Football Takes on New CAA Member Bryant

ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany football team heads to Smithfield, Rhode Island, to take on the Bryant Bulldogs this Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. ET with coverage on FloFootball and 104.5 The Team ESPN Radio in Albany. 

Game Info 

Saturday, Oct. 12 at Bryant 

Beirne Stadium in Smithfield, R.I. 

1:00 p.m. 

Live Stats | FloFootball| 104.5 The Team | UAlbany Football Weekly

Leading the Pack 

• Quarterback Myles Burkett threw for 225 yards and a touchdown on 21 completions last week against Cornell. Burkett is up to fifth in the CAA in yards with 1,188. His 237.6 passing yards per game is good enough for fourth in the CAA. 
• Seven McGee Continues to be Burkett’s top target, leading the team with eight receptions and 70 receiving yards last week. His 418 yards on the year is fourth in the CAA, and his 83.6 yards per game is good for fifth in the CAA. 
• On the ground, Jojo Uga had a dominant day for the Great Danes against Cornell, finding the end zone once while racking up 91 rushing yards. Faysal Aden emerged as a dominant force last week as well, collecting 133 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries, highlighted by an 84-yard run to the house at the end of the game.  
• On the defensive side of the ball, Dontae Lunan is fifth in the CAA with 46 total tackles, and third in the CAA averaging 9.2 tackles per game. 
• Jack Iuliano recorded a sack and TFL last week, bringing his season total for both up to two. 
• Ibrahim Sanogo, Kevon Angry, and KC Eziomume all lead the team with two PBUs 
• Kicker John Opalko hit three field goals last week, bringing him to 7-9 on the year. He was also 2-2 on PATs, which makes him 10-11. 

Last Time Against Bryant

The last time UAlbany took on Bryant was in 2019, when the Great Danes came away with a 45-3 win. Running back Alex James rushed for 229 yards and a pair of touchdowns while Jeff Undercuffler threw for two touchdowns and rushed for a third. The defense compiled seven TFLs, two sacks, two interceptions, and a forced fumble. The Great Danes went on to the FCS playoffs that season. Since then, Bryant has moved into the CAA, making this the first time these two have met as conference rivals. 

Scouting Bryant 

The Bulldogs are 2-3 so far this year but are coming off a 42-35 win against Brown University. They won their first game of the season in week 2 against Franklin Pierce University, but followed it with back-to-back losses. 

Quarterback Jarrett Guest is 118-191 with 1,359 yards, a rating of 137.41, and 11 touchdowns, four of which came last week. His top target all year has been wideout Landon Ruggieri, who has recorded 549 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. The ground game has been split between running backs Fabrice Mukendi and Dylan Kedzori, with Mukendi recording more carries (45) and yards (231). 

On defense, Chris Yates leads the team with 26 total tackles, but five other players have recorded 20+ tackles. Senior linebacker Ben Silver leads the team with three and a half sacks on the year. 

Third down defense will be a pivotal part of Saturday’s matchup. Both teams are 22-66 (33%) on third downs offensively, but Bryant’s defense has allowed a first down 35-70 times (50%), while UAlbany’s defense has only allowed 19 first downs on 50 tries (38%).  

By the Numbers

UAlbany averages 21 points per game and has allowed an average of 31, while Bryant averages just under 24 points a game, while allowing a tad over 36 points a game. 

The Great Dane offense has totaled 1,738 yards, 1,188 through the air and 549 on the ground, and averages 347 yards per game. Bryant has 1,950 yards of offense, 1,466 through the air and 484 on the ground, and is averaging 390 yards per game. 

Defensively, UAlbany has tallied nine sacks and 22 TFLs, while Bryant has recorded 10 sacks and 22 TFLs.  

Play Like AJ

The team will honor former Great Dane Amitral "AJ" Simon during the 2024 season with a special number dedication in each game.

In April of 2024, while preparing for the NFL Draft, Simon was tragically taken from us – sending shockwaves through both the UAlbany and football communities.

Before each contest in 2024, the UAlbany coaching staff will designate one player to wear the number eight jersey, in game, to honor their fallen brother. The individual chosen will be one who best exemplifies Simon's work ethic and preparation in that week's practices. The football program will announce their selection on Thursdays leading up to games.

This Saturday, Faysal Aden will have the special honor of wearing #8 in game. He will be the first offensive player to wear AJ’s number this season. 

For a full list of this year’s recipients, see below. 

Aug. 31 vs. LIU – Ghassan Chehade

Sept. 7 at WVU – Donte Lunan

Sept. 14 at No. 4 Idaho – Dasean Dixon

Sept. 28 vs. Maine – Denzel Patrick

Oct. 5 vs. Cornell – Ron Holmes

Oct. 12 vs. Bryant – Faysal Aden

UAlbany Football Weekly

Head to UAlbanySports.com every Saturday morning at 10:00 for UAlbany Football Weekly, the only show that covers ALL THINGS UAlbany football. 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. 

Click here to view all episodes. 

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