FCS Quarterfinal Rematch - No. 17 Football Takes on No. 4 Idaho

ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany football team is set to travel across the country to Moscow, Idaho, for a matchup against the fourth ranked Idaho Vandals on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. ET with coverage on ESPN+ and 104.5 The Team ESPN Radio in Albany.  

Game Info

Saturday, Sept. 14 at No. 4 Idaho

P1FCU Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho

4:00 p.m.

Live Stats | ESPN+ | 104.5 The Team | UAlbany Football Weekly

Leading the Pack

• Quarterback Myles Burkett is coming off a game in which he passed for 306 yards and a TD, posting multiple long gains of over 30 yards. On the year, Burkett has completed 30-65 passes for 471 yards, putting him third in the CAA. His 235.5 passing yards per game puts him in fourth.
• Seven McGee has been Burkett’s top target through the first two games. In game one, McGee posted five receptions for 119 yards, including a 75-yard catch and run TD. At WVU last week, McGee once again led the team with four receptions for 90 yards. His 104.5 yards per game receiving ranks him second in the CAA.
• On the ground, Griffin Woodell continues to be UAlbany’s top back. He is averaging 51 rushing yards per game and has found the end zone twice, once in each game.
• On the defensive side of the ball, Dontae Lunan is averaging 11.5 tackles per game to pace the team. That mark puts him second in the entire CAA, one tackle shy of UNH’s Wande Owens.
• Four defensive players sit with one sack on the season: Dasean Dixon, Dillon Dunathan, Jack Iuliano, and Brock Boyer.
• Ibrahim Sanogo leads the secondary with two PBUs, also collecting a TFL.
• Kicker John Opalko was 2-2 on PATs against West Virginia, brining his total to a perfect 5-5. He went 2-2 on field goal attempts in week one against LIU, hitting two from 42 yards out.

FCS Quarterfinal Rematch

Saturday’s game will be a rematch of last year’s NCAA FCS Quarterfinal matchup between then-ranked No. 4 Idaho and No. 5 UAlbany. The Great Danes collected a 30-22 victory over the Vandals on their own turf, advancing to the first Final Four appearance in program history. It was also UAlbany’s highest ranked win in program history. 

Quarterback Reese Poffenbarger threw for 341 yards and three TDs, all of which went to star receiver Brevin Easton. Easton finished with a career-high 228 receiving yards and was hailed as the hero of the game. On the defensive side of the ball, defensive end Anton Juncaj forced a key fumble late in the game to give possession back to the Great Danes. 

Scouting No. 4 Idaho

The Vandals come into Saturday’s matchup as the No. 4 team in the country, according to the Stats Perform FCS Top 25. The team has had a strong start to the year, going 1-1 against FBS level competition. The Vandals held their own at Oregon, coming up just 10 points short in a 14-24 defeat, before taking down Wyoming a week ago by a score of 17-13. 

Quarterback Jack Layne opened the season for Idaho, going 11-25 passing before exiting their season-opener with a collarbone injury. Layne was replaced by redshirt freshman quarterback Jack Wagner, who went 12-21 passing for 101 yards and a TD in the team’s win over Wyoming. The top receivers for Idaho have been Mark Hamper (5 rec, 91 yards), Jordan Dwyer (8 rec, 85 yards), and Jake Cox (3 rec, 40 yards, 2 TDs). 

On the defensive side of the ball, senior defensive lineman Keyshawn James-Newby has been a menace, recording two sacks against Oregon and three sacks against Wyoming to pace the Vandals with five overall. 

Saturday’s game will be Idaho’s first home contest of the season, and first home contest since the Great Danes defeated the Vandals a year ago. 

Into the Rankings

The Great Danes dropped one spot to No. 17 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25, the organization announced on Monday. The Great Danes entered the season as the No. 16 team after finishing the 2023 season as the No. 5 team in the country after making it to the FCS Playoff Semifinals.  

UAlbany is the third highest ranked team in the CAA. Villanova (2-0) came in at No. 5 in the poll, while William & Mary (1-1) came in at No. 13. Richmond was ranked ahead a week ago, but fell out of the top 25 after a loss to Wofford. 

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, Dasean Dixon 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

Leadership Council

Before week one, head coach Greg Gattuso named 10 players as part of this year’s Leadership Council – as voted on by members of the team. This year’s Leadership Council includes returners Ozzie Hutchinson (OL), Scott Houseman (OL), Will Marotta (OL), Brad Igweike (DB), DaeSean Winston (DB), Trey Lindsey (QB), MarQeese Dietz (WR), and Faysal Aden (RB). In addition, newcomers Dasean Dixon (DL) and Seven McGee (WR) were voted in by their peers. 

A Historic Season

The 2023 UAlbany football season was the best in program history. The Great Danes finished with an 11-4 overall record, going 7-1 in CAA action. Under Gattuso and his staff, the team claimed its first ever conference title, sharing it with Villanova and Richmond. The Great Danes defeated Villanova midway through the season, 31-10 at home, and took down Richmond in the Second Round of the FCS Playoffs, 41-13 at home.

UAlbany was awarded the NCAA's #5 seed in the playoffs, the highest the team has ever been ranked, while also receiving a First Round bye. The team's Second Round win over Richmond cemented the furthest the Great Danes had ever reached in the postseason, having previously reached the Second Round in 2019. In the Quarterfinals, UAlbany flew across the country to #4 Idaho – taking down the Vandals, 30-22, in the Kibbie Dome to advance to the Semifinals before falling to South Dakota State, the top seed and eventual National Champions.

The UAlbany football program joined Field Hockey (2014) and Men's Lacrosse (2018) as the only programs in school history to reach an NCAA Division I National Semifinal.

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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