#23 Football Hosts #24 William & Mary in Annual Pink Game

ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany Football Team, ranked #23 in the nation, returns home to Casey Stadium this Saturday as the Great Danes host #24 William and Mary in a huge Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) showdown. The matchup will be the team’s annual Pink Game in support of the American Cancer Society and will give the community a unique opportunity to honor a loved one who has been impacted by any type of cancer with special helmet decals on the back of UAlbany helmets. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. with coverage on FloFootball and 104.5 The Team ESPN Radio.

Game Info

Saturday, November 4 vs. #24 William & Mary

Casey Stadium in Albany, N.Y.

1:00 p.m. EST

FloFootball | 104.5 The Team | Live Stats | Media Center 

Leading the Pack

• Anton Juncaj paces the CAA with 10 total sacks, ranking second in the nation. He is followed closely behind by teammate AJ Simon with eight. As a team, the Great Danes rank tied for fifth in the FCS with 26 total sacks on the year. 
• Reese Poffenbarger is having yet another memorable season. The sophomore quarterback ranks third in the nation in points responsible for with 150. He has 2,161 total passing yards with 22 passing TDs, giving him an efficiency of 141.1. Poffenbarger has thrown at least two TDs in his last six outings. 
• Dylan Kelly, who was named the National Defensive Player of the Week after his game against Towson in which he recorded 23 tackles, sits second in the nation with 109 total tackles, just two shy of the national leader. He holds 20 more tackles than the next closest player in the CAA. 
• Aamir Hall leads the FCS in passes defended with 15, averaging 1.7 per game. He currently holds three interceptions on the season, just one off the national lead. 
• Brevin Easton and Julian Hicks have emerged as the team’s top two wideouts. Easton leads the team in yards (535), just edging Hicks’ 502, while both currently have six TDs each. Easton has recorded five TDs over his last three games, while Hicks has recorded four over the same span. 
• The backfield is currently held by freshman Griffin Woodell and graduate student Faysal Aden. Aden is coming off of back-to-back 100-yard games in which he rushed for 100 against Rhode Island and 141 against Maine. While at Maine, Aden also recorded his first ever collegiate TDs – recording two scores. Woodell leads the team in total TDs, bringing three in so far this year on the ground and an additional four through the air.  
• The UAlbany defense ranks fourth in the CAA in points allowed, averaging 19.8 per game. The team has gone 3-0 in home matchups this year, limiting opponents to an average of just 11 points at Casey Stadium. In those same games, the offense is averaging 33.3 points per game. 

Pink Game

The UAlbany Athletic Department plans the Pink Game on an annual basis in support of its Director of Athletics, Mark Benson, who has committed to taking a stand against breast cancer through the American Cancer Society's 2023 Men Wear Pink campaign. Student-athletes will honor those who have been affected by cancer by wearing nameplates on the back of their helmets during the game. 

"I'm proud to represent UAlbany Athletics again this year for the Men Wear Pink campaign," said Benson in an earlier release. "The American Cancer Society does a tremendous job in leading the fight against breast cancer. The annual Pink Game is one we look forward to every year, offering our fans the opportunity to honor a loved one who is either a survivor, currently battling cancer, or celebrating the lives of those who sadly have passed. Cancer touches all of us. This year I'm honoring my mother-in-law Linda Brunick, Debbie White who gave me my start in college athletics, Cathy Brunick, and Lynette McGovern. We encourage our Great Dane family to join us in raising awareness and money to fight breast cancer."

"The annual Pink Game is one of our favorite events of the year," added Head Football Coach Greg Gattuso. "Every season, the ACS does an incredible job working with our team and administration to raise funds for such an important cause. It's an amazing sight to see our stands filled with pink, and we can't wait to see that once again when the game comes on Nov. 4."

Last Time Out

The Great Danes cruised to a 37-21 road victory over CAA foe Maine last Saturday. Both the offense and defense enjoyed strong days, with the offense scoring four TDs and the defense forcing three turnovers and scoring a TD of their own.

• Quarterback Reese Poffenbarger finished with 324 yards through the air with two TDs, going 18-30 with a long of 55 yards.
• Faysal Aden had a breakout game for the Purple & Gold. The grad transfer recorded his first collegiate TD, finishing with two on the day, and rushing for 141 yards.
• Marqeese Dietz and Brevin Easton led the receiving corps. Dietz led the team with seven receptions and 150 yards, while Easton finished with four receptions, 129 yards, and two TDs.
• Brian Abraham recorded a forced fumble that he brought all the way back to the house for an early score. He finished with four tackles and a TFL.
• Ori Jean-Charles, in his return to Maine, led the defense with 10 tackles and a TFL assist.
• AJ Simon collected a team-high two TFLs for 16 yards.
• Defensive lineman Joseph Greaney and defensive back Isaac Duffy each recorded an INT.

Scouting William & Mary

William & Mary currently sits with an overall record of 5-3, having gone 3-2 in CAA action, and are ranked #24 in the Stats Perform Top-25 Poll. The Tribe started the season off with four-straight wins, two of which were over CAA teams. As a result, Willaim & Mary reached as high as #4/5 in the national rankings. A three-game skid derailed the high expectations however, as the Tripe suffered losses to Elon (6-14), Virginia (FCS, 13-27), and Towson (24-34). The team responded with a win over Monmouth last weekend to break the losing streak. 

The Tribe boasts the best defense in the CAA, allowing a conference low 284.63 total yards per game and a conference low 17.88 points per game. The squad is led by standout defensive lineman Nate Lynn, who sits in a tie in second place in the CAA with eight total sacks. He is followed closely by teammate John Pius, who sits just 0.5 sacks behind. Linebacker Kevin Jarrell leads the team in tackles with 51 while defensive back Ryan Poole leads the team in PBUs (7) and is tied for second with teammate Malcolm Spencer, each having two. 

On offense side of the ball, Darius Wilson has completed 105 of 176 pass attempts for 1,150 yards and eight TDs, averaging 143.75 yards per game. He’s added another 314 yards on the ground, also scoring another TD. Malachi Imoh has received the bulk of the touches in the backfield, accounting for 714 yards and two TDs. JT Mayo leads the receiving corps with 24 receptions, 271 yards, and three TDs. 

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. 

Into the Rankings

The Great Danes broke into the Stats Perform Top-25 Poll for the second time this season, coming in at #23. UAlbany boasts a 6-1 record against FCS level competition, with the team’s lone loss coming on the road in a tough CAA matchup against New Hampshire. 

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. 

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). 

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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