Battle for the Golden Apple Set for Saturday Afternoon

ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany football team returns to the road to take on their biggest rival in No.17 Stony Brook. The winner will receive the coveted Golden Apple Trophy, which is currently in UAlbany’s possession. 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 9. At Stony Brook 

Kenneth P. Lavalle Stadium in Stony Brook, N.Y.

1:00 p.m.

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

Leading the Pack

• Quarterback Myles Burkett has thrown for 1,840 yards and 10 touchdowns so far this season and is averaging just over 200 yards per game. He is second in the CAA in passing yards.
• Quarterback Trey Lindsey came in at quarterback near the end of the first half last week against New Hampshire. He threw for 117 yards and a touchdown on 11 completions, also rushing for a score.
• Last week, MarQeese Dietz led the team in receiving, totaling six receptions and 49 yards. This was Dietz’s second-best game, only being topped by his contest against Elon, when we recorded 97 yards on six catches.
• On the ground, Jojo Uga continued to lead the way, recording 33 yards on six carries for an average of 5.5 yards per carry. 
• On the defensive side of the ball, Dontae Lunan has recorded 85.5 total tackles, which leads the CAA. He also leads the CAA in tackles per game, averaging just over nine a game.
• UAlbany has recorded 17 sacks this season, with two players (Lunan and Chiebuka Aduaka) recording more than one. In total, 15 different players have recorded a sack this year.
• Kevon Angry and KC Eziomume lead the team in PBUs with three each. They are followed by Erv Wiggins Jr. and Ibrahim Sanogo, each with two.
• Punter Owen Lawson is averaging 43.4 yards per punt, which is good enough for sixth in the CAA. He has also had 12 punts inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.
• Kicker John Opalko has gone 8-14 on field goals this year.

Last Time Against Stony Brook

The last time the Great Danes took on Stony Brook, they were able to come away with a 38-20 win on the road. Quarterback Reese Poffenbarger had a great day, throwing for 247 yards and four touchdowns on 20 completions. His top target that game was Julian Hicks, who tallied six catches, 62 receiving yards, and two touchdown grabs. Both Levi Wentz and Brevin Easton were able to record a touchdown catch as well. On the ground, Griffin Woodell had his best career game, rushing for 136 yards and a touchdown while averaging nearly six yards a carry. 

Scouting Stony Brook

The Seawolves are coming off a narrow 31-30 win over Bryant last week, which brought their season record up to 7-2. They opened the season losing on the road against FBS competition at Marshall. Their only other loss this season came in game six, when they lost at home to Villanova.     

The Stony Brook offense has featured two quarterbacks, Tyler Knoop and Malachi Marshall. Knoop has played in all nine games for Stony Brook this year, throwing for 1,190 yards and 10 touchdowns on 109 completions. Marshall has played in only five games and has thrown for 814 yards and one touchdown on 59 completions. Receivers Jayce Freeman and Jasiah Williams lead the team with 302 receiving yards each. Freeman has hauled in four touchdown grabs while Williams has three on the year. Running back Roland Dempster leads the ground game with 1,054 rushing yards as well as 16 touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the ball, Rushawn Lawrence leads the team with eight sacks and 11.5 TFLs. Rudy Silvera is first for Stony Brook with three INTs and nine 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, Jack Iuliano will have the special honor of wearing #8 in game. 

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

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. 

Stay Connected

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.