University of Albany FCS Football Battles Sacred Heart in Northeast Conference Opener at University Field on Saturday - UAlbany Sports 2009

Albany, N.Y. - UAlbany tangles with Sacred Heart in the Northeast Conference opener on Saturday, Sept. 26 at University Field. Kickoff is 4:00 p.m. Fans can listen to the game on Fox Sports 980, WOFX-AM. Tickets are available by contacting the UAlbany Ticket Office, 518-442-4683.

The Pioneers are coming off a bye week after beginning the 2009 campaign with losses to Marist and No. 25 Holy Cross. Sacred Heart was picked fourth in the NEC preseason coaches poll and had six players chosen to the preseason all-conference squad. Head coach Paul Gorham led the program to its highest win total since 2001 in last year's 8-3 season.

Quarterback Dale Fink earned first team All-NEC recognition last season. Fink, who has connected on 60 of 97 pass attempts for 509 yards and two touchdowns, is the school's all-time leader in TD passes (48). Wide receiver Steve Tedesco, an honorable mention preseason All-American, holds the program's records for career receptions (179) and touchdown catches (27). Running back Garry Coles is 15th among the nation's leaders in all-purpose yards at 155.5 per game. Coles, a first-team all-league return specialist, scored on a 99-yard kickoff return against Holy Cross.

Defensive end Bill O'Brien (6-4, 260) and strong safety Andre Isla were each named second-team all-conference one year ago. Chris Mandas, a sophomore inside linebacker, leads the team in tackles with 15. Cornerback Titus McIntosh has 13 tackles and four pass break-ups.

The Great Danes broke through into the win column in last Saturday's thrilling come-from-behind victory against No. 20 Maine. UAlbany rallied from a double-figure deficit in the fourth quarter for the first time as a Division I FCS program. Quarterback Vinny Esposito threw a 22-yard scoring pass to tight end Paul Booker before Herb Glass kicked a field goal that closed the gap to 16-13. Chris Simpson, the ECAC and NEC defensive player of the week, forced a fumble on a third-down option run that led to David McCarty's winning touchdown, a 24-yard run with 2:02 remaining.

Head coach Bob Ford, who is sixth among the Division I FCS all-time leaders in career victories with 235, has led UAlbany to four NEC championships this decade. The Great Danes have won eight of 10 conference openers since joining the league in 1999.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information