Football Plays Its Final Road Game of Season Against Conference Opponent Sacred Heart

Fairfield, Conn. - UAlbany plays its final road game of the season when the Great Danes travel to Northeast Conference opponent Sacred Heart on Saturday, Nov. 6. Kickoff is 1:00 p.m. at Campus Field. Fans can listen to the game on Fox Sports 980, WOFX-AM, with Rodger Wyland and Erik Elken handling play-by-play.

Sacred Heart (3-6, NEC 1-5) is on the upswing after recording back-to-back victories over Georgetown (33-20) and Monmouth (26-25). Head coach Paul Gorham has an explosive offense led by record-setting quarterback Dale Fink. The senior is the second-leading all-time passer in conference history with 7,994 yards. Fink, who owns 11 school passing marks, has thrown for 2,000-plus yards and 10 TDs this season. Mark Uyeno (39 receptions) and Rich Rossi (36 receptions) are the top receivers. WR Tony Patterson is among the program's career leaders with 104 catches. WR Garry Coles, a dangerous kick returner, recently returned from injury and has three TD receptions. RB Marcel Archer ran for four scores, including the game-winner with 51 seconds remaining, against Monmouth. He is tied for ninth nationally in scoring with 14 touchdowns.

Linebackers Chris Mandas and Mike Zambrano are sixth and eighth respectively, among the conference tackles leaders. Mandas totals 71 tackles, five pass break-ups and one interception. Zambrano, who made nine stops vs. Georgetown, has 67 tackles. DE Justin Embler (6-3, 250) was named to the preseason All-NEC squad. He has 44 tackles, including 11 hits for a loss, and made the game-clinching sack against Monmouth.
UAlbany (3-5, NEC 1-4) suffered its third consecutive setback one week ago. The Great Danes, who are on the road for the seventh time in nine games, have not been able to generate any momentum to this point in the season. Redshirt freshman Buddy Leathley has been solid in his first two games as the starting quarterback. He passed for a career-high 179 yards and added 68 on the ground against Bryant. WR Ryan Kirchner is his favorite target with 41 catches, the ninth-best single-season total in school history. Jon Morgan and Dave Plungas, a pair of sophomore inside linebackers, lead the defense with 43 and 37 tackles, respectively.

Paw Prints: UAlbany and Sacred Heart are meeting for the 13th time ... QB Buddy Leathley passed for 179 yards against Bryant, the highest total by a UAlbany freshman since Nov. 11, 1994 ... DE Eddie Delaney has reached the 100-career mark in tackles with 102 ... S Rob Cervini, a Rutgers transfer, had four tackles and one fumble recovery last week in his first starting assignment ... TB Andrew Smith had 100-plus all-purpose yards for the sixth time in his career ... WR Ryan Kirchner accounted for a career-best 133 all-purpose yards ... CB


Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information