University of Albany FCS Football Rolls Past Monmouth In NEC Matchup - UAlbany Sports 2009

West Long Branch, N.J. - Vinny Esposito and Andrew Smith each passed for one touchdown and ran for another in leading UAlbany to its sixth consecutive win in a 35-10 triumph over Monmouth in Northeast Conference play on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Kessler Field.

UAlbany (6-2, NEC 5-0) scored twice off mistakes in a two-minute-and-14-second span early in the third quarter to build a 28-3 margin. Fullback Mike D'Urso fumbled a completed pass when Jon Morgan forced the turnover and inside linebacker Chris Simpson fell on the ball at the Monmouth 35. Smith, a redshirt freshman who plays both quarterback and tailback, then threw a reverse pass to a diving Tim Bush for a 31-yard touchdown with 12:11 remaining in the period.

After the Great Danes held Monmouth on downs, safety Jake Ciccarello broke through clean in the middle of the line to block Jack Daniels' punt attempt. Justin Gannon, a senior tailback, immediately bolted off left tackle and scampered to the end zone on a 23-yard touchdown run. Gannon, who accounted for 159 all-purpose yards, was subbing for injured starter David McCarty, who sprained an ankle in the second quarter and did not return.

"My job is to try and duplicate what he does," said Gannon, who rushed for 52 yards on 13 carries. "I worked on getting the right mind set at halftime and being ready if he did not play. We were able to get on top of them and finish it off."

Monmouth (3-4, NEC 2-2) closed the gap to 28-10 with 4:05 left in the third quarter when senior tailback David Sinisi, out of a wildcat formation, scored on a 3-yard run. Sinisi, who ran 24 times for 131 yards, became the conference's all-time leading rusher on the drive and now has 4,526 career yards.

The Great Danes, who last tasted defeat in league play to end the 2006 campaign, answered with a nine-play scoring sequence. Gannon's 43-yard kickoff return jump-started the series. Smith, who ran for 36 yards on 11 attempts, added a 15-yard scamper, before Esposito crossed the goal line on a 1-yard quarterback sneak with 13:42 to play. Esposito completed 12 of 19 passes for 117 yards in the contest.

"We had some big plays on special teams and then started to dominate things," explained UAlbany coach Bob Ford, who posted his 240th career win at the collegiate level and has a team that has won a conference-record 18 in a row against league opposition. "You don't always have a chance to make history in any sport. Now we have to get ready for a good opponent next week."

Monmouth broke up a scoreless deadlock in the second quarter when strong safety Kendall Haley picked off an Esposito pass that was intended for Bush. The Hawks, who started at the Albany 29-yard line, were eventually stopped as Dave Casale, the team leader with 11 tackles, broke up a third-down pass. Jake DelVento connected on a 32-yard field goal to put his team ahead.

"We take pride in being able to stop the run and then defend the pass," offered junior defensive end Mike Kelly, who had five tackles and contributed on one of his team's four sacks in a return to his hometown. "We are fortunate to able to rotate guys on the defensive line. That keeps us fresh and also able to talk about things on the sideline."

The Great Danes regrouped on their next possession with an 8-play, 70-yard march. Esposito delivered a 41-yard strike to a streaking Bush on the right sideline that set up first-and-goal at the Monmouth 7. Bush finished with seven receptions for 114 yards. On third down, Esposito found wide receiver John Lullen crossing in the middle of the end zone with a 5-yard scoring pass for a 7-3 lead.

Gannon's 16-yard punt return placed UAlbany's offense in Hawk territory to start its next series. The Great Danes moved eight plays to reach paydirt and grab a 14-3 advantage. McCarty, who left the game at the intermission with 64 yards on nine carries, busted through the middle on a 27-yard jaunt to the Monmouth 1. In a third-and-goal situation, Smith would bounce off the left side on a 1-yard touchdown run.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information