AJ Simon
Brent Warzocha/UAlbany Athletics
13
Richmond RMD 9-4 , 7-1
41
Winner UAlbany ALB 10-3 , 7-1
Richmond RMD
9-4 , 7-1
13
Final
41
UAlbany ALB
10-3 , 7-1
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
RMD Richmond 0 7 0 6 13
ALB UAlbany 14 13 14 0 41

Game Recap: Football |

No. 5 Football Dominates Richmond in FCS Second Round

Score: #5 UAlbany 41, Richmond 13
 
Location: Casey Stadium in Albany, N.Y.
 
Records: #5 UAlbany (10-3, 7-1 CAA) | Richmond (9-4, 7-1 CAA)
 
Short Story: The No. 5 University at Albany football team took down Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) foe Richmond,41-13, in the Second Round of the NCAA Football Champion Subdivision (FCS) Playoffs. The Great Danes now advance to the Quarterfinals – the farthest any UAlbany team has been in program history.
 
UAlbany will play the winner of tonight's game between #4 Idaho and Southern Illinois. With an Idaho win, the Great Danes will travel to play the Vandals in Moscow. With a Southern Illinois win, the Great Danes will host the Salukis at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium. The Quarterfinal game will be scheduled for either Dec. 8 or 9.

Key Stat Lines
  • Quarterback Reese Poffenbarger completed 12 of 23 passes for 170 yards and two TDs. He added two rushing TDs for a grand total of four scores.
  • Julain Hicks led the way for the UAlbany receivers, finishing with five receptions for 61 yards. Brevin Easton and Marqeese Dietz recorded one TD each.
  • CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year Griffin Woodell got the ball rolling early on the ground. He finished the afternoon with 96 yards and a TD.
  • Bill Hacket jumped a route and brought one all the way back to the house for a 71-yard pick-six. Aamir Hall, a former Spider, also recorded a pick in the game.
  • UAlbany finished with five sacks thanks to four different players – AJ Simon (2), Anton Juncaj (1), Joseph Greaney (1), and Elijah Hills (1)
  • Linebacker Ori Jean-Charles led the defense in tackles with eight.
 
Head Coach Greg Gattuso: "It was a great win, I thought the kids played well. Frustrated at the half because we gave up those points, had those penalties, but I though they bounced back… Overall it was a really great win. We were in charge and the kids played well."
 
How it Happened:
  • Richmond got the ball to begin the game. Both teams started with a three-and-out, the UAlbany defensive front being led by lineman Elijah Hills with a solo sack on the first play of the game.
  • On Richmond's second offensive possession, the Spiders drove the length of the field to the UAlbany six-yard line. Richmond's Andrew Lopez was unable to make the 24-yard attempt however, missing wide right.
  • The Great Danes got on the board in their next possession, driving 80 yards on eight plays. Griffin Woodell put up big numbers on the drive, capping it with a nine-yard rush to the outside, breaking the pylon as he fell out of bounds to put UAlbany up 7-0.
  • UAlbany struck again one possession later, this time driving 47 yards on five plays. Reese Poffenbarger rolled out to his right and found a wide-open Marqeese Dietz in the end zone for the seven-yard score, making it 14-0.
  • The Great Danes pushed the lead to 20-0 with 7:37 remaining in the first half. Poffenbarger took it himself from 20 yards out, pushing through four different Richmond defenders for the score. The play capped a 96-yard drive for the Great Danes. The extra point was blocked.
  • With 3:25 remaining in the first half, corner Bill Hackett picked off Richmond's Kyle Wickersham and brought it back 71 yards to the house – making it 27-0.
  • On Richmond's next drive, corner Aamir Hall got in on the fun – picking off his former team at the 50-yard line.
  • With 27 seconds on the clock, Richmond was forced to punt once again. The ball was given right back to the Spiders after a muffed recovery from UAlbany's special teams unit. Richmond took advantage of the short field, going 38 yards on three plays to make it a 27-7 game before the half. Replacement quarterback Camden Coleman found wideout Nick DeGennaro for the 11-yard TD with one second left.
  • The Richmond defense started the second half with another turnover, this time an INT courtesy of Bryson Parker.
  • Richmond's Ryan Coll was ejected from the game for targeting just minutes into the second half.
  • The Spiders were able to march to the UAlbany five yard line but ended up turning the ball over on downs at the UAlbany five yard line. Defensive end Anton Juncaj got to the quarterback from behind, laying a devastating hit and knocking the ball loose.
  • UAlbany would then drive 87 yards to take a 34-7 lead. Poffenbarger and Woodell fumbled the ball on the handoff, but Poffenbarger recovered and ran it in himself from 10 yards out for a highlight-level play.
  • On Richmond's next drive, Coleman was sacked by lineman Joseph Greaney – fumbling the ball and giving it back to the Great Danes at the UAlbany 42-yard line.
  • UAlbany would then march those 42 yards for another score, this time a 12-yard strike to Brevin Easton who waltzed his way in for an untouched score, 41-7.
  • Richmond scored with 6:31 remaining to make it 41-13. Coleman found Garcia Jr. on a three-yard pass for the score. The extra point was blocked by Larry Walker Jr.

Next: UAlbany will play the winner of tonight's game between #4 Idaho and Southern Illinois. With an Idaho win, the Great Danes will travel to play the Vandals in Moscow. With a Southern Illinois win, the Great Danes will host the Salukis at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium. 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.
 
 
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