Football Returns for Hometown Heroes Game

ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany Football Team returns to Casey Stadium for the first time in over a month on Saturday when the Great Danes host No. 16 Villanova for Hometown Heroes Day. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. with coverage on FloFootball and 103.9 The Breeze.

Game Info

Saturday, September 30 vs. No. 16 Villanova

Casey Stadium in Albany, New York

3:30 p.m. EST

FloFootball | 103.9 The Breeze | Live Stats | Media Center 

Hometown Heroes

Saturday’s game will mark the 10th consecutive season the Great Danes have honored military members and recognized the family of Army Lt. Col. Todd J. Clark, a graduate of Christian Brothers Academy in Albany, who was killed in action in Afghanistan. Additionally, for the fourth consecutive season, the program will show its appreciation for the Capital Region's police, firefighters, paramedics, and local health care workers. Local Hometown Heroes will have their name displayed on the back of a UAlbany football player's helmet with a special decal.

Leading the Pack

• With four games under his belt to start the season, Reese Poffenbarger is averaging 169 passing yards per game with a 49.3% completion percentage. He’s recorded seven passing touchdowns, 66 completions, and 676 total passing yards. Poffenbarger also ranks third on the team in rushing yards. He’s averaging 26.5 per game with a net of 106 on the year. He has recorded two long TD rushes thus far, 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, and another at Morgan State, Juncaj leads the FCS with a grand total of seven. Not far behind, DE AJ Simon ranks tied for 11th 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 interceptions in his outings against Marshall and Hawai’i, and also leads the team with six PBUs. He’s recorded 13 total tackles, 10 solo, in four games. 
• Linebacker Dylan Kelly continues to be all over the field on defense, recording 49 tackles through four games. That mark puts him in a tie for fourth in the entire FCS, and currently paces the CAA. Kelly has added two sacks for 13 yards and recorded an interception at Hawai’i.
• Poffenbarger has shown an ability to spread the love on offense, with 14 different Great Danes recording at least one reception to start the season. Caden Burti and Brevin Easton both sit with 11 receptions each, with Burti leading the team with 113 total yards. 
• Running back Nate Larkins has been given the majority of carries over the first three games, leading the team with 43 attempts. He’s averaging 4.3 yards per carry, averaging 46 yards per game. He is followed by graduate transfer Faysal Aden, who has registered 42 carries and is averaging 2.8 yards per rush. 

Last Time Out

The Great Danes battled two opponents last weekend in Baltimore – the Morgan State Bears, and Hurricane Ophelia. UAlbany and Morgan state fought through the elements, with the visiting Great Danes eventually coming out on top, 23-17, in double overtime. UAlbany had a three-point advantage with just over a minute remaining before a costly fumble gave the ball back to Morgan State. The Bears were able to drive the ball all the way to the UAlbany one-yard line, but an outstanding defensive front held the home team out of the end zone on three-straight plays to force a field goal, and eventual overtime. In OT, freshman running back Griffin Woodell proved to be the hero for the Great Danes – taking a game-tying touchdown into the end zone on a 14-yard pass in the first extra period before running the ball up the middle for a seven-yard score to seal it in the second extra period. 

Scouting No. 16 Villanova

Villanova heads to UAlbany this week for its first CAA Football road game of the season. The Wildcats are coming off a 35-9 victory over then-No. 17 Rhode Island in their league opener a week ago. After defeating Rhode Island in a Top 25 battle a week ago, Villanova moved up nine spots in this week’s Stats Perform FCS Poll and come in at No. 16 in the rankings. Villanova has won five of its last six games in the state of New York since 2019. Villanova quarterback Connor Watkins and wide receiver Rayjuon Pringle have been the top QB-WR combination in the FCS this season. Watkins leads the nation in both passing yards per attempt (10.42) and passing yards per completion (19.47), while Pringle is leading the country with an average of 27.5 yards per reception. Senior linebacker Brendan Bell is this week’s CAA Football Co-Defensive Player of the Week after he had eight tackles and two tackles for loss against URI last week.

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. 

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.

Into the Rankings

The Great Danes have yet to break into the Stats Perform FCS Top 25, but remain just outside through four games. After dismantling Fordham to start the year, UAlbany played two incredibly strong road games against FBS level competition before getting back into the win column last week at Morgan State. The team was in the conversation for the win in both FBS matchups, putting the rest of the FCS on notice. Five CAA teams currently hold spots in the Top 25 – William & Mary (#5), Delaware (#11), New Hampshire (#14), Villanova (#16), and Rhode Island (#24). The Great Danes are set to play Villanova this week, 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). 

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.