Football Heads to Morgan State

ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany Football Team will be on the road after a bye week, enroute to Baltimore, Maryland, where the Great Danes will take on the Morgan State Bears on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. from Hughes Stadium. Fans can catch all the action on ESPN+ and ESPN Radio 104.5 The Team in Albany. 

Game Info

Saturday, September 23 vs. Morgan State

Hughes Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland

6:00pm EST

ESPN+ | 104.5 The Team ESPN Radio | Live Stats | Media Center 

Leading the Pack

• With three games under his belt to start the season, Reese Poffenbarger is averaging 180 passing yards per game with a 50.46% completion percentage. He’s recorded five passing touchdowns, 55 completions, and 540 total passing yards. Poffenbarger also ranks second on the team in rushing yards. He’s averaging 32.22 per game with a net of 97 on the year. He has recorded two long TD rushes his last two outings, a 54-yard score against Marshall and a 41-yard run against Hawai’i.
• Anton Juncaj has been a monster on the defensive line to start the season. The DE recorded a program record four sacks in the team’s opening game against Fordham. By adding two more against Hawai’i, Juncaj leads the FCS with a grand total of six. Not far behind, DE AJ Simon ranks tied for fourth in the entire FCS with four. 
• Aamir Hall is finding the ball early in his first season with the Great Danes. The young corner has recorded an interception in his last two outings and also leads the team with five PBUs. He’s recorded nine total tackles, seven solo, in three games. 
• Linebacker Dylan Kelly continues to be all over the field on defense, recording 37 tackles through three games. That mark puts him in a tie for third in the entire FCS, sitting with the same number as Richmond’s Tristan Wheeler to pace the CAA. Kelly has added two sacks for 13 yards and recorded an interception his last time out at Hawai’i.
• Poffenbarger has shown an ability to spread the love on offense, with 12 different Great Danes recording at least one reception to start the season. Brevin Easton (11 receptions, 99 yards) leads the team in receptions while Caden Burti (9 receptions, 100 yards) leads the team in total yards. 
• Running back Nate Larkins has been given the majority of carries over the first three games, leading the team with 36 attempts. He’s averaging 4.2 yards per carry, averaging 51 yards per game. He is followed by graduate transfer Faysal Aden, who has registered 23 carries and is averaging 3.4 yards per rush. 

Last Time Out

Two weeks ago, the Great Danes traveled 5,000 to Honolulu, O’ahu, to take on the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors, eventually falling 31-20.

• The momentum instantly went to Hawaii's sideline. After going three-and-out, The Great Danes had a punt blocked deep in their own territory – giving the Rainbow Warriors possession at the UAlbany 12-yard line. The defense held strong, however, holding Hawai'i to just three points.
• The Great Danes jumped into the lead thanks to the legs of Reese Poffenbarger midway through the first quarter. The quarterback got loose for a 41-yard TD run, similar to a long score the week prior, to put the Great Danes up 7-3.
• With Hawai'i marching into UAlbany territory, linebacker Dylan Kelly collected his first interception of the season at the UAlbany 17-yard line.
• Hawai'i took the ball right back six plays later, with Poffenbarger throwing his first INT of the year. The pick was made by Hawaii's Elijah Palmer. The Rainbow Warriors would collect seven points on the ensuing drive, with quarterback Brayden Schager finding Jonah Panoke on a four-yard strike for the 10-7 lead.
• The UAlbany defense stepped up on Hawaii's next drive. Larry Walker Jr. jumped a route to get the interception, bringing it back 35 yards to the house to put UAlbany in front, 14-10, with 11:20 remining in the second.
• With 3:34 remaining, on a long third down, Hawaii's Schager found Steven McBride on a 30-yard strike to put the Rainbow Warriors back on top, 17-14.
• The UAlbany offense ate up the final 3:28 of clock to close out the first half. After two seconds was put back onto the clock, UAlbany took its final time out to set up a field goal attempt for John Opalko. Opalko hit it through the uprights from 46 yards out to tie the game as time expired in the first half.
• Hawai'i stuck first in the second half with just over six minutes remaining in the third. Schager connected on a 34-yard score to Matthew Shipley to make it a 24-17 ballgame.
• Aamir Hall snagged his second interception of the year with 4:28 remaining in the third, setting up the offense at the Hawai'i 21-yard line. The ensuing drive resulted in a UAlbany field goal from Opalko, hitting it from 32 yards out to cut the lead to 24-20.
• In Hawai'i territory with close to six minutes remaining, the Great Danes turned the ball over on a pitch out to the right. Hawai'i recovered the fumble and took it all the way to the UAlbany 31-yard line. The Rainbow Warriors put the game out of reach moments later, with Schager finding McBride on a 12-yard completion for the score, 31-20.

Scouting Morgan State

The Bears head into their fourth game of the season with a 1-2 record. The team started off the year with a 17-10 road win against CAA foe Richmond before putting up an impressive performance at FBS foe Akron, eventually falling by a score of 24-21. Morgan State took a step back last week, dropping a home game to Greater Baltimore, and CAA, foe Towson, 20-10. 

The Bears are averaging 16.0 points per game, with opponents averaging 18.0. Three different quarterbacks have seen action thus far in Duce Taylor, Dominique Anthony, and Carson Baker. Taylor leads the squad in completions (18), attempts (42), interceptions (4), yards (198), and touchdowns (2). On the ground, JJ Davis has seen the bulk of the carries – leading the Bears in attempts (39) and yards (150). On the defensive side of the ball, Erick Hunter has been a force to handle – collecting a team-high 27 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, and 2.5 sacks. In total, seven different Morgan State players have recorded a sack, and four different players have recorded at least one interception. 

Into the Rankings

The Great Danes have yet to break into the Stats Perform FCS Top 25, but remain just outside through three games. After dismantling Fordham to start the year, UAlbany played two incredibly strong road games against FBS level competition. The team was in the conversation for the win on both occasions, putting the rest of the FCS on notice. Five CAA teams currently hold spots in the Top 25 – William & Mary (#5), New Hampshire (#11), Delaware (#16), Rhode Island (#17), and Villanova (#25). The Great Danes are set to play Villanova at home on Sept. 30, New Hampshire on the road on Oct. 14, Rhode Island at home on Oct. 21, and William & Mary at home on Nov. 4.

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). 

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 reigns 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.

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.