University of Albany FCS Football's Andrew Smith Named Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week - UAlbany Sports 2009

Somerset, N.J. - University at Albany's Andrew Smith has been chosen Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week in football, as announced on Tuesday, Sept. 8 by the conference office. Smith, a quarterback and return specialist, accounted for 239 all-purpose yards in his debut as a collegian against Georgia Southern.

Smith, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound redshirt freshman, piled up 140 kickoff return yards, the third highest single-game total in the program's NCAA Division I FCS history. He also rushed for a team-high 99 yards on eight carries.

Smith scored on a 39-yard run in a fourth-down situation to give his team a 23-19 lead with 3:36 remaining in the third quarter. His 30-yard scamper on a faked punt in the second quarter set up another touchdown with 42 seconds left before intermission.

A consensus All-Area selection as a high school senior in 2007, Smith earned Class AA second-team all-state recognition by the New York State Sportswriters Association.

Paw Prints: The Great Danes had their eight-game win streak halted in the last-minute 29-26 defeat at Georgia Southern, a program that has captured six FCS national championships ... the crowd of 18,118 at Paulson Stadium was the fifth-largest to see the Great Danes play on the gridiron ... TB David McCarty extended his touchdown streak to 21 consecutive games by scoring on a pair of first-half runs ... Massachusetts is ranked in both the Sports Network (#17) and FCS Coaches' (#18) national polls ... the Minutemen were edged by FBS opponent Kansas State, 21-17, in their opener last week ... UMass head coach Kevin Morris is in his first season and was a member of Bob Ford's UAlbany staff in 1986 and 1987 ... Saturday's kickoff is 6:00 p.m. ... Greg Tobben will provide the play-by-play for Fox Sports 980 (WOFX-AM) ...


Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information