Football Hosts Maine for Hometown Heroes Game, Family Weekend

ALBANY, N.Y. – The University at Albany football team returns home to Casey Stadium to take on the Maine Black Bears this Saturday. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET with coverage on Flo Football and 104.5 The Team ESPN Radio in Albany.  

Game Info

Saturday, Sept. 28 vs. Maine

Bob Ford Field at Tom and Mary Casey Stadium in Albany, NY

3:30 p.m.

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

Hometown Heroes

Saturday’s game will mark the 11th consecutive season the Great Danes have honored military members and recognized the family of Army Lt. Col. Todd J. Clark, a graduate of Christian Brothers Academy in Albany, who was killed in action in Afghanistan. Additionally, for the fifth consecutive season, the program will show its appreciation for the Capital Region's police, firefighters, paramedics, and local health care workers. Local Hometown Heroes will have their name displayed on the back of a UAlbany football player's helmet with a special decal.

This year’s recipient of the Lt. Col. Todd J. Clark Award for Exemplary Leadership was offensive lineman Will Marotta.

Family Weekend

The University at Albany is excited to welcome Great Dane families for Family Weekend. Families are welcome to come and enjoy festivities happening on campus and spend quality time with their Great Danes. For more information, visit the Family Weekend Website. 

Leading the Pack

• Quarterback Myles Burkett is coming off a game in which he threw for 290 yards and completed 60.5% of his passes, his highest of the year. Burkett is seventh in the CAA on the season with 761 passing yards. His 253.7 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 14 receptions and 265 receiving yards. His 265 yards on the year is sixth in the CAA, and his 88.3 yards per game is good for fifth in the conference.
• On the ground, Griffin Woodell continues to be UAlbany’s top back. He is averaging 41 rushing yards per game and has found the end zone twice, once against LIU and once against West Virginia. 
• On the defensive side of the ball, Dontae Lunan is averaging 11.3 tackles a game, which leads the CAA. He is also fifth in total tackles with 35.   
• 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 is 4-5 on field goals this year, with his longest being a 42 yarder against LIU. He is also a perfect 6-6 on PATs.

Last Time Against Maine

UAlbany is 6-9 all-time against Maine, but has gotten the better of the Black Bears in their last two meetings. 

The last time the Great Danes took on Maine a year ago, they beat the Black Bears 37-21 in Orono. Quarterback Reese Poffenbarger threw for 324 yards and two touchdowns, both to receiver Brevin Easton. On the ground, running back Faysal Aden scored twice, both in the third quarter. Defensively, linebacker Brian Abraham had a defensive score, returning a fumble 68 yards for a touchdown. The three turnovers forced by the defense was a deciding factor in the game, intercepting Maine quarterback Derek Robertson twice and forcing a fumble that turned into a defensive score.      

Scouting Maine

The Black Bears are coming off a 26-15 win against Merrimack. Maine started the year strong, with a 17-14 win over Colgate, before dropping their next two to Montana State and Monmouth. They come into this week averaging just over 22 points per game, while allowing a tad more than 30 points per game. 

Quarterback Carter Peevy has four passing touchdowns on the year, including two last week against Merrimack. He also had 255 passing yards in his last outing, bringing his season total to 790. Peevy’s top target has been receiver Montigo Moss, who leads the team with 21 receptions and 236 yards. He is one of four Maine receivers with a touchdown grab this year, with Mason Gilbert, Declan McKevitt, and Cooper Heisey being the other three. 

On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Kesean Dyson leads the team with sacks (2), followed closely by defensive linemen Xavier Holmes and Jacob Tuiasosopo (1.5). Defensive back Alhaij Kamara is first on the team with two interceptions. 

Maine has the 104th rushing defense in the FCS, allowing 6.18 rushing yards per carry, 210 rushing yards per game, and nine rushing touchdowns on the year. The matchup presents a great opportunity for the UAlbany run game and 2023 CAA rookie of the year Griffen Woodell. 

Into the Rankings

The Great Danes dropped one spot in the bye week to No. 21 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 (3-1) came in at No. 6 in the poll, while William & Mary (3-1) came in at No. 11. Rhode Island and New Hampshire are also ranked, occupying the 22 and 24 spots. 

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, Denzel Patrick 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

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.

New Turf, Who Dis?

New turf for Bob Ford Field was installed over the summer. 

The new playing surface features updated branding at midfield and in both end zones, replacing the original turf that has been in use since the stadium’s construction in 2013. The turf project began in late June and was finished in time for soccer preseason practices. The project was completed by Sprinturf, LLC. 

Unlike the original turf, yardage markers and numbers were not included with the updated surface. The department will utilize a painting system to install necessary markers before home contests to keep a “clean” look when switching between sports. 

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. 

Students Always FREE

UAlbany students get in free to all athletic events! Download the UAlbany Sports mobile app to reserve tickets ahead of time. Students must claim tickets through the mobile app to gain access to UAlbany events. 

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