#18 Football Set to Face Stony Brook for Golden Apple

ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany Football Team, ranked #18 in the nation, is set to face its biggest rival this Saturday in Stony Brook. The rivalry game will be played for the Golden Apple Trophy, which currently lies in UAlbany possession. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. with coverage on FloFootball and 104.5 The Team ESPN Radio.

Game Info

Saturday, November 11 vs. Stony Brook

LaValle Stadium in Stony Brook, N.Y.

1:00 p.m. EST

FloFootball | 104.5 The Team | Live Stats | Media Center 

Leading the Pack

• Defensive ends Anton Juncaj and AJ Simon sit number two and three, respectively, in the FCS in total sacks. Juncaj leads the CAA with 11.0, followed by Simon with 10.5. Both trail Tennessee State’s Terrell Allen, who leads the nation with 14.5. Simon is coming off a strong weekend in which he registered 2.5 sacks against #24 William & Mary, being named the CAA co-Defensive Player of the Week. 
• Sophomore quarterback Reese Poffenbarger is fourth in the CAA in points responsible for, coming in with 156. That mark is also ranks second in the CAA behind UNH’s Max Brosmer. Poffenbarger has completed 172 passes on 307 attempts, throwing for 2,366 yards and 23 TDs against just seven interceptions. The mobile QB has added another three TDs on the ground. 
• Linebacker Dylan Kelly leads the entire FCS in total tackles with 122. He’s averaging 12.2 tackles per game and had a career-high of 23 tackles earlier in the season while at Towson. He’s added two interceptions, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries. 
• Aamir Hall was the highest graded corner last week, according to PFF. Hall registered a pick-6, dragging William & Mary defenders over 20 yards for a highlight reel score. He sits in a tie for first place in the nation in two categories – passes defended (16) and interceptions (4). 
• Rookie running back Griffin Woodell is coming off of his second 100-yard rushing game in the last three weeks. The freshman is now up to eight TDs, half on the ground and half through the air, and was named the CAA Rookie of the Week for the third time this season on Monday. 
• Brevin Easton and Julian Hicks have emerged as the top targets for Poffenbarger. Easton leads the team with 625 yards and seven TDs. Hicks follows with 515 yards and six TDs. Easton has recorded at least one TD in his last four games, totaling six in that span. 
• The UAlbany defense is tied for first in the CAA in points allowed, averaging just 18.6 per outing. The unit ranks second in the country in rushing defense, allowing only 81.9 yards per game. 

Last Time Out

The Great Danes shut down #24 William & Mary, the reigning CAA champions, at Casey Stadium a week ago. UAlbany cruised to a 24-8 victory, led by a strong defensive performance. The win put UAlbany squarely in playoff talks in the FCS and moved the Great Danes into a tie for first place in the CAA. The victory also pushed the Great Danes to 4-0 on home turf. 

• Defensive back Aamir Hall made the play of the game, and arguably the season, intercepting William & Mary's Darius Wilson and dragging him 20 yards for the pick-six. In addition to the INT, Hall finished with six tackles, three solo.
• Quarterback Reese Poffenbarger went 12-22 throwing the ball, recording a TD and an INT.
• Wideout Brevin Easton hauled in a TD on the game's opening drive, a 37-yard pass from Poffenbarger. It's Easton's fourth-straight game with an TD. He led the receiving corps with 90 yards on four receptions.
• Running back Griffin Woodell recorded another 100-yard rushing game, also scoring a TD late to all but assure the win for UAlbany.
• The defense recorded six total sacks, led by AJ Simon with 2.5. Adding their name to the list with one each was Anton Juncaj, Bill Hackett, and Ori Jean-Charles. Elijah Hills recorded half a sack.

The Apple Game

The rivalry between UAlbany and Stony Brook is strong. The two schools, both State universities of New York (SUNY), meet every year in a battle for the Golden Apple Trophy. Since both schools joined the CAA in 2013, the games have been split right down the middle – five matchups going to the Great Danes, five going to the Seawolves. UAlbany got the better half of Stony Brook last season, laying down a 59-14 beating at Casey Stadium. 

Scouting Stony Brook

The Seawolves are having a very forgettable year. The team is winless on the season, with a 0-9 overall record and a 0-7 CAA mark. Out of conference, Stony Brook is 0-2 with losses against Arkansas State and Fordham. One non-conference game against Morgan State was scheduled for early October but was canceled. 

The team as a whole ranks last in the CAA in total offense (14.7 ppg) and defense (39.3 ppg). Under center, quarterback Casey Case has passed for 1,715 yards, 10 TDs, and 10 interceptions. He is averaging 190.6 yards per contest. His main target, by far, has been wideout Anthony Johnson – who has hauled in 53 passes for 660 yards and two TDs. Jayden Cook leads the team in TD receptions with four. On the ground, Rolan Dempster has been given the bulk of the carries – rushing for an average of 4.8 yards per attempt and three TDs. 

Defensively, Aidan Kaler leads the team in tackles with 72 on the season, collecting 45 solo stops and three TFLs. Anthony Williams (4.0), Rodney Faulk (3.0), and Andy Nwaoko (2.5) lead the unit in sacks. Nock Chimienti leads the secondary with three INTs. 

Into the Rankings

The Great Danes keep moving up in the national rankings. After coming in at #23 in the Stats Perform Top-25, UAlbany has moved up to #18 this week after taking down #24 William and Mary. In addition, the Great Danes have cracked the top 25 in the AFCA Coaches’ Poll, coming in at #25.  UAlbany has two wins over ranked teams and an overall FCS record of 7-1.

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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