaney with one. Aamir Hall and Michel Lucien each nabbed interceptions, while forced fumbles were caused by Hall, Larry walker Jr., Ori Jean-Charles, Anton Juncaj, and Elijah Hills.  

Scouting Towson

The Tigers enter the weekend with a 2-3 overall record and a 1-1 mark in conference play. The team started off with a big 38-6 loss to Maryland to open the season before falling at home to CAA rival Monmouth, 23-42. The Tigers collected their first win of the year in week three at Morgan State, 20-10, before falling to Norfolk State at home, 14-21. Most recently, Towson traveled to New Hampshire and took down the 14th ranked wildcats, 54-51, in overtime. Towson is 2-1 on the road and 0-2 when playing at home. 

Nathan Kent quarterbacks the Tigers, currently sitting with a line of 92-162-4 with a 56.8% completion percentage with eight TDs. He’s added an additional 178 yards on the ground on 42 attempts with two more scores. On the ground, D’Ago Hunter (50 attempts, 284 yards) and Devin Matthews (56 attempts, 262 yards) boast similar numbers. Da’Kendall James leads the team through the air with 205 yards on 18 receptions, collecting two TDs. 

Defensively, the Tigers have four players with at least 30 tackles – Dorian Davis (32), Makye Smith (31), Xavier Terry (31), and Jamal Gay (30). Jesus Gibbs leads the team in sacks (2.5), followed by Makye Smith (2.0) and Ernie Smith (2.0). Robert Javier has been the team’s top corner with two interceptions and five PBUs. 

Rookie of the Week

Running back Griffin Woodell was named the CAA Rookie of the Week, the conference announced Monday morning. Woodell made his first ever collegiate start on Saturday afternoon against the 16th ranked Villanova Wildcats, and he didn't disappoint. The rookie back was given the ball 16 times, rushing for a career-high 107 and a touchdown. He added an additional 38 yards through the air on four receptions, adding another touchdown to the stat line. His 19-yard scoring pass just before halftime snapped a 10-10 tie, putting the Great Danes in control heading into the second half.

Into the Rankings

The Great Danes have yet to break into the Stats Perform FCS Top 25, despite being undefeated in FCS play, beating 16th ranked Villanova by 21 points, and coming close to defeating two FCS level teams – including undefeated Marshall. 

In total, five CAA Football teams are ranked and three others are receiving votes in the latest FCS Top 25 polls released on Monday by Stats Perform and the AFCA. Delaware (3-1) was off last week but moved up to #9 in the Stats rankings and #10 in the AFCA rankings. The Blue Hens are back this Saturday as they entertain Duquesne. William & Mary (4-1) dropped to #9 in the AFCA poll and #10 in the Stats poll after suffering its first setback of the season, 14-6 at Elon. The Tribe visit ACC member Virginia this Saturday. New Hampshire (2-3) slid to #24 in the AFCA poll and is receiving votes in the Stats poll following a 54-51 overtime loss to Towson last Saturday. The Wildcats are off this week. Elon (3-2) moved into the Top 25 for the first time this season at #25 in the Stats poll after extending its winning streak to three with the 14-6 win over #4 William & Mary. The Phoenix hosts nationally ranked North Carolina Central this Saturday. Rhode Island (3-2) returned to the AFCA poll at #25 after rolling past Bryant, 49-26, last week. The Rams visit Brown for the Governor’s Cup this Saturday. UAlbany (3-2) and Villanova (3-2) were among other teams receiving votes in both polls, while Hampton (3-1) earned votes in the AFCA poll.

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.

Let’s Get Social

Keep up with all of the latest news, highlights, and insights on UAlbany football by following the team on X , Instagram, and Threads, and by using the hashtags #UAUKNOW and #WinTheDay.