UAlbany Wins Second Consecutive Northeast Conference Football Championship in 30-11 Triumph

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Albany, N.Y. – David McCarty rushed for 104 yards and one touchdown and Tim Bush caught a pair of scoring passes, as UAlbany won its second consecutive Northeast Conference championship with a 30-11 victory over Wagner on Saturday, Nov. 15 at University Field. UAlbany (8-3, NEC 7-0) became the second team in league history to go undefeated against conference opposition in back-to-back seasons.

The Great Danes, who have earned a Gridiron Class berth against the Pioneer League champion on Dec. 6, led 9-5 in the second quarter, but then ripped off 21 unanswered points to take control. In a penalty-filled game, UAlbany executed an 11-play, 91-yard scoring drive late in the period. Quarterback Vinny Esposito hit fullback Chris Kenneally with a 30-yard pass to move across midfield, before delivering a pair throws to Bush to get into the red zone. McCarty then busted through the left side and dragged a couple of tacklers across the goal line on an 11-yard run with 1:16 left before halftime. The junior tailback set the program’s career and single-season rushing records on the touchdown blast.

The two teams traded punts in the early part of the third quarter until Wagner (3-8, NEC 1-6) advanced near midfield. But quarterback Matt Abbey was picked off in the left flat by cornerback Daniel Avery and the redshirt freshman raced up the sideline on a 56-yard touchdown return. The Great Danes pushed out to a 30-5 lead with 12:49 remaining in the final period. Esposito, who completed 15 of 25 passes for 197 yards, hooked up with Bush on a 27-yard touchdown strike. Bush hauled in a career-high 10 passes for 141 yards in the contest.

“It is hard to beat anybody,” said UAlbany coach Bob Ford, whose team won its fourth NEC title and third conference crown outright. “We have all seen favorites get upset and we have all seen good football teams lose. It is hard to beat anybody, it is hard to go undefeated, and it is hard to go undefeated two years in a row when you are picked to win the championship.”

In the second quarter, the Great Danes snapped a 3-3 deadlock with a short drive that was set up by Justin Gannon’s 32-yard kickoff return. After two runs by McCarty, Esposito connected with Bush on a 35-yard post pattern for a touchdown. But the extra point attempt was blocked by linebacker Jason Haskins and defensive back Jorel Joseph returned the loose ball 82 yards for a defensive two-point conversion.

The Seahawks, who were held to 154 total yards, scored with three minutes remaining in the final stanza when reserve quarterback Tyler Newberry tossed a 2-yard pass to tight end Morgan Mizell. Wagner’s three quarterbacks combined for 11-of-37 through the air and were intercepted three times.

“When we (the seniors) first came in we realized how much work it takes (to win a championship), said defensive tackle Tom Pandolf, who had four tackles and helped limit Wagner to 85 net yards on the ground. “You wouldn’t want to go out any other way. We just tried to treat each game like a championship.”

UAlbany’s defense kept its fifth consecutive opponent under 300 total yards in a sparkling effort. Freshman tailback Prince Young managed just 65 rushing yards on 17 carries. Linebacker Chris Simpson and defensive end Eddie Delaney each had a team-high seven tackles, as their squad tied the program’s Division I FCS record for single-season wins and extended its winning streak to seven in a row, tying another FCS mark.

McCarty shattered five school records on the day, including the single-season mark for 100-yard rushing games with 10 and the career standard with 18. ““It feels great,” he said. “This is something to be proud of, but we still have another game to play. It shows what kind of offensive line you have. I tell them every day that they do a heckuva of a job. All of the guys on the perimeter do a great job. I praise the whole offense.”

UAlbany Entertains Wagner Today with Chance to Wrap Up NEC Football Championship

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Albany, N.Y. -- UAlbany meets Northeast Conference opponent Wagner in the final regular-season football game of the season on Saturday, Nov. 15 at University Field. Kickoff is 1:00 p.m. The Great Danes, who have already earned a Gridiron Classic berth, can capture the conference championship outright with a victory. Fans can listen to the game on Fox Sports 980, WOFX-AM.

Wagner (3-7, NEC 1-5) has 16 seniors returning from last year’s 7-4 squad, but key injuries and turnovers have plagued the current season. Despite those challenges, the Seahawks’ defense has been a consistent force. Wagner is ranked No. 11 among the Division I FCS national leaders in total defense (284.4 ypg) and third in passing yards allowed (127.1 pg). Defensive end Robert Brown was named to the 2007 Associated Press All-America squad and was chosen NEC preseason defensive player of the year. The Seahawks have used two quarterbacks for most of the season. Iowa transfer Adam Farnsworth has passed for 910 yards and six touchdowns. Matt Abbey, a three-year starter, has thrown for 792 yards and four scores.

