David McCarty Leads Football to Third Straight win in 58-21 Triumph at NEC-Rival Saint Francis

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Loretto, Pa. -- David McCarty rushed for a career-high 170 yards and two touchdowns in leading UAlbany to its third straight win in a 58-21 Northeast Conference victory over Saint Francis, Pa. on Saturday, Oct. 20 at DeGol Field.

UAlbany (4-3, NEC 2-0) accounted for 482 total yards in recording its highest point total since Oct. 4, 2003. The Great Danes moved into a virtual tie for first place in the conference standings with Central Connecticut State.

McCarty, a sophomore tailback, broke two tackles and cut back to his right with a 63-yard scamper on the first play of the second half. Quarterback Vinny Esposito, who connected on 11-of-15 for 130 yards, found split end Irani DeAraujo with an eight-yard scoring pass on a slant pattern for a 38-7 lead.

Saint Francis (0-6, 0-3) came right back with two quick touchdowns. George Little, who passed for 283 yards on 19-of-30 attempts, fired a 60-yard bomb to Antoine Rivera to set up the first score. Following an on-side kick recovery, the Red Flash closed the gap to 38-21 on Little's three-yard TD pass to Ryan Zarnich.

UAlbany then used its ground game to halt any comeback and chew up the clock. Esposito's one-yard sneak capped an eight-play sequence, with McCarty running on five of those plays. In the fourth quarter, Omar Johnson scored on a six-yard blast and freshman fullback Chris Bright reached the end zone on a two-yard run. The Great Danes finished with 334 net rushing yards, the highest figure since 2004.

"It was close to a magnificent day for our special teams and they just couldn't match up upfront with our offensive line,” said UAlbany head coach Bob Ford. “The score went higher because we gave up a long pass and then an on-side kick (in the third quarter), so we had to put the game away."

The Great Danes snapped a 7-7 tie in the first quarter when flanker Tim Bush reached paydirt on a 31-yard scoring pass from Esposito. Bush hauled in the throw in the left flat and crossed the goal line courtesy of DeAraujo's downfield block inside the five-yard line.

McCarty, who toppled the 100-yard mark for the third time this fall, scored on a 13-yard run over right guard to hand his team a 21-7 advantage. Daniel Bocanegra's 53-yard punt return, the longest by a UAlbany player since 1999, set up the touchdown. McCarty's 10-yard scoring run completed a seven-play drive in the second quarter. The sophomore tailback drove through a pile of players and into the end zone for his fifth rushing TD of the season. Jason Fralicker's 24-yard fiield goal with 34 seconds left in the quarter gave his team a 31-7 halftime lead.

UAlbany struck first when outside linebacker Trevor DuPont picked off Little's pass in the left flat on the second play of the game and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown. The Red Flash regrouped with a 75-yard march. Little delivered a 43-yard scoring strike to Troy Eison, who got behind the free safety on the left sideline.

"The offensive line had their way and have been getting stronger in every game,” said Esposito, whose team had no turnovers for the fourth time this season. “We played well enough to score points, but it was not 100 percent perfect. (David) McCarty is running with confidence. He feels comfortable because he has established himself. It's his position with his ability to run and pass block."