fb 2024 Game #3: 9/14/24 - 4PM EST at Idaho

[Eli]

Last Up: L (49-14) @ West Virginia
Next Up: @ Idaho (1-1, lost to Oregon by 10 and beat Wyoming by 4)
Time/Date: 9/14/24 @ 4PM EST
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Local Radio: 104.5 The Team
Opposing Team Fan Forum: https://247sports.com/college/idaho/board/vandal-football-103901/

 

[UAalum72]

Albany falls to #23 in Massey rating, Idaho up to #4, favored by 14 (81%)

[Eli]

Should be a good game. Would love to beat those folks again. 

[UAalum72]

The weekly polls are in 

Sagain favors Idaho by 13+

Any Given Saturday -  Idaho #4, Albany #18  https://www.anygivensaturday.com/showthread.php?363562-AGS-Poll-Results-2024-Week-2&p=3205444&viewfull=1#post3205444

STATS poll - Idaho #4, Albany #17 https://theanalyst.com/na/2024/09/st...-state-on-rise

AFCA Coaches' Poll - Idaho #5, Albany #15 https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/football/fcs/afca-fcs-coaches-poll

 

[reeder]

 

[Eli]

Their game thread for us. MrVandal seems to have beef with someone - I don't remember many, if any people, talking any nonsense on their forum so I think he's a bit confused.

https://247sports.com/college/idaho/board/103901/contents/albany-236015253/?page=1

Should be a good game but I am not expecting much with so many new faces - the key is to be great in CAA and use the OOC to get better even if it means losing.

Edited September 11 by Eli

[cwdickens]

From Wednesday morning's Times-Union:

FCS rematch in Idaho

Danes meet Vandals in game that was set prior to 2023 contest Idaho coach Jason Eck said he doesn’t see Saturday’s contest against UAlbany as a “revenge game” for last year's playoff loss.

The Danes beat the Vandals 30-22 in the FCS quarterfinals. BY MARK SINGELAIS

The University at Albany football team didn’t look like much two years ago when Idaho scheduled the Great Danes for Saturday’s nonleague game in Moscow, Idaho. The Great Danes stumbled to a 3-8 record in 2022 while Idaho was looking for a home game for the 2024 season. Vandals deputy athletic director Tim Mooney came to coach Jason Eck with a proposal. “Mooney said, ‘Hey, we’ve got this 3-8 Albany team that’ll come and play us in ‘24,” Eck recalled Monday. “We agreed on how much we’ll pay and we said, ‘Hey, great.’

Then the next year they go to the (Football Championship UAlbany coach Greg Gattuso said while it's nice his team has familiarity with Idaho's Kibbie Dome, it won't help the Great Danes win Saturday's rematch. Gattuso added: “You’ve got to go out and play.” Subdivision) semifinals and they’re outstanding. So like the stock market, we bought low and now we’ve got to play them pretty high.”

In fact, the Vandals got an up-close look at UAlbany’s rise from also-ran to national contender a year ago. The Great Danes beat Idaho 30-22 in the FCS quarterfinals at P1FCU Kibbie Dome last December to earn their first trip to the semifinals. With a much different team, 15th-ranked UAlbany (1-1) returns to Moscow at 4 p.m. Saturday for the rematch against fourth-ranked Idaho (1-1). UAlbany is getting a $250,000 guarantee from Idaho for making the trip, according to the UAlbany athletic department, coming a week after the Great Danes received $475,000 for their 49-14 loss to West Virginia in Morgantown.

UAlbany coach Greg Gattuso said his team will be staying in the same Idaho hotel as last season. The Great Danes ended Idaho’s season in front of a crowd of 9,372 at the Kibbie Dome. Gattuso was asked if last year’s victory helps the Great Danes in the rematch. “I’ve never been one to believe in momentum like that,” Gattuso responded. “It helps us in the sense we understand the Kibbie Dome. It’s a great place to play. That’s good experience. Last year, we were worried. I mean, they’re loud in there. The crowd gets going, and sometimes I don’t really think home fans realize how valuable it is when there’s a roar going in critical moments and they do a great job there.”

Saturday will be Idaho’s home opener after a pair of impressive nonconference road games against Football Bowl Subdivision foes. They pushed then-No. 3 Oregon to the limit before losing 24-14 in Eugene, then won 17-13 against Wyoming of the Mountain West in Laramie. “We understand the talent they have and what a great coach Coach Eck (is) and his staff, they do a great job,” Gattuso said. “Does it help us? Sure it does. Familiarity is nice. Does it help you win the game? No. You’ve got to go out and play and we’ve got some improving to do to beat them at their place.”

UAlbany has a new quarterback, Myles Burkett, and no defensive starters returning from the team that beat Idaho last year. The Vandals have eight defensive starters back. Just like the Great Danes lost quarterback Reese Poffenbarger (Miami) to the transfer portal, Idaho quarterback Gevani McCoy transferred to Oregon State. It’s uncertain who will start for the Vandals on Saturday. First-string quarterback Jack Layne broke his collarbone against Oregon and second-stringer Jack Wagner sprained his shoulder against Wyoming. Eck said Monday that Wagner hadn’t been ruled out for UAlbany, but more would be known later in the week. If he can’t go, third-stringer Nick Josifek, a redshirt freshman, would get his first college start.

Eck said payback for last year won’t be motivation for his team against UAlbany. “I think it’s just another step for us and we’ve got to keep building,” he said. “They (UAlbany) know they can win here. They’ve won here before. I don’t think this really ties into being a revenge game or anything."

[UAalum72]

From th TU, as has been noted here

UAlbany defense is work in progress

[DanesRGood]

I'm very confused by that illegal man downfield call.  When they showed the reply, all 5 linemen were not downfield. Must be the right call because the coaches weren't going nuts.  

And missed the FG.  Ugh. 

[UAalum72]

Maybe somebody with a non-receiver number, or lined up wrong.

But the tackling still doesn't look good

[GreatDanes06]

Defense doesn’t look good at all. Idaho o-line allowing for easy plays for Vandals.

[DanesRGood]

Red zone offense concerning. 

Edited September 14 by DanesRGood

[ctdanes]

Run defense is gonna be a real problem.  D line getting pushed around bad. All 3 games

[jimbo]

O looks ok. D is a shadow of last year. 

[Clickclack]

Big step back defensively, I think offense will be fine.