UAlbany (7-3, NEC 6-0) clinched a share of the league title in last Saturday’s 41-7 victory at Robert Morris. The Great Danes extended their winning streak to six straight, the program’s second longest at the FCS level. Free safety Dave Casale, the ECAC and NEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week, had two interceptions and returned one for a 23-yard score. UAlbany held their fourth consecutive opponent to less than 300 total yards. Tailback David McCarty, the nation’s third-leading rusher with 1,477 yards and eight TDs, can become the school’s all-time leader in that category against Wagner. Defensive tackle Tom Pandolf will be one of 14 seniors honored in a pre-game ceremony.

UAlbany Football Guaranteed A Share of North East Conference Championship With Big Win Against Robert Morris, 41-7

UAlbany Football Guaranteed A Share of North East Conference Championship With Big Win Against Robert Morris, 41-7. The Great Danes Are On Their Way To Its 2nd Straight Undefeated Conference Season, With One Game Remaining Against Wagner. This Marks 12 Consecutive Wins In NEC Competition. Also, Today's Win Guarantees UAlbany's Birth Into The GridIron Classic On December 6th Against The Pioneer League Champion. More to come...

Courtesy: UAlbany Athletics

Moon Township, Pa. -- Quarterback Vinny Esposito passed for one touchdown and ran for another in leading UAlbany to its sixth consecutive victory in a 41-7 triumph over Robert Morris on Saturday, Nov. 8 at Joe Walton Stadium. The Great Danes clinched a share of the Northeast Conference title and earned a berth in the Gridiron Classic on Dec. 6.

UAlbany (7-3, NEC 6-0) exploded for 17 third-quarter points to seal the outcome. David McCarty, who rushed for 129 yards on 25 carries, led his team to a field goal on the first possession of the second half. McCarty, a junior tailback, hauled in a18-yard screen pass to put his team in the red zone, before Herb Glass booted a 27-yard field goal for a 24-7 cushion.

Free safety Dave Casale picked off his second pass of the game and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown with 6:15 to play in the stanza. Robert Morris quarterback Erik Cwalinski, who connected on 12 of 27 attempts for 156 yards, had his pass tipped by cornerback L.B. McCloskey and Casale came up with the ball out of the air and raced untouched for the score. The Great Danes pushed out to a 38-7 lead late in the quarter with reverse tailback Justin Gannon cut back to his left on a 40-yard dash to the end zone.

“We came to play right from the start,” said Casale, who added seven tackles and led a defense that held the Colonials to 59 net rushing yards and recorded five sacks. “Each level (of the defense) played well. The defensive line got pressure, the linebackers took care of the run and defensive backs just had to worry about the pass. It’s great to reach a season-long goal (Gridiron Classic).".

UAlbany bolted to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. After a 24-yard field goal was blocked on their first drive, the Great Danes struck for two touchdowns in a two-minute span. McCarty, who tied a single-season record with his ninth 100-yard rushing effort and matched a career standard with 17th game over the century mark, bounced around left end on a 26-yard scamper, using wide receiver Jason Poore’s downfield block en route to paydirt. He extended his touchdown streak to 18 consecutive games. Outside linebacker Emerson Kinsey then blocked a punt that set up Esposito’s 1-yard quarterback sneak with 2:39 left in the period.

The Colonials, who entering the contest with three wins in a row against league opponents, put together a 15-play, 80-yard march to slice the deficit in half. Karey Murray’s 1-yard run over the right side capped the sequence. Cwalinski, a 6-foot-3 senior, kept the drive alive with a 34-yard completion to Sherrod Evers in a third-and-15 situation from the UAlbany 37.

RMU’s defense stuffed UAlbany on fourth-and-goal from the six-inch line when Adam Lawrence and Andy Walton shut off Esposito’s sneak with 6:09 remaining in the second quarter. But UAlbany’s Casale halted that momentum with his first interception of the day. The Great Danes went 56 yards in four plays behind Esposito’s passing for a 21-7 advantage. He fired a 16-yard scoring pass to wideout Daniel Bocanegra, who caught his first career touchdown pass in the middle of the end zone with two seconds to play before the intermission.

“The defense shut down their pass game and we got to the quarterback early in the game,” said UAlbany coach Bob Ford, whose team will meet the Pioneer Football League champion in the Gridiron Classic for the second straight year. “It was a close game at the start, but the special teams blocked a punt and had a couple of good kickoff returns. That was a great read by Vinny (Esposito) on the touchdown before the half. Jason (Poore) was double-covered and he looked off the defense with the throw.”

