University of Albany QB Vinny Esposito Accounts for Four TDs in Football's 41-28 NEC Victory Against Wagner - UAlbany Sports 2009

Staten Island, N.Y. - Senior quarterback Vinny Esposito passed for two touchdowns and ran for two scores, all in the first half, in leading UAlbany to a 41-28 Northeast Conference victory over Wagner on Saturday, Nov. 21 at Wagner College Stadium. The Great Danes finished their season alone in second place in the conference standings, one game behind league champion Central Connecticut State.

UAlbany (7-4, NEC 6-2) had to hold on in the second half after building a 20-point lead at the intermission. Wagner (6-5, NEC 5-3) controlled the third quarter and closed within 34-21 on freshman quarterback Nick Doscher's 2-yard run over right tackle with 10:26 left in the stanza. The Seahawks were looking for most points at the end of the period, but David Lopez missed a 45-yard field goal.

The Great Danes immediately responded with an 8-play, 72-yard drive to start the final quarter. Esposito, who connected on 14 of 21 passes for 248 yards, found Tim Bush with a 29-yard completion on third-and-18 to keep the series alive. Justin Gannon, a senior tailback, capped the sequence with a 12-yard touchdown run for a 41-20 lead with 11:40 to play. Gannon, who got the majority of the work with David McCarty sidelined by a hip injury, finished with a career-high 86 yards on 19 carries.

Doscher, a 22-year-old who was originally was selected in the Major League Baseball draft by the Kansas City Roylas, moved his team 72 yards to get his club within two scores. Doscher worked his way to the right on fourth-and-goal at the UAlbany 13 and fired a touchdown strike to Justin Matthews, who was wide open in the back of the end zone. The college rookie passed for 156 yards and added 78 on the ground.

But that was as close as the Seahawks would get, as UAlbany used its rushing attack to run down the clock. Andrew Smith, a redshirt freshman, keyed that action and had 98 rushing yards on 15 attempts. Safety Emerson Kinsey intercepted a Doscher pass on the sideline to seal the outcome with 2:42 to play.

"We responded to everything that they gave us," said UAlbany coach Bob Ford, whose team reached the seven-win mark for the fourth consecutive season. "We were a little sloppy in the kicking game and their quarterback is going to give a lot people headaches during his career."

The Great Danes scored twice in a one-minute-and-44-second span of the first quarter to take a 14-0 lead.Smith reached paydirt on an 8-yard run when he faked into the line out of the quarterback position and darted through the middle. After outside linebacker Jon Morgan recovered a fumble, Esposito, the starting signal-caller, hit Smith, out of the tailback spot, in the right flat with a 9-yard touchdown pass.

Wagner regrouped with a 10-play, 83-yard march behind the Doscher's play. Dominque Williams, who rushed for 101 yards, finished off that series with a 28-yard rumble over the right side for a touchdown with 7:32 left in the second quarter. The Great Danes responded with a seven-play drive. Esposito hooked up with McCarty on a 35-yard screen pass, before Smith rushed for 27 yards. Esposito's 14-yard TD pass to fullback Chris Kenneally gave his team a 21-7 advantage.

The Seahawks' Frantz Placide took the following kickoff 89 yards to end zone when he broke through a wedge and sped down the right sideline. UAlbany came back with two scores in the late stages of the period to build a 34-14 halftime lead. Esposito worked his way around right end on an 8-yard option run for the first touchdown. The senior then executed a perfect three-play series from near midfield. He threw a pair of 25-plus yard passes to Gannon and then went over from 1-yard out on a sneak.

"With (David) McCarty sidelined I just wanted to do my part," offered Gannon, who totaled 194 all-purpose yards in his final game as a collegian. "It feels great after the last two games did not go our way. We will always remember this game rather than the losses."

Both UAlbany and Wagner had opportunities to share the conference title coming into the contest. However, Central Connecticut State ended those dreams when the Blue Devils rallied in the fourth quarter for the second straight week in a 14-13 road win against Saint Francis, Pa.

"Everything is kind of sublime right now," said UAlbany's Dave Nicomini, a senior outside linebacker who had eight tackles. "We have had a great run (as seniors) and will miss each other. But we battled through some adversity and we are leaving on a good note."

Paw Prints: UAlbany has posted seven or more wins in eight of their 11 seasons at the NCAA FCS Division I level ... the Great Danes finished with six victories conference play for the sixth time, including three years in a row ... UAlbany is now 5-1 following a bye week as a FCS program ... wide receiver Tim Bush had five catches for 77 yards in his final game and finishes his career as the school's all-time receptions leaders (147) ...senior linebacker Justin Brancaccio had a team-high nine tackles and is eighth on career charts with 261 ...

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information