Serious CAA implications as Great Danes take on New Hampshire
ALBANY, NY » The University at Albany football team and New Hampshire, two programs currently tied for second place in the CAA, meet Saturday in a pivotal conference game at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
The Great Danes are coming off of last week’s 21-17 win over Delaware. Quarterback Jeff Undercuffler continued his successful season, throwing three more touchdowns and increasing his season total to 31. The UAlbany defense shut down Delaware in the second half, and Jerah Reeves caught the game-winning touchdown pass.
On top of Undercuffler, Karl Mofor ran for 132 yards, helping UAlbany gain 186 yards on the ground for the game. Juwan Green caught seven passes for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns and UAlbany had the ball for ten minutes and 23 seconds of the fourth quarter.
“We challenged the defense. We thought the first half we were giving things away. The second half, we weren’t doing. And the turnovers turned up big for us,” said UAlbany Head Coach Greg Gattuso. “We had two big turnovers that took away their momentum and we were able to win the game.”
Undercuffler now needs just 52 yards to set the program’s new single-season record held by
Will Fiacchi, who is now the Great Danes’ wide receivers head coach. His 31 touchdowns is more than any other quarterback in the FCS and surpasses the previous record of 25 set by Dan DiLella (2011). Green has 1,306 receiving yards this season, also a program record. His 13 touchdown catches are second-most nationally and break Dan Gmelin (1997) and Ryan Kirchner’s (2011) shared record at 11. Green just needs five catches to match the single-season record of 67 set by Tim Bush in 2008.
Undercuffler has been named to the watch list for the STATS Jerry Rice Award, which is given annually to the top freshman in all of FCS. The award will be voted upon after the season by a panel of more than 150 sports information directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries.
UAlbany averages 32.1 points per game, the third most in the CAA. The Great Danes have scored more than 30 points in seven of 10 games this season. They’re 5-2 in those games. The tight ends have been a big part of the offense in the red zone this season. They have a combined 10 touchdown catches, led by LJ Wesneski’s six. Against Maine, Thomas Greaney caught the first two touchdowns of his career, the first of which came on his first career catch.
UAlbany has five players with at least 12 catches this season: Green (62), Reeves (59), Mofor (23), Donovan McDonald (15), and Wesneski (12). Also, Undercuffler has thrown touchdown passes to seven different players: Green (13), Wesneski (six), Reeves (six), Murad Hussain (two), Thomas Greaney (two), Mofor (one) and McDonald (one).
UAlbany has been at its best late in games this season, outscoring opponents 90-31 in the fourth quarter.
On the other side of the ball, defensive end Eli Mencer leads the CAA in TFLs (18.5) and is second in the league in sacks (10.5). His five forced fumbles lead the nation. Mencer’s 10.5 sacks breaks the previous mark of 9.0 sacks, set by Eddie Delaney (2011).
UAlbany’s defense has forced 22 turnovers (15 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 will honor 16 seniors, including Colonie alumni Niko Culnan, Shaker alumni Nick Griffin, Queensbury alumn Tim Voorhis, Christian Brothers Academy alumni Josh Wynn, and Saratoga alumni Griffin Clancy, in a ceremony prior to kickoff.
For New Hampshire, they are coming off of a 5416 lose to No. 2 James Madison last Saturday. That loss marked New Hampshire’s fourth straight game against a ranked opponent. The Wildcats are one of the CAA’s top defensive teams, allowing just 20.8 points per game, the second-fewest in the league. New Hampshire interim Head Coach Ricky Santos takes over for 21year coach Sean McDonnell, who took a leave of absence before the season for health reasons.
For the third time this season, UAlbany received votes in the STATS FCS Top 25 poll. UAlbany last was ranked in the Top 25 in September 2017, when it was No. 19 after starting the season 3-1.
UAlbany wraps up its regular season on the road against Stony Brook on Saturday, Nov. 23. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.