Sophomore Myles Russ, the nation’s eighth-leading rusher, was held to 66 yards on the ground, as the Colonials fell to 4-6 overall and 3-3 in the conference. Esposito, who connected on 16-of-24 through the air, threw for 153 of his 201 yards in the first half. The Great Danes, who have won 12 straight against NEC opposition, rolled up 486 total yards, the second-highest figure of the season.

University of Albany - UAlbany Athletics - Regular Season and Conference Tournament Championships

As the 2007-2008 Scholar Calendar winds down, we are able to update the university's list of regular season and tournament championships:

Total: 30 America East Conference Tournament Championships and NEC Championships in 7 years of D1 America East Competition and 9 years NEC Competition (football).



Football Champions 2002, 2003, 2007

Field Hockey Regular Season Champions 2006

Volleyball Regular Season Champions 2004, 2005, 2006
Volleyball Tournament Champions 2004, 2006, 2007

M. Basketball Regular Season Champions 2006
Men's Basketball Tournament Champions 2006, 2007

Men's Indoor Track Champions 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008

Lacrosse Regular Season Champions 2002, 2003, 2007
Lacrosse Tournament Champions 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007

Softball Regular Season Champions 2004, 2005, 2008
Softball Tournament Champions 2005, 2006, 2007

Women's Golf Tournament Champions 2004, 2008

Men's Outdoor Track Champions 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Women's Outdoor Track Champions 2006, 2007

Baseball Tournament Champions 2007



2004-2005 America East Commissioner’s Cup Winner

UAlbany Wins Northeast Conference Football Championship and Earns Gridiron Classic Bowl Berth

UAlbany will head to Pioneer League Champion Dayton to play in the GridIron Classic. The football program also has a deserved chance to gain a berth into the Football Championship Series playoffs, and will wait until the playoff field is released.

Courtesy: UAlbany Athletics

New Britain, Conn. – Sophomore tailback David McCarty rushed for a career-high 247 yards and two touchdowns as UAlbany wrapped up its first Northeast Conference championship in four years with a 49-14 victory over Central Connecticut State on Saturday, Nov. 17 at Arute Field.

UAlbany (8-3, NEC 6-0) will represent the conference in the Gridiron Classic on Dec. 1 against Dayton, the Pioneer Football League co-champion. The Great Danes, who finished the regular season by winning seven in a row, will make their first postseason appearance since 2002.

“Our offensive and defensive lines just took over,” said UAlbany’s Bob Ford, whose program captured their third NEC crown in his 35th varsity campaign as head coach. “(David) McCarty has the ability to make moves going forward and then he goes by you. This (championship) just puts us in line with the other teams at the university who have achieved excellence since we transitioned to Division I.”

Central Connecticut State (6-5, NEC 4-2) tried to rally from a 21-0 deficit by marching 76 yards in 11 plays with the second-half kickoff. Jo Jo Freeman, who ran for 71 yards on 15 carries, keyed the drive, while quarterback Ryan Holmes completed a fourth-down pass to keep the sequence alive. Holmes, a 6’3” senior, flipped a six-yard touchdown pass to tight end Greg Grochowski.

The Blue Devils, who had won 12 of their last 13 home games, were looking for more on the next time they touched the ball. But Holmes, who completed 10-of-20 for 66 yards, was forced to throw an incomplete pass when defensive end Jon Volpe applied heavy pressure on a play that originated at the UAlbany 35. The Great Danes then dominated the action from that point by reaching paydirt on their next three possessions.

McCarty, who piled up the second-highest single-game rushing total in school history, broke through the line clean and raced down the left sideline on a 47-yard scoring run for a 28-7 advantage with 3:37 remaining in the third period. Sophomore tailback Justin Gannon, who added 55 yards on the ground, did the bulk of the work in setting up quarterback Vinny Esposito’s four-yard scoring toss to tight end Dan Archer on the first play of the fourth quarter. The 49-yard drive began after Michael Dungey, a senior defensive tackle, recovered a Holmes’ fumble.

McCarty, who toppled the 100-yard rushing mark for the fifth consecutive game and seventh time this season, completed his highlight reel on a 52-yard touchdown run with 12:00 to play. He swept around left end and picked his way through the defense on the sideline en route to the goal line. CCSU’s James Mallory added a 27-yard TD run, and UAlbany’s George Williams came up with another touchdown on a 37-yard fumble return to complete the scoring.

“I can’t say enough about my offensive line,” said McCarty, whose team became just the fifth NEC team to go undefeated in conference play. “Their defense was starting to slow down in the second half and it’s easier to run when you have dual threats. Our defense caused turnovers, we made adjustments as a team, and then we (the offense) scored touchdowns.”

