Great Danes look to continue their roll at home against Maine
ALBANY, NY >> The University at Albany football team will be looking for its sixth straight victory at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium when it hosts Maine in a CAA game Saturday. Kickoff is 3:30 p.m. on a day the Great Danes will celebrate the 150th anniversary of college football and the 50th anniversary of UAlbany’s football program.
The Great Danes are undefeated at home this season, rolling to a 4-0 record as Maine comes to town.
Last week, the University at Albany football team scored 29 second-half points to come from behind and beat Rhode Island, 35-38, in a CAA game on Homecoming at Casey Stadium.
UAlbany’s Jeff Undercuffler (touchdown passes), Juwan Green (touchdown receptions) and Eli Mencer (sacks) all have the chance to set single-season program records Saturday. Juwan Green caught a pair of touchdown passes last wee, giving him now ten for the season, which ties UAlbany’s single-season record (Dan Gmelin, 1997, and Ryan Kirchner, 2011). Jeff Undercuffler threw four touchdown passes, bringing his season total to 24. He is now just one shy of the program single-season record, set by Dan DiLella in 2011. Mencer has 8.5 sacks, just 0.5 behind Eddie Delaney (2011) for the single-season record.
As for Maine last week, they snapped a three-game losing streak with a 34-25 win over Wil
liam & Mary. Freshman quarterback Joe Fagnano threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns in the victory.
The Black Bears have scored 78 points over their past two outings, and they rank first in the CAA in passing offense, averaging 322.5 yards per game. Coming off an appearance in the FCS National Semifinals last season, Maine was picked to finish third in the CAA Preseason Poll.
UAlbany is finding conference success this season, their 3-1 start in conference play is its best since joining the league for the 2013 season. The Great Danes rank third in the CAA in both points scored per game (33.6) and points allowed per game (23.6).
UAlbany has won five straight at Casey Stadium, dating back to last season’s 25-23 win over No. 10 Stony Brook in the season finale and followed by this year’s wins over Bryant,
Lafayette, William & Mary and Rhode Island. The win over Bryant marked UAlbany’s sixth straight win in a home opener.
Offensively, UAlbany averages 33.6 points per game, the third most in the CAA. The offense has been led by Undercuffler, whose 24 TD passes rank third nationally and first in the league; Karl Mofor, who averages 94.5 yards per game, the second most in the CAA; and Juwan Green, who averages 99.1 receiving yards per game, also second most in the CAA.
The UAlbany defense has forced 19 turnovers (12 fumble recoveries, seven interceptions) and scored four times. In the opener at Central Michigan, Mencer had a strip sack, fumble return for touchdown, and against Bryant, Jarren Williams hauled in a deflected pass and ran 63 yards for a Pick 6. Dante Mount also scored on a 26-yard fumble return at Towson. And Nick Griffin took back a fumble against Rhode Island.
UAlbany received votes in the STATS FCS Top 25 poll each of the past two weeks. This past week, the Great Danes were sixth among teams receiving votes. UAlbany last was ranked in the Top 25 in September 2017, when it was No. 19 after starting the season 3-1.
The University at Albany football program is honoring its 50th anniversary in 2019, celebrating a tradition of excellence that dates back to its founding in 1970. The Great Danes’ milestone season coincides with the 150th anniversary of College Football. UAlbany’s football history includes six Division I conference championships and an FCS playoff appearance in 2011. The program has won 300 games and seen 15 student-athletes sign NFL contracts. It all began in 1970, when former coach Bob Ford, with a roster of about 50 players and four graduate assistant coaches, restarted a club team that had been inactive since 1924. Just three seasons later, UAlbany moved up to Division III and went 16-2 over its first two campaigns. The program later transitioned to Division II in 1995 and then Division I in 1999.