#5 Football Begins NCAA FCS Playoff Run

ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany Football Team is back in the FCS Playoffs for the third time in program history (2011, 2019). The Great Danes claimed their first ever Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Championship after finishing the regular season with a 7-1 league record, tied with Villanova and Richmond. After earning the #5 overall seed and receiving a bye week, the team will play in the second round at home against fellow co-champion Richmond. The game will kick off at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon with coverage on ESPN+ and 104.5 The Team ESPN Radio.

Game Info

Saturday, December 2 vs. Richmond

Casey Stadium in Albany, N.Y.

12:00 p.m. EST

ESPN+ | 104.5 The Team | Live Stats | Media Center | NCAA Digital Program

CAA Champs

The Great Danes shut out the Monmouth Hawks to close out the regular season, 41-0, to earn the first ever CAA regular season championship in school history. With the win, the Great Danes advanced to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs for the third time in program history (2011, 2019). Officially CAA Co-Champions, UAlbany shared the regular season crown with #10 Villanova (7-1 CAA) and Richmond (7-1). The league's automatic bid went to Villanova, winning the three-way tiebreaker due to point differential. The Great Danes defeated the Wildcats, 31-10, earlier in the year. 

• Quarterback Reese Poffenbarger finished the day with 247 passing yards and four TD passes, the fifth time he has thrown four TDs in a single game this season.
• Linebacker Dylan Kelly finished the game with 11 tackles and one TFL. He entered the game just eight tackles short of the UAlbany single-season tackles record, a mark of 143 set by Ken Schoen in 1974.
• Brian Abraham had a career day, finishing the day with three sacks. Anton Juncaj, Ori Jean-Charles, Joseph Greaney, and Kelly all finished with one sack each.
• Julian Hicks finished the day with five receptions, three of which were for TDs. He ended with 71 yards receiving.
• Brevin Easton led the receiving corps with 100 yards, also nabbing a TD.

Freshman Griffin Woodell rushed for 61 yards, scoring a TD in his third consecutive game.

National Seed

Following the team’s CAA Championship victory, the Danes gathered in the brand-new Broadview Center to watch the FCS Selection Show in front of fans, friends, and family. UAlbany was given the No. 5 seed, the highest ranking in program history. With the national ranking, UAlbany was given a First Round bye, automatically advancing to the Second Round with this weekend’s home game. UAlbany was the highest ranked team from the CAA, with Villanova following closely as the No. 8 seed. 

All-Conference Nods

The Great Danes were well represented in the CAA’s annual season awards release. In total, 14 student-athletes collected All-Conference awards and the team took home three major awards in linebacker Dylan Kelly (Defensive Player of the Year), running back Griffin Woodell (Offensive Rookie of the Year), and Head Coach Greg Gattuso (Coach of the Year). 

Five standouts were named to the CAA Football First Team Defense – Anton Juncaj, AJ Simon, Aamir Hall, Larry Walker Jr., and Kelly. In addition, Ori Jean-Charles was named to the Second Team Defense. On the offensive side of the ball, four Great Danes were named to the CAA Football Second Team Offense in Reese Poffenbarger, Brevin Easton, Julian Hicks, and Ozzie Hutchinson. Lineman Will Marotta was named to the Third Team Offense and tight end Ian Renninger was named Honorable Mention. On Special Teams, punter Tyler Pastula was named to the CAA Second Team and kicker John Opalko was named to the Third Team.

Gattuso has coached the Great Danes to a 9-3 overall record, going 9-1 against FCS opponents. Under Gattuso, the program recorded its first ever CAA regular season championship this past week after defeating Monmouth, 41-0, and finishing with a 7-1 conference record. The UAlbany defense is the best in the CAA and the defensive front leads the nation as the best run stopping corps in the FCS. Under Gattuso, UAlbany was awarded the No. 5 seed in the FCS postseason – the highest mark in school history.

Kelly finished the regular season with 145 total tackles, second in all of the FCS. He recorded 23 stops in an Oct. 7 matchup at Towson, a career-best and more in a single-game than any other player in the FCS this season. The senior linebacker added eight TFLs for 31 yards, three sacks, two interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble. His total tackles number broke the UAlbany single-season record, a mark set in 1974 by Ken Schoen.

Woodell has played in all of UAlbany's 12 games, netting 694 yards on the ground over 143 attempts for an average of 4.9 yards per carry. He's averaging 57.83 yards per game and has compiled six rushing TDs. Through the air, Woodell has brought in 24 receptions for 231 yards and an additional four TDs to bring his season total to an even 10. He has been named CAA Rookie of the Week four times.

National Finalists

Stats Perform announced finalists for the season’s FCS National Awards last week, with five Great Danes making the cut for the best players in the nation. Running back Griffin Woodell was named a finalist for the 2023 Jerry Rice Award, which honors the national freshman of the year. Head Coach Greg Gattuso was named a finalist for the 2023 Eddie Robinson Award, which is given annually to the national coach of the year. Defensive players Dylan Kelly and Anton Juncaj were named finalist for the 2023 Buck Buchanan Award, given annually to the national defensive player of the year. And finally, Reese Poffenbarger was named a finalist for the 2023 Walter Payton Award, given annually to the national offensive player of the year. 

Leading the Pack

• The UAlbany defense has been dominant in 2023. The Great Danes lead the entire FCS in rushing yards allowed per game, giving up just 79.1 yards per game on the ground. The team ranks ninth in the nation in first in the CAA in total defense, allowing a stingy 295.3 yards per game in total. 
• The defense has been led by defensive ends Anton Juncaj and AJ Simon. The dynamic due sit in second and fourth, respectively, in the entire FCS in sacks. Juncaj leads the CAA with 13 on the season, followed closely by Simon with 10.5. The next closest CAA defensive end is William & Mary’s John Pius, coming in with 9.5.
• Quarterback Reese Poffenbarger leads the FCS in passing TDs with 31, two ahead of UNH’s Max Brosmer. Poffenbarger has also added three TDs on the ground for a grand total of 34 on the season. The sophomore QB has passed for 2,860 yards, averaging 238 per game. 
• Defensive back Amir Hall ranks third in the FCS with 17 passes defended this season. He’s collected four INTs on the year. 
• Wideouts Brevin Easton and Julian Hicks lead the team in receiving. Hicks finished the regular season with the most TD receptions in the CAA (11). Easton finished with nine, leading the team in receiving yards (814).

Senior Class Honored

The Great Danes honored 15 seniors on Senior Day (Nov. 18) to close out the regular season. The class was celebrated for the work put in and achievements conquered, capped by the day’s CAA Championship victory. The seniors that were honored included:

Cole Esposito

Billy Martin

Tyler Pastula

AJ Simon

Julian Hicks

Bill Hackett

Brevin Easton

Issac Duffy

Ori Jean-Charles

Stephen Sokach-Minnick

Joe Tortello

Joe Greaney

Dylan Kelly

Ian Renninger

Larry Walker Jr.

Scouting Richmond

Richmond finished the 2023 regular season as CAA co-champs with UAlbany and Villanova, boasting an overall record of 8-3 with a 7-1 conference mark. As a result, the Spiders were awarded an FCS Playoff at-large bid, hosting NC Central in the First Round. Richmond handled the game thanks to an offensive explosion, scoring 49 in the team’s victory – the most they’ve scored all season. After trailing the Eagles, 20-7, shortly before the half, Richmond outscored Central, 42-7, to finish the game. 

The defense has been led by linebacker Tristan Wheeler, who was named a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given annually to the national defensive player of the year in Division I FCS college football and presented by FedEx Ground. Wheeler has totaled 109 tackles, nine TFLs, and two sacks. He was named to the All-CAA Football First Team Defense. The offense is led by quarterback Kyle Wickersham. The redshirt sophomore QB has thrown for 1,320 yards and 10 TDs, averaging 132 yards per game. 

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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