Courtesy: UAlbany Sports InformationAlbany, N.Y. – Jason Fralicker booted a 17-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining to lift UAlbany to a 24-23 victory over Stony Brook in a non-conference matchup on Saturday, Oct. 6 at University Field. The game was delayed twice for a combined one hour and 38 minutes due to lightning and thunderstorms.
Stony Brook (3-3) rallied from a 21-6 deficit in the third quarter behind the play of wide receiver Lynell Suggs, who hauled in a career-high 13 passes for 200 yards. Quarterback Josh Dudash hooked up with Suggs on a 69-yard scoring strike down the left sideline to begin the comeback. Dudash, who completed 20 of 32 passes, then engineered a 14-play, 86-yard drive on his team’s next possession. He found Dwayne Eley in the right flat to the UAlbany two-yard line for a first down. But Eley fumbled while fighting for more yardage and Suggs recovered the loose ball in the end zone for a touchdown. Dudash then hit Suggs on a slant pattern for the two-point conversion and a 21-21 tie.
The Seawolves, who had won the last two meetings in this series based partly on UAlbany turnovers, used a safety to take the lead with 11:36 remaining in the final quarter. Dan Archer’s snap went over punter Chris Lynch’s head and out of the end zone for a 23-21 lead.
After the teams traded a series of punts, UAlbany took possession with 3:29 left and marched 79 yards in 15 plays for the winning field goal. Quarterback Vinny Esposito, who connected on 14 of 23 attempts for 155 yards, made a pair of successful third-down throws to keep the sequence alive. He hit flanker Daniel Bocanegra with a 17-yard pass to the Stony Brook 16. Sophomore tailback Dave McCarty then rumbled inside the five on a 14-yard run to set up Fralicker’s winning kick.
“There was point in that game where we looked in control,” said UAlbany coach Bob Ford, who was coaching against Chuck Priore, a former Great Dane player and assistant. “There were peaks and valleys, but good teams find a way to win. The offense put it together when they absolutely needed to.”
UAlbany (2-3) took a 7-0 lead on its opening drive when Esposito scored on a one-yard sneak. The sophomore tossed a 15-yard completion to McCarty in a third-down situation and later scrambled seven yards for a first down. The Great Danes, who were coming off a loss to nationally-ranked Montana two weeks ago, moved out to a 14-3 lead in the same period when McCarty burst through the middle and broke two tackles en route to a 16-yard TD scamper. The touchdown was set up by linebacker Mark Peretore’s fumble recovery.
Stony Brook closed within 14-6 at halftime on Luke Gaddis’ second field goal of the half, a 23-yarder with 8:45 left in the period. UAlbany built its 15-point lead on the first series of the third quarter. McCarty, who rushed 18 times for a career-high 157 yards, reached paydirt on a 46-yard dash over the left side.
“I have never really kicked a (winning) field goal in my life,” offered Fralicker, who tied the school’s record with his 22nd career field goal. “It’s never easy to make one of those and Chris (Lynch) made an amazing hold of the (high) snap.”
Stony Brook’s Conte Cuttino led all rushers with 204 yards on 34 carries, including a 63-yard scamper that produced his team’s first field goal. The Seawolves, who are playing as an independent this season, will join the Big South Conference in 2008.
“We were pretty excited to get a chance (at the end),” explained Esposito, whose 69-yard scoring pass to Mike Wall in the fourth quarter was wiped out by a holding call. “This was a big win because we needed some momentum going into the conference schedule. This is where the season starts for us.”
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