UAlbany Football Writeups

UAlbany cornerback familiar with Hofstra.

ALBANY ­— Jean Juste knows Hofstra University well because he lived the length of a football field from the Hempstead campus and made a summer routine of attending the New York Jets' training camp there.

"When I was a child, I used to just ride my bike there and hang out there and get a peek at the players," said Juste, who got autographs from Keyshawn Johnson and Curtis Martin.

The Jets are gone from Hofstra for good — they've relocated their headquarters to Florham Park, N.J., but Juste is returning.

The junior starts at cornerback for the University at Albany (0-1), which meets Hofstra (0-1) in a nonleague game at 7 p.m. Saturday in James M. Shuart Stadium.

His only other trip back to Long Island as a player came when he played sparingly as a redshirt freshman against Stony Brook in 2006 (when UAlbany once again was victorious).

"It's a great opportunity," Juste said. "This is the first opportunity I really have at playing at home with my family coming to see me. I'm excited to see them and for them to watch me play."

Juste has competed on Hofstra's field only once, in an all-star game after his senior year at Uniondale High School. He then chose to attend UAlbany as a two-sport athlete. He's also a 110-meter hurdler who won the America East championship in outdoor track last spring.

After redshirting as a freshman in 2005, Juste made his debut a year later and made 13 tackles. He got his break against Cornell that season, making his first start and holding his own when cornerbacks Rashad Barksdale and Ryan Chrobak were both injured.

Juste started all 12 games last season and made 34 tackles.

Still looking for his first career interception, Juste made three tackles in UAlbany's 28-16 loss to No. 5 Massachusetts in the season opener on Aug. 30.

Now the Great Danes prepare to play Hofstra, another Colonial Athletic Association team, which is coming off a 35-3 loss to Connecticut of the Big East.

Juste and starting cornerback L.B. McCloskey will cover a potent group of Hofstra receivers that includes speedy 5-foot-10 sophomore Anthony Nelson and 6-5 senior Ottis Lewis.

They both played in Hofstra's 28-13 win at UAlbany last year.

"They're very athletic," Juste said. "I feel like we match up well against them. So it's going to be a real hard-fought game and test how much we've grown."

Hofstra won't have senior quarterback Bryan Savage, who was scratched less than 45 minutes before the UConn game with a herniated disc in his back. Savage had season-ending surgery this week and is replaced by junior Cory Christopher.

By MARK SINGELAIS

Albany at Hofstra. Albany’s “Theater of Pain” tour continues: after a week off after frightening the pants off of UMass fans after their Great Danes succumbed 28-16 to the Minutemen, Albany takes Week Two in their tour of the CAA against Bryan Savage-less Hofstra this week. The Pride have had more than two weeks to prepare for their clash with Albany after losing Savage in a 35-3 loss to FBS UConn. But I think the loss of Savage might be too much to overcome: behind the running of runningback David McCarty, I think the Danes take this game – handily – and the discussion about the merits of Albany making the FCS playoffs start on Sunday morning.

Albany 24, Hofstra 10.

By Charles Burton, CSN Columnist