UNIVERSITY at ALBANY 2014 FOOTBALL CONTACT: Lizzie Barlow • Director of Media Relations • O: (518) 442-3359 • C: (518) 852-8362 • Email: [email protected]
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UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY 2014 FOOTBALL CONTACT: Lizzie Barlow • Director of Media Relations • O: (518) 442-3359 • C: (518) 852-8362 • Email: [email protected] W: 14-13 W: 19-0 W: 37-20 W: 42-7 L; 31-28 Oct. 11 Oct. 18 Oct. 25 Nov. 1 Nov. 8 Nov. 15 Nov. 22 2014 SCHEDULE (4-1, 1-1 CAA) GAMEDAY CENTRAL: UALBANY VS. RICHMOND AUGUST TIME SERIES Date: Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014 30 HOLY CROSS 14-13, W 1-0 Location: Albany, N.Y. Stadium: Bob Ford Field SEPTEMBER Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. 6 at Central Connecticut St. 19-0, W 13-6 Series: Richmond leads 1-0 20 at Rhode Island* 37-20, W 1-1 27 COLUMBIA 42-7, W 2-0 Record: 4-1, 1-1 CAA Record: 3-2, 0-1 CAA OCTOBER Head Coach: Greg Gattuso Head Coach: Danny Rocco 4 JAMES MADISON* 31-28, L 0-2 Alma Mater: Penn State ‘83 Alma Mater: Wake Forest ‘84 Overall Record: 101-33 (13th season) Overall Record: 64-31 (9th season) 11 RICHMOND* 3:30 p.m. 0-1 Record at UAlbany: 4-1 (1st season) Record at Richmond: 17-11 (3rd season) 18 at Maine* 12:30 p.m. 4-3 25 COLGATE 3:30 p.m. 2-2 NOVEMBER MEDIA CENTER 1 at New Hampshire* 6 p.m. 0-2 Video: DaneZone TV: None 8 DELAWARE* 3:30 p.m. 1-2 Radio: WOFX 980AM Twitter: @UAlbanySports 15 at Villanova* 7:00 p.m. 1st 22 STONY BROOK* 3:30 p.m. 10-6 Playing its third straight home game, the University at Albany football team *CAA Game welcomes CAA-foe Richmond to Bob Ford Field on Saturday for Homecoming and Family Weekend. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. 2013 RESULTS (1-11, 0-8 CAA) THE SERIES WITH RICHMOND Richmond leads the all-time series, 1-0, overcoming UAlbany, 27-10, at Robins AUGUST Stadium on Nov. 2, 2013. The Danes held a lead into the second quarter, but the 31 at Duquesne 35-24, L 2,001 Spiders scored 10 points in the fourth quarter and kept UAlbany off the board SEPTEMBER in the second half. Omar Osbourne led the game’s scoring off with a 2-yard 7 at Colgate 37-34, W 5,217 touchdown run and rushed for 56 yards total, while Fiacchi accrued 212 pass- 14 RHODE ISLAND* 19-13 OT, L 8,500 ing yards (17-27). Michael Strauss of Richmond threw for 300 yards (25-39) and 21 CENTRAL CONNECTICUT 20-17, L 6,412 a touchdown. 28 at Old Dominion 66-10, L 20,118 TURNOVERS GALORE OCTOBER UAlbany ranks first in the nation for turnover margin (2.40), turnovers lost (2), 5 at James Madison* 40-13, L 25,201 fumbles recovered (10), and fumbles lost (0). The Danes have benefitted 55 12 at Delaware* 33-30, L 17,363 points off turnovers, while giving up zero points off turnovers. 19 TOWSON* 44-17, L 8,500 NOVEMBER 2 at Richmond* 27-10, L 8,700 QUICK FACTS 9 MAINE* 33-27, L 4,912 16 NEW HAMPSHIRE* 37-20. L 6,044 Location ..........................................................................................Albany, N.Y. 23 at Stony Brook* 24-3, L 4,512 Enrollment ................................................................................................12,878 *CAA Game Nickname ...................................................................................... Great Danes Website ............................................................................ UAlbanySports.com PROGRAM HISTORY Twitter ...................................................................................@UAlbanySports Facebook ................................................ www.facebook.com/ualbanysports Stadium ......................................................................................Bob Ford Field First Season of Football ............................. 1970 (club) Stadium Capacity ......................................................................................8,500 First Season of Varsity Football .............1973 (Div. III) Stadium Surface ......................................................................... synthetic turf First Season at Division II .................................... 1995 President ............................................................................ Dr. Robert J. Jones First Season at Division I FCS ............................. 1999 Athletic Director .......................................................................... Mark Benson All-Time Varsity ............260-171 (.604 - 42nd season) Head Coach ................................................................................. Greg Gattuso NEC Record ......................... 78-24 (.765 - 14 seasons) Football Contact ......................................................................... Lizzie Barlow CAA Record ............................1-9 (.111 - 2nd season) Football Contact Office Phone..................................................