fb 2023 Game #10: 11/4/23 - 1:00PM vs William & Mary

[godanesgo99]

1 hour ago, Dane96 said:

https://www.espn.com/college-football/standings/_/view/fcs-i-aa

First place is cool and all, and think UA is there with tie breakers, but the best part of the standings is SBU on the bottom. WTF is a Seawolf?

[alum73]

I'm very disappointed in the lack of discipline after the whistle.  You really have to put the team ahead of your personal feelings.  In a close game it could be the difference. 

[tnehurley]

AGREE!

[UAalum72]

1 hour ago, Dane96 said:

Massey has not updated however, it is mildly absurd the teams who were ahead of us (we came in at 20).  Nova, who we steamrolled, was at 17 and I expect them to climb with their massive win today.  Delaware was at 10...also ridiculous if you look at whom they played. Missouri Valley and Big Sky literally own the top 15, with a combined 11 teams in the top 15.

 

Lafayette lost to Colgate today, and Incarnate Word, ranked 15 in Massey, and their 83rd SOS is getting blasted by Nicholls tonight, so there should be a shakeup this week.

[cwdickens]

UALBANY 24, WILLIAM & MARY 8

 

Danes surge into tie for first

Big plays by Easton, Hall help No. 23 UAlbany dominate

 

By Mark Singelais

Jim Franco/Times Union

UAlbany senior Brevin Easton makes a sliding touchdown catch on the game’s third play to help lead the Danes to a win.

ALBANY — University at Albany wide receiver Brevin Easton called it a “really routine” play, when it looked like anything but that.

His diving 37-yard touchdown catch from a heavily pressured Reese Poffenbarger on the game’s third play sent the 23rd-ranked Great Danes on their way to a convincing 24-8 victory over No. 24 William & Mary in front of 3,518 fans at Casey Stadium.

 

“It definitely was a great start to what we wanted to do,” Easton said. “We wanted to move fast and our goal is to have teams play from behind so they have to throw the ball so our pass-rushers can get after them. … It was a deep ball. Me and Reese connect on that type of stuff all the time in practice, so it was really routine, honestly.”

There’s nothing ordinary in general about the Great Danes (7-3 overall, 5-1 CAA), who took another step toward the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs and moved into a five-way tie for first place with Delaware, Elon, Richmond and Villanova with two weeks remaining.

UAlbany, vying for its first CAA championship, travels to play winless Stony Brook for the Golden Apple Trophy next Saturday.

“It’s just keep winning,” UAlbany head coach Greg Gattuso said. “So many coaches talk about go 1-0 that week, but we’ve got our kids trusting the concept of win every day, whether it’s resting properly, rehabbing, learning, practicing, we’re just trying to be a complete football team and they’ve really bought into what we’re doing. We’re not worried about anybody else. We’re really not. If we win, it’s obviously a massive thing. This was a big win for our kids.”

Another memorable play came from UAlbany cornerback Aamir Hall, whose 45-yard interception return gave the Great Danes a 17-0 lead with 2:07 left in the first half.

Coming on a blitz, Hall stopped and leaped to intercept Darius Wilson’s pass into the right flat. Though Wilson caught up to him at the William & Mary 25, Hall kept running while in Wilson’s grasp and pulled the quarterback into the end zone. UAlbany defensive tackle Elijah Hills helped push Hall the final 10 yards even as Tribe offensive lineman Rian Haigler also attempted a tackle.

Hall said his mother gave him motivation.

“It was just me and (Wilson) between the end zone,” Hall said. “I knew that I wanted to get in today. I talked to my mom last night, and she said, ‘All you need is a pick and a touchdown now.’ It’s funny because she actually manifested that for me today. … Ended up doing that for her today and that’s really just a blessing.”

The play highlighted a stellar day for the UAlbany defense, which came up with its most recent goal-line stand in the third quarter.

On second down from the 3, UAlbany linebacker Dylan Kelly stopped William & Mary running back Martin Lucas just shy of the end zone. Then the Great Danes stuffed Lucas on direct snaps from inside the 1 on third and fourth down. Safety Larry Walker Jr. was credited with the fourth-down tackle.

Though William & Mary helped UAlbany by going with shotgun snaps instead of a simple quarterback sneak, the Great Danes still rose to the challenge.

“They believe,” Gattuso said. “Dylan Kelly, Ori Jean (-Charles), that linebacking corps is so aggressive and our corners show up. We commit to it. That front four, it’s a commitment to getting underneath the offensive linemen. That kind of stuff is want-to more than anything else. They’ve got to want to play like that.”

Gattuso wasn’t happy with a William & Mary player walking down UAlbany’s path to the field before the game, which Gattuso called “not acceptable.” Hall said it fired up the Great Danes.

While the Great Danes sometimes lost their cool with eight penalties for 88 yards, including three personal fouls and one unsportsmanlike conduct, they still earned a dominant win.

Poffenbarger threw for 205 yards and a touchdown and Griffin Woodell of Glens Falls ran for 100 yards, including a15-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

[dslyank]

17 hours ago, alum73 said:

I'm very disappointed in the lack of discipline after the whistle.  You really have to put the team ahead of your personal feelings.  In a close game it could be the difference. 

While basically I agree more restrain and discipline should have/could have been in order. On the other hand W&M was dishing it out pretty good; as some mentioned the game was very chippy. W&M often would make the first blow and UA got caught & the penalty by retaliating. The problem is if you take the punch out of the fight, you take the "punch" out of the fight. This is ONE tough UA defense, and of course there is a time to back down to avoid a penalty; but also a time to BE TOUGH period.

[alum73]

20 minutes ago, dslyank said:

While basically I agree more restrain and discipline should have/could have been in order. On the other hand W&M was dishing it out pretty good; as some mentioned the game was very chippy. W&M often would make the first blow and UA got caught & the penalty by retaliating. The problem is if you take the punch out of the fight, you take the "punch" out of the fight. This is ONE tough UA defense, and of course there is a time to back down to avoid a penalty; but also a time to BE TOUGH period.

You are playing a game where you are hitting and getting hit on almost every play. I think you are tougher if you ignore the pushing and punching after the play.  Going after your knees,  retaliate during the play.

[Clickclack]

I've been EXTREMELY critical of Gattuso...I've been watching quietly all season. They have done an incredible job with this team. If he deserved the ridicule of past years, the deserves credit for thisl Good for him...probably the best team I've ever seen in my 20 years of watching UA football. Poff is real difference makers and has incredible weapons to toss to. Oline giving him time...defense pins ears back and goes. 

This is a good product!

[godanesgo99]

2 hours ago, Clickclack said:

I've been EXTREMELY critical of Gattuso...I've been watching quietly all season. They have done an incredible job with this team. If he deserved the ridicule of past years, the deserves credit for thisl Good for him...probably the best team I've ever seen in my 20 years of watching UA football. Poff is real difference makers and has incredible weapons to toss to. Oline giving him time...defense pins ears back and goes. 

This is a good product!

Agreed. Definitely been a good watch as a fan and great season for the team. I'm not ready to stop being critical of extensions in the past, but definitely on the road to changing my tune. While he needs a few years of success to get off the proverbial hot seat, my hat is off to the season they are having and I look forward to eating crow if sustained improvement can happen.

[Clickclack]

1 hour ago, godanesgo99 said:

Agreed. Definitely been a good watch as a fan and great season for the team. I'm not ready to stop being critical of extensions in the past, but definitely on the road to changing my tune. While he needs a few years of success to get off the proverbial hot seat, my hat is off to the season they are having and I look forward to eating crow if sustained improvement can happen.

Yeah, there should be no talk of extension until he can have more then 2 good seasons in a decade. We'll see how the rest of this one goes but this is a conversation for a different time. 

Edited November 7, 2023 by Clickclack