University of Albany FCS Football QB Vinny Esposito Chosen Northeast Conference Offensive Player of the Week - UAlbany Sports 2009

Somerset, N.J. - University at Albany's Vinny Esposito has been selected Northeast Conference Offensive Player of the Week in football, as announced on Monday, Nov. 23 by the conference office. Esposito received the weekly award for the second time this season.

Esposito, a senior quarterback from Demarest, N.J., accounted for four touchdowns, all in the first half, in last Saturday's 41-28 victory against Wagner. He threw touchdown passes of nine and 14 yards to help stake his team to a 21-7 lead. Esposito added scoring runs of 8 and 1 yards in the final minutes of the second quarter to help build a 20-point halftime margin. He completed 14 of 21 passes for 248 yards, the eighth time in his career that he surpassed the 200-mark. Esposito made a key play in the final quarter when he fired a 29-yard strike to Tim Bush on a third-and-18 play that ignited a touchdown drive.

Among the program's all-time leaders in several categories, Esposito completed his career second in both passing yards (5,692) and touchdown passes (38). UAlbany (7-4, NEC 6-2) finished in second place in the NEC standings, one game behind league champion Central Connecticut State.

Paw Prints: The Great Danes reached the seven-win mark for the fourth consecutive season ... the Great Danes have posted six or more victories in Northeast Conference play on six occasions ... TB Justin Gannon tied a career-high with 205 all-purpose yards against Wagner ... Gannon rushed for a career-high 86 yards on 19 carries and scored on a 12-yard run in the fourth quarter to seal the outcome ... QB/TB Andrew Smith ran for 98 yards, one off his career-best total, and scored a pair of touchdowns in the opening quarter ... WR Tim Bush made five catches for 77 yards and is the school's all-time leader with 147 career receptions ... FS Dave Casale had seven tackles and is No. 18 on the career list with 224 ... ILB Justin Brancaccio, who has a team-high nine stops vs. Wagner, ended up eighth on the all-time tackles chart with 261 ... TB David McCarty was plagued by seven different injuries in his final season and left last week's game in the second quarter with a hip injury ... McCarty finished his career as the program's leader in rushing yards (4,287), all-purpose yards (4,976) and career 100-yard rushing games (24).

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information