University of Albany Football Rolls On

Football outlook bright for UAlbany

With 48 letterwinners and 12 starters returning from only the third Northeast Conference team to go undefeated in league play, the defending champion University at Albany football team began spring practice Sunday with plenty of confidence.

The Great Danes will have 15 NCAA-allowed spring workouts, and will use both the Alumni Turf Field (artificial) and Mara-Tisch Field (natural) as practice sites.

UAlbany won its third Northeast Conference title last fall with an overall 8-4 record. Tailback David McCarty, from LaSalle Institute in Troy, leads an offensive unit that ranked 20th nationally in rushing at nearly 209 yards per game. Named to the Sports Network All-America squad, McCarty ran for 1,503 yards, the third-highest single-season

total in team history. He ran for at least 100 yards on eight occasions, including a career-best 247 in the championship-clinching win over Central Connecticut State.

Quarterback Vinny Esposito also returns. He passed for the second-best single-season total in program history, with 1,810 yards, and also tossed 12 TD strikes.

Right tackle Raphael Nguti

(6-foot-6, 330 pounds), center Kevin Richards (6-2, 280), from Shenendehowa, and left tackle Justin

Tougas (6-6, 308), from Queensbury, anchor the offensive line.

UAlbany lost starting kicker Jason Fralicker from its special teams and all-time leading tackler Colin Disch from its linebacking corps.

“On defense, we have to improve in the red zone,” said UAlbany head coach Bob Ford, who owns a

225-162-1 career record in 39 varsity seasons. “It’s a matter of tightening things up and being more aggressive in our approach. These practices will also allow us to identify the pass rushers and swing people on the defensive line.

“Certain elements of our run offense need to be established, and we have to become consistent in the three-step pass game. We want to review our punt returners and long snappers on special teams.”

The Danes also announced the hiring of John Allen and Eric Evans as assistant coaches and Juan Torres as director of operations. Allen will coach the receivers, and Evans will work with the tight ends.

Courtesy: Bob Weiner
Schenectady Gazette Sports Reporter