No. 19 Hofstra Defeats UAlbany, 28-13, in Football's Home Opener at University Field

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Albany, N.Y. – Quarterback Bryan Savage ran for two touchdowns and passed for another in leading Hofstra, the nation’s 19th-ranked team, to a 28-13 victory over UAlbany in the Great Danes’ home opener on Saturday, Sept. 15 before 4,106 fans at University Field.

UAlbany (1-2) grabbed a 3-0 lead on its opening possession with a well-executed 18-play, 64-yard drive. Vinny Esposito, a junior quarterback, mixed the run and pass in a sequence that led to Jason Fralicker’s 31-yard field goal. Esposito, who completed 15 of 29 passes for 131 yards, converted three third-down plays with two passes and a run to the Hofstra 6-yard line.

The Pride, who were coming off a season-opening win against No. 9 Furman, then took the lead on the following kickoff when Kareem Huggins broke through the middle and sprinted 98 yards to the end zone. Hofstra (2-0) then marched 84 yards to paydirt on its next offensive possession. Savage rifled a 25-yard completion to wide receiver Charles Sullivan deep into UAlbany territory, before scoring on a 20-yard option run around right end for a 14-3 lead.

Savage, a transfer from Coffeyville Community College in Kansas who was making his second career start, guided his team on a 55-yard touchdown drive to end the second quarter. He hit tight end Phil Riley with a 21-yard pass in the middle of the defense. Savage would then sneak over from one-yard out with 16 seconds left before the break three plays later.

In the third quarter, the two teams produced points on three consecutive possessions. Fralicker made a 41-yard field goal to end a short drive that was set up by Dieuseul Joseph’s 39-yard kickoff return to begin the period. The Pride, who have won 11 of 13 meetings in this series that began in 1974, followed with Savage’s 43-yard touchdown pass to Sullivan. The junior signal-caller rolled to his right from pressure and hit Sullivan, who fought off free safety Dave Casale for the ball at the goal line.

The Great Danes regrouped with a seven-play drive to close the gap to 28-13 with 5:23 left in the period. Esposito started the march with a 22-yard scamper and finished off the march with a 9-yard scoring run on delay through the middle.

Both defenses stiffened the rest of the way as Hofstra came up with two fourth-quarter interceptions to preserve the lead. Esposito was picked off by middle linebacker Stanley Gutierrez at the Pride 36 with 8:07 remaining. Free safety David Darby sealed the verdict with an interception at this own 20-yard line with less than three minutes left.

“They have a good defense, but we had our chances in the second half,” said UAlbany coach Bob Ford, whose team was hosting the highest-ranked opponent in the program’s Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) history. “The kickoff return deflated us and it took us about the next eight minutes to get back into the game. While we have closed the gap with these teams, you still have to play well on every down to have an opportunity to win it.”

Savage connected on 19 of 28 passes for 262 yards, while Huggins ran for 73 yards on 26 carries. Sullivan had six receptions for 125 yards for the Pride, who are ranked in the Top 25 for the first time in nearly two years. David McCarty was UAlbany’s leading ball carrier with 47 yards on 16 attempts. Linebacker Colin Disch led the defense with nine tackles, while cornerback L.B. McCloskey had eight total hits and recovered a fumble.

“The return did take the wind out of our sails,” Esposito admitted. “But we had good field position in the second half and were very close to making some big plays. While we gained some confidence that we can match up with teams of their caliber, we could have scored more points. Since I have been here we have had to totally rely on the defense, and now I think we (the offense) are starting to even things out.”