(518) 442-3359 NEC Championships .......6 (‘02, ‘03, ‘07, ‘08, ‘11, ‘12) Football Contact Office Email [email protected] FCS Playoff Appearances ...............................1 (2011) Offensive Starters Returning/Lost ............................................................. 8/3 All-Time Home Record ............................129-71 (.646) Defensive Starters Returning/Lost ............................................................. 5/6 All-Time Road Record..............................127-97 (.567) NOTES UALBANY VS. RICHMOND HISTORY UALBANY FCS RANKING HISTORY Year W/L H/A Score Margin CAA Overall 2014 2013 L A 27-10 -17 0-8 1-11 TSN Top-25 Media Poll #23 (Week 6) #24 (Week 5) SCOUTING THE GREAT DANES 2012 2014 Record: 4-1, 1-1 CAA TSN Top-25 Media Poll 2014 CAA Preseason Poll: 10th/12 #20 (Week 9) Head Coach: Greg Gattuso (1st season at UAlbany/13th overall as #24 (Week 8) head coach) (4-1 / 101-33) AFCA FCS Coaches Poll #18 (Week 9) THE COACH: Greg Gattuso, a former head coach at Duquesne Univer- #20 (Week 8) sity and assistant head coach at both Pittsburgh and Maryland, was #T-22 (Week 7) named the University at Albany’s head football coach in December #24 (Week 6) of 2013. Gattuso became the second football coach in the program’s 41-varsity season history, taking the reins from program architect 2006 Bob Ford. Throughout both his playing and coaching career, Gattuso TSN Top-25 Media Poll boasts a long history of exceptional success. As a defensive lineman #23 (Week 5) at Penn State, Gattuso helped lead the Nittany Lions to a national title in 1982. In his first collegiate head-coaching role, Gattuso piloted SCOUTING THE SPIDERS Duquesne to a 97-32 record during his 12-season tenure, and while 2014 Record: 3-2, 0-1 CAA making three bowl appearances at Pittsburgh, he turned the defen- 2014 CAA Preseason Poll: 3rd/12 sive line into one of the best in the nation as an assistant head coach Head Coach: Danny Rocco (3rd season at Richmond/ 9th overall as and hauled in a top-10 recruiting class. Gattuso comes to UAlbany head coach) (17-11 / 64-31) after spending three seasons as a member Randy Edsall’s Universi- ty of Maryland coaching staff. There, he led the defensive line that THE COACH: Inheriting a Richmond Spiders football team that went ranked among the top in the ACC and was promoted to the position of 3-8 overall and 0-8 in CAA play in 2011, head coach Danny Rocco ar- assistant head coach in February 2012. rived in 2012 and led Richmond to a share of the CAA Football champi- onship, posting an overall record of 8-3 and a conference mark of 6-2. OVERVIEW: UAlbany enters Homecoming weekend with a 4-1 overall In 2013, the Spiders entered the year ranked No. 14 in the country, record and 1-1 mark in the CAA. The Great Danes come off their first rising to No. 12 after a season-opening win against VMI. They ended loss of the season, as James Madison edged UAlbany 31-28 on a the year 6-6 overall and 4-4 in CAA play. In two seasons under Rocco, 34-yard field goal with four seconds remaining in the game. The loss Richmond players have earned 22 All-CAA honors, nine All-America knocked UAlbany out of the Top-25 rankings after being ranked No. accolades and one NFL Draft selection. Prior to coming to Richmond, 23 in The Sports Network poll -- though the Danes are still receiving Rocco had one of the most successful coaching stints in the history of votes in the both the media poll and the FCS Coaches Poll. UAlbany Liberty University. In his six seasons there, Rocco led the Flames to started the season 4-0, as the Danes overcame Holy Cross (14-13) in four conference titles and was named the Big South Coach of the Year week one, Central Connecticut State (19-0) in week two, and after a in three consecutive seasons. Rocco began his college playing career bye week, recorded the program’s first CAA win – a 37-20 victory over at Penn State, where he earned two varsity letters and competed in Rhode Island -- in week four. UAlbany followed that up with a 42-7 the 1979 Liberty Bowl and the 1980 Fiesta Bowl before transferring to romp over Columbia of the Ivy League before JMU played spoilers. Wake Forest. UAlbany boasts one of the top defenses in the country -- ranking first in the nation for turnover margin (2.40), turnovers lost (2), fumbles re- OVERVIEW: No. 20/22 Richmond enters the weekend with a 3-2 covered (10), and fumbles lost (0). In addition, the Danes rank second overall record and 0-1 mark in the CAA, coming off a 46-39 double in the CAA and eighth in FCS for scoring defense (14.2), as well as overtime win over Coach Rocco’s former team, Liberty. So far this third in the conference and 14th in FCS for rushing defense (105.4). season, the Spiders have put up over 40 points in three games, and have earned wins over Morehead State (55-10) and Hampton (