ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany Football Team has earned the No. 5 overall seed in the 2023 Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Playoffs. The Great Danes, fresh off their first Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) title in school history, will receive a bye week and play on Saturday, Dec. 2, home at Casey Stadium. The team will face either NC Central or CAA foe Richmond.
 
The Great Danes captured the program's very first Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) regular season championship yesterday afternoon after shutting out the Monmouth Hawks, 41-0. Sharing the title with both Villanova and Richmond, the Wildcats were awarded the league's automatic bid by winning the tiebreakers via point differential. UAlbany defeated Villanova earlier this season at Casey Stadium, 31-10.
 
UAlbany, ranked #12 in the Stats Perform FCS Top-25 Poll entering the weekend, has gotten the job done on both sides of the ball this year. The defense is one of the best in the nation and entered the weekend as the country's top run defense – allowing just 79.8 yards per game via the rush. Defensive ends Anton Juncaj and AJ Simon both lead the CAA in sacks and sit top-five in the FCS. The defense ended the regular season by shutting down the nation's top running back in Monmouth's Jaden Shirden, limiting him to just 49 yards yesterday afternoon.
 
Linebacker Dylan Kelly shattered the UAlbany single-season tackles record yesterday, surpassing Ken Schoen's record of 143 set in 1974. He ended the regular season with a grand total of 145 – the second most in the FCS.
 
Quarterback Reese Poffenbarger, the 2022 CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year, followed up his stellar rookie campaign with another memorable season, finishing first in the nation in TD passes with 31.
 
Ticket information for the Dec. 2 game will become available soon.
 
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