The Great Danes opened the contest with an 11-play, 67-yard scoring march. McCarty took an option pitch 16 yards to set up a first-and-goal at the CCSU eight-yard line. After Esposito ran seven yards over left tackle, Omar Johnson reached the end zone on a one-yard blast for a 7-0 lead.

Josue Paul returned the subsequent kickoff 54 yards to give the Blue Devils great field position. But defensive tackle Tom Pandolf sacked Aubrey Norris, who rotates at quarterback with Holmes, at the UAlbany 38. Norris fumbled and Pandolf completed the play by recovering the ball.

“We’re not the biggest or fastest defensive line but we want it more,” explained Dungey, whose nationally-ranked unit forced five turnovers and accounted for five sacks. “We basically came in together as a group. Sharing it (the title) isn’t the same as wanting it for yourself.”

UAlbany used a 14-point second quarter to build a comfortable halftime margin. McCarty set up his team’s second touchdown with a dazzling 56-yard scamper where he knifed through the line and cut back to his left. Johnson, a 225-pound senior, powered over right guard two plays later on a two-yard TD run. The Great Danes went to work again on their next possession with an eight-play drive. In a third-and-seven situation, Esposito scrambled to his right and hit flanker Mike Wall with a 31-yard scoring pass. Wall worked back to the ball and dove in the end zone to make the catch.

“We were confident coming into the game,” stated UAlbany inside linebacker Colin Disch, a senior who had nine tackles. “We had a big stop in the third quarter and weathered the storm. McCarty’s run pretty much took the wind out of their sails. We have great chemistry, everyone gets along, and we are so into it that we want to keep playing through December.”



Paw Prints

... UAlbany won its fifth conference championship since the mid-1990s (Northeast – 2002, 2003 & 2007 and Eastern Football Conference (1997 & 1998) ...

... The Great Danes became the fifth team in NEC history to go undefeated in conference play (Robert Morris – 1997, 1999 & 2000 and Sacred Heart – 2001) ...

... UAlbany tied the program’s Division I FCS record with its eighth win ... the Great Danes went 8-4 in 2002 ...

... UAlbany’s seven-game winning streak is the program’s longest since 1998 ...

... The Great Danes last played in the postseason in the 2002 campaign and defeated Duquesne, 24-0, in the ECAC Football Classic ...

... David McCarty’s 247 rushing yards is the second-highest single-game total in the program’s history ... Tom DeBlois ran for 286 on Nov. 15, 1975 against Springfield ...

... The Great Danes rushed for a season-high 341 yards, the 24th time they have run for 300 or more yards as a Division I FCS program ...

... Senior inside linebacker Colin Disch became the third player in NEC annals to reach the 400-career mark in tackles (408) ...

... Head coach Bob Ford recorded his 225th career victory at the collegiate level ... Ford, the second winningest active coach at the Division I FCS level, has a 225-161-1 career record ...

... UAlbany and Dayton will play in the second annual Gridiron Classic on Saturday, Dec. 1 ... San Diego defeated Monmouth, 27-7, in last year’s game ...

NEC Championship - UAlbany vs C.Connecticut

NorthEast Conference Championship Game

UAlbany vs. C. Connecticut State

Date: Saturday, November 17, 2007

Time: 12:00 pm

Where: New Britain, CT - CCS Campus - Arute Field

CCS Ticket Office: (860) 832-2583

Directions: Take I-91 South to I-84 West to Exit 39A, to Rt. 9 South. Take Exit 29 off Rt. 9 South to Ella Grasso Boulevard and take a right turn to the University.

NEC Football Championship Game - UAlbany vs C.Connecticut

2007 NEC Football Standings
including games played through 11/10/2007

1. Albany.......... 5-0, 7-3
2. C.Conn......... 4-1, 6-4
3. Wagner........ 3-3, 6-4
4. R.Morris....... 3-3, 4-6
5. Monmouth..... 3-3, 3-6
6. St.Francis..... 2-4, 2-7
7. Sacred Heart.. 0-6, 3-8

UAlbany has clinched a share of its first conference title since 2003. The Great Danes can win the championship outright at Central Connecticut State this Saturday. Kickoff is 12 noon.

NorthEast Conference Championship Game
UAlbany vs. C. Connecticut State
Date: Saturday, November 17, 2007
Time: 12:00 pm
Where: New Britain, CT - CCS Campus - Arute Field
Directions: Take I-91 South to I-84 West to Exit 39A, to Rt. 9 South. Take Exit 29 off Rt. 9 South to Ella Grasso Boulevard and take a right turn to the University.
CCS Ticket Office: (860) 832-2583

The winner of the game will represent the NEC in the Gridiron Classic on Dec. 1 against Dayton, the Pioneer Football League co-champion.