Football Takes on No. 15 Rhode Island

ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany football team heads back out on the road to take on No.15 Rhode Island this Saturday. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. ET with coverage on Flo Football and 104.5 The Team ESPN Radio in Albany. 

Game Info

Saturday, Nov. 16. at No. 15 Rhode Island

Meade Stadium in Kingston, R.I.

1:00 p.m.

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

Leading the Pack

• This season, quarterback Myles Burkett has thrown for 1,845 yards and 10 touchdowns on 145 completions in nine games. His passing yards rank fourth in the CAA.
• Quarterback Van Weber saw his first collegiate action last week at SBU, going 20-32 through the air for 201 yards and a TD.
• Last week, receiver Caden Burti led the team with 63 receiving yards while also recording a touchdown grab. The performance brings his season totals to 177 receiving yards and three touchdown catches.
• On the ground, Jojo Uga leads the backfield with 355 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the year. He is followed by Faysal Aden, who has recorded 330 rushing yards with one touchdown.
• On the defensive side of the ball, Dontae Lunan has recorded 99 total tackles, which leads the CAA. He also leads the CAA in tackles per game, averaging 9.9.
• UAlbany has recorded 19 sacks as a team this season, and four different players have recorded multiple. In total, 15 different players have recorded a sack this year.
• KC Eziomume leads the team in PBUs with four. He Is followed by Erv Wiggins Jr. and Kevon Angry, each with three.
• Punter Owen Lawson is averaging 42.8 yards per punt, which is eighth in the CAA. He has also had 14 punts land inside the 20-yard line.
• Kicker John Opalko has gone 8-14 of field goals this year.

Last Time Against Rhode Island

The last time the Great Danes took on Rhode Island came last October, when UAlbany was able to come away with a 35-10 win at home. Quarterback Reese Poffenbarger had a great day, throwing for 324 yards and four touchdowns on 15 completions. His top target that game was Julian Hicks, who tallied seven catches, 188 receiving yards, and two touchdown grabs. Brevin Easton recorded 88 yards on just two receptions, also recording a touchdown catch. On the ground, Griffin Woodell rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown while averaging over seven yards a carry. Defensively, AJ Simon led the team in sacks (one) and TFLs (two).

Scouting Rhode Island

The Rams are coming off a 24-21 loss to Delaware last Saturday, bringing their record to 8-2. Their only other loss cane to FBS competition, losing 48-0 to Minnesota. Prior to last week, Rhode Island had ripped off seven wins in a row, including a 26-9 win over New Hampshire.

Quarterback Devin Farrell has led the way for the Rhode Island offense, recording 11 touchdown passes and 1,670 passing yards on the season. Receiver Marquis Buchanan leads the team with 765 yards and seven touchdowns on 52 catches this year. He is also averaging 76.5 receiving yards per game. Running back Malik Grant leads the ground game with 853 rushing yards as well as seven touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the ball, A.J. Pena leads the team with eight sacks and 15 TFLs. Braden Price is first for Rhode Island with seven PBUs. 

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 defensive 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, Ghassan Chehade will have the special honor of wearing #8 in game for the second time 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 at Cornell – Ron Holmes

Oct. 12 at Bryant – Faysal Aden

Oct. 19 vs. Elon – Balansama Kamara 

Oct. 26 at Delaware - Owen Lawson

Nov. 2 vs. New Hampshire - Erv Wiggins Jr. 

Nov. 9 at Stony Brook – Jack Iuliano

Nov. 16 at Rhode Island - Ghassan Chehade

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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