After 15 months, Danes will play
Ualbany headed to UNH for a chilly season opener
University at Albany redshirt sophomore quarterback Jeff Undercuffler last threw a pass in a game 15 months ago.
It was a completion for a touchdown to Jerah Reeves in the closing minutes of a Football Championship Subdivision second-round playoff loss at Montana State on Dec. 7, 2019.
When Undercuffler takes his first game snap since then on Friday night, it will be colder than it was on that relatively mild day in Bozeman. The Great Danes are opening their unprecedented spring season against the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H., where the forecast calls for a 22-degree temperature at kickoff with a wind chill of 10.
Regardless of the conditions, Undercuffler said he’s grateful to be playing anywhere after the fall 2020 season was postponed to this spring because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It definitely has been quite some time,” Undercuffler said. “That’s way too long. I just can’t wait to go out there and battle with my guys, with my coaches and just with this whole program. … As a team, we’re so anxious to get out there and fly around, get our blood flowing and just hit people and we can’t wait to get out there.”
The Great Danes, ranked 13th in the STATS FCS media poll, take on No. 14 UNH in the opening game of an abbreviated six-game Colonial Athletic Athletic Conference schedule.
The CAA has split into a seven-team North and four-team South division for this season. Ualbany will play only North opponents.
Without any nonleague games, Ualbany will jump right into CAA play knowing that every game is important if they want to qualify for the FCS playoffs for a second straight season.
“There’s always urgency to get a win, whether it’s the first game or the last game,” Ualbany senior running back Karl Mofor said. “Being in conference, it’s always way more urgent.”
The Great Danes opened training camp on Feb. 4 and spent the past month practicing in weather the opposite of the oppressive heat that comes with a normal camp in August. Ualbany head coach Greg Gattuso said Monday night’s practice was in “blizzard” conditions.
“I just know it feels different lining up and saying we’re going to play March 5,” Gattuso said. “The kids have been great at practice. We’ve had a couple of clunker days and the weather has contributed to that. New Hampshire is a hard place to play. I like to go up there and play, they’re a good team. They’ve been one of the best programs out there. But one thing I know about New Hampshire, it’s got to be a great place to fly a kite because it’s always breezy or windy. It’s going to be chilly and cold. It is what it is. I think we’ve prepared for any weather they can throw at us.”
UNH coach Sean Mcdonnell, a Saratoga Springs native, will be back on the sideline for the Wildcats. He’s gone even longer without a game. He sat out the entire 2019 season while undergoing treatment for bladder cancer.
Mcdonnell is 154-95 over 20 seasons at UNH with 14 NCAA playoff appearances. He was in touch with his team during the 2019 season. He watched games from the press box and joined them in the locker room after home wins. He also met their bus when they returned from road games.
“I’m sure it’s going to be like riding a bike,” Mcdonnell said. “I’m looking forward to it … It’s something special because it’s something I’ve been doing for a real long time.”
Since Ualbany last played, they graduated their top two receivers — Reeves and Allamerican Juwan Green. Undercuffler will play behind an offensive line that lost four starters. Left tackle Critt Johnson, right guard Dominick Lito and right tackle Parris Heath are expected to make their first starts for Ualbany. Johnson did start at Virginia Military Institute before transferring.
“I’m more than ready,” Undercuffler said. “I can’t wait. There’s going to be mistakes. They’re going to happen. You’ve just got to limit them. Just got to stay positive, keep on your teammates, just try to be that rah-rah guy and keep them up. I know we’re going to be fine.”