University of Albany FCS Football Holds Off Sacred Heart, 22-9, in Northeast Conference Opener at University Field - UAlbany Sports 2009

Albany, N.Y. - David McCarty rushed for 105 yards and one touchdown in leading UAlbany to a 22-9 victory over Sacred Heart in the Northeast Conference opener for both teams on Saturday, Sept. 26 at University Field. The Great Danes, who went unbeaten in league play the last two seasons, extended their conference win streak to 14 in a row.

Sacred Heart (0-3, NEC 0-1) closed within 16-9 on Matt Fisher's 23-yard field goal with 9:00 remaining. The Pioneers appeared to stop UAlbany (2-2, NEC 1-0) on the next offensive series. But on fourth-and-three at their own 43-yard line, the Great Danes' Andrew Smith ran for the first down off the faked punt.

Quarterback Vinny Esposito later threw a third-down, 31-yard completion to wide receiver Tim Bush to keep the sequence on schedule. McCarty then lugged the ball five consecutive times to the end zone with 3:58 to play. The senior tailback, who has run for 100 or more yards 21 times as a collegian, scored on a 4-yard blast, as he bounced off a defender and across the goal line.

"We were fortunate to win, but we had no turnovers and played fairly well on defense and in the kicking game," said UAlbany coach Bob Ford, whose program has the longest Division I FCS conference win skein. "We are struggling to sustain a drive on offense. On the other hand, the defense controlled things."

UAlbany's defense set up a pair of field goals in the first quarter for a 6-0 lead. Cornerback Jean Juste forced a fumble following a completed pass and defensive end Tony Sparano recovered, leading to Herb Glass' 24-yard kick. Linebacker Chris Wilk's first career interception and 30-yard return led to another field goal.

After Sacred Heart's Fisher kicked a 28-yard field goal in the second quarter, Emerson Kinsey broke clean on a 50-yard kickoff return. The Great Danes put together a nine-play scoring drive to build a 13-3 advantage. Esposito, who connected on 11 of 22 attempts for 144 yards, hit on three third-down passes to keep the series alive. He moved to his right and found Justin Gannon with a short pass in the flat and the senior tailback used his blocking en route to a 24-yard score.

Outside linebacker Rich Duff picked off starting quarterback Dale Fink late in the first half and rumbled 34 yards deep into SHU territory. Glass added his school-record third field goal, a 24-yard kick. The Pioneers sliced the deficit to 16-6 in the third quarter behind reserve signal-caller Tyler McKeon, who passed for 118 yards. The 12-play, 76-yard drive ended in Fisher's 21-yard field goal.

The Pioneers, who were coming off a bye week, looked to record their first win in this series since 2001 with a serious threat in the final period. McKeon, a 6-foot-2 sophomore, fired a 27-yard completion to Rich Rossi inside the Albany 1-yard line. However, the Great Danes stopped two rushing plays and sacked McKeon on third down to force Fisher to make his third field goal.

"We can't bend or break in that situation," explained UAlbany outside linebacker Dave Nicomini, who totaled five tackles, one sack and three pass break-ups. "It's an attitude that you are not going to let them in (the end zone). We made the plays."

The Great Danes, who broke a school mark that had stood since 1974 with their 10th consecutive home win, held the visitors to 267 total yards, including 71 on the ground. Gannon added 55 rushing yards to his touchdown reception.

"Their defense moved around with twists and stunts and that may have bothered us and messed with us up front," offered Esposito, whose club has won nine of 11 NEC openers since joining the league in 1999. "We moved the ball, but didn't finish drives. We are always trying to establish the run, but I need to get our receivers the football. I am confident we can do that."

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information