#5 Football Takes on Defending Champs in National Semifinal

ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany Football Team is still alive in the NCAA FCS Playoffs, advancing to the Semifinals in what is the program’s most historic season. The #5 ranked Great Danes will take on the nation’s top seed in South Dakota State tomorrow night from Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. EST with a nationally televised broadcast on ESPN2. 

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 knocked out Richmond in the Second Round at home, 41-13, before traveling across the country to take down #4 Idaho, 30-22, in the Vandals’ own building. 

Game Info

Friday, December 15 vs. #1 South Dakota State

Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota

7:00 p.m. EST

ESPN2 | Live Stats | 104.5 The Team | Media Center

Leading the Pack

• The UAlbany defense has been dominant in 2023. The unit leads the FCS in rushing defense, allowing a stingy 78.1 yards per game. In the red zone, the team ranks sixth nationally with a 0.680 scoring percentage. Overall, UAlbany ranks 13th nationally in total defense – allowing 305.9 yards per game.
• The defensive unit is led by defensive ends Anton Juncaj and AJ Simon. Simon now leads the FCS in total sacks with 15 after picking one up against #4 Idaho. Simon sits tied for third overall with 12.5. 
• Aamir Hall now leads the FCS in total passes defended with 20. The All-American has totaled five interceptions this season, tied for second in the FCS and topping the CAA. 
• Linebacker Dylan Kelly tops the FCS in total tackles, coming in with 155. The senior is a top-three finalist for the Buck Buchanan award, given annually to the nation’s top defensive player. 
• Quarterback Reese Poffenbarger is coming off a strong game in which he passed for 341 yards and three TDs. He leads the nation in total TD passes with 36, seven more than Max Brosmer of UNH. Poffenbarger has thrown for 3,371 yards this year, averaging 240.79 per game. 
• Brevin Easton leads the receiving corps for the Great Danes. Easton is coming off a three TD performance against #4 Idaho, pulling in nine receptions for 228 yards. He leads the Great Danes in both yards (1,055) and TDs (13) and has recorded at least one TD in eight consecutive games. 

Watch Party

Join fellow fans at City Line Bar and Grill on Friday night to cheer on the Great Danes at the team’s official watch party! City line will have food and drink specials, giveaways, staff in jerseys, and an incredible atmosphere. Don’t miss out! 

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 #8 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, and defeated Richmond, 41-13, in the Second Round of the FCS Playoffs. 

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, where the team took down CAA foe Richmond.

Record Breakers

Three UAlbany records were broken this past week against #4 Idaho. Anton Juncaj recorded his 15th sack of the year, surpassing Eli Mencer’s single-season record mark of 14.5 set in 2019. Reese Poffenbarger also broke two records in the Danes’ 30-22 victory. The sophomore now holds the single-season record for total offensive yards (previously held by Jeff Undercuffler, 3,380 yards in 2019) and the career record for total passing TDs (also held by Undercuffler, 59 from 2019-2021). Poffenbarger now sits with 3,371 passing yards on the year, just shy of Undercuffler’s mark of 3,543 set in 2019. 

Earlier in the season, linebacker Dylan Kelly broke the UAlbany single-season tackles record. That mark lasted nearly 50 years, having been set in 1974 by Ken Schoen. Even earlier in the year, in “Week 0,” Juncaj broke the UAlbany single-game record for sacks, recording four in one game against Fordham to start the season. 

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. Gattuso has also been named the America Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS Region 1 Coach of the Year.

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. 

Last week it was announced that Kelly was chosen as a top-three finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award. Kelly will Travel to Frisco, Texas, on Jan. 6 to take part in the awards ceremony. 

Last Time Out

UAlbany took down #4 Idaho, 30-22, in Moscow to advance to the National Semifinal. 

• Quarterback Reese Poffenbarger had a record-breaking day, throwing for 341 yards and three TDs. He broke the UAlbany record for single-season total offensive yards (3,380 set by Jeff Undercuffler in 2019) as well as the UAlbany career record for touchdown passes (59 set by Jeff Undercuffler, 2019-21).
• Brevin Easton had a career day for the Purple and Gold, hauling in all three TD passes from Poffenbarger. The stud wideout finished the night with 228 yards. 
• Running back Griffin Woodell rushed for 98 yards on 21 attempts, adding a late TD to seal the game. 
• Anton Juncaj broke the UAlbany single-season sacks record (14.5 set by Eli Mencer in 2019) after forcing a fumble late in the fourth quarter. 
•  Dylan Kelly led the defense with seven total tackles, five of which were solo. 

Scouting #1 South Dakota State

The Jackrabbits enter Friday night as the defending National Champions and current top team in the FCS with a perfect 13-0 record. The program has recorded 27 consecutive victories dating back to September of 2022, the third-longest win streak in FCS history. The team’s home win streak extends to 20 consecutive games, having not lost a game at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium since 2021. 

• The Jackrabbits are averaging 36.77 points per game, limiting opponents to just 10.46 points. 
• Quarterback Mark Gronowski is one of the best in the nation, passing for 2,618 yards and 25 TDs over 13 games. 
• Gronowski’s top targets have been twin brothers Jadon and Jaxon Janke. Jadon leads the team in receptions (46), yards (740), and TDs (8). Jaxon sits close behind, recoding 730 yards and five TDs on 45 receptions. Wideouts Zach Heins and Griffin Wilde have also each recorded five TDs. 
• Isaiah Davis is the main back for SDSU, rushing for 1,384 yards this season to go along with 15 TDs. 
• On defense, Jason Freeman leads the team in total tackles with 87. He’s recorded 4.5 TFLs and two interceptions. 
• Cade Terveer leads the team in sacks with six, followed by Quinton Hicks with 2.5. 

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.

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.