Faysal Aden
Caroline Sherman/Cornell Athletics
31
Winner UAlbany ALB 2-3 , 0-1
10
Cornell COR 1-2 , 1-0
Winner
UAlbany ALB
2-3 , 0-1
31
Final
10
Cornell COR
1-2 , 1-0
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
ALB UAlbany 3 3 10 15 31
COR Cornell 0 7 3 0 10

Game Recap: Football |

Ground Game, Defense Shine in Football’s Road Win at Cornell

Score: UAlbany 31, Cornell 10 
  
Location: Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, New York
  
Records: UAlbany (2-3, 0-1 CAA) | Cornell (1-2, 0-1 Ivy) 
  
Short Story: The University at Albany football team bounced back into the win column on Saturday afternoon, taking down Ivy League foe Cornell by a score of 31-10 on the road.
 
Key Stat Lines 
  • The UAlbany ground game combined for 273 yards. The charge was led by freshman running back Jojo Uga with 91 yards and a TD. Faysal Aden finished with the most total yards, 133, highlighted by an 84-yard TD to end the game.
  • Kicker John Opalko finished the game going 3-4 on field goals, hitting from 18, 37, and 43 yards.
  • Myles Burkett completed 21-30 pass attempts for 225 yards and a TD.
  • Seven McGee led the receiving group with eight receptions for 70 yards.
  • Jacari Carter hauled in two passes, one of which went for 52 yards and a TD.
  • Troy Berschwinger and Jack Iuliano each finished with a sack. Berschwinger led the defense with eight total tackles.  
  • The defense as a whole pitched a shutout in the second half, limiting the Cornell offense to just 97 rushing yards and 213 receiving yards overall.
 
Head Coach Greg Gattuso: "I think we fought through some of our undisciplined mistakes and red zone issues. Our defense played an outstanding second half, and we won the game and that's all that matters. They're [Cornell] tough and very smart kids, and they played hard, but at the end of the day it was a game we had to win and we got it."
 
How it Happened: 
  • The Great Danes struck first on their opening drive, marching 49 yards on 10 plays but settling for a 37-yard field goal from John Opalko to make it 3-0.
  • Opalko got another chance on UAlbany's next opportunity but left a 44-yard attempt well short.  
  • The UAlbany lead extended to 6-0 with 7:40 remaining in the second, with John Opalko hitting a chip shot from 18 yards out. The drive would have been dead earlier if it wasn't for a 4th-and-5 conversion, with Levi Wentz hauling one in across the middle of the field for 21 yards to keep things alive.
  • Dontae Lunan was ejected from the game for targeting with just under six minutes remaining in the first half.
  • Cornel scored the first touchdown of the game with 4:25 remaining in the first half. Quarterback Jameson Wang found Parker Woodring on a wide receiver screen to the far side for four yards and the score, capping a drive that spanned
  • With three seconds remaining in the first half, the Great Danes went for it on a 4th-and-1 from Cornell's one-yard line. A QB sneak from Myles Burkett, the play was ruled short on a questionable call from the officiating crew. The official call was that the play was whistled dead before the line was crossed.
  • The Great Danes compiled 112 rushing yards and 126 receiving yards in the first half compared to Cornell's 35 on the ground and 49 through the air.
  • After holding Cornell to a three-and-out on their first drive of the second half, it took UAlbany just one play to find the end zone. Myles Burkett found Jacari Carter for a 52-yard strike to vault the Great Danes back on top, 13-7.
  • The Big Red answered back on their next possession, knocking through a 35-yard field goal to cut the lead to three points at 13-10.
  • UAlbany's Opalko hit his third field goal of the day, this one from 43 yards out, to put the Great Danes up 16-10 with 5:37 on the clock in the third.
  • Freshman running back Jojo Uga ripped off a 16-yard score with just over three minutes remaining in the game to put UAlbany up 22-10. The Great Danes went for two with a trick play, with MarQeese Dietz finding Levi Wentz in the end zone to make it 24-10.
  • The final score of the game came on an 84-yard rush to the house from UAlbany's Faysal Aden with just 1:22 remaining to make it 31-10.
  
Next: The Great Danes are on the road once again next weekend as the team visits Bryant for the first time as CAA rivals. Keep up with all of the latest news, highlights, and insights on UAlbany football by following the team on X and Instagram and by following UAlbany Athletics on Facebook. 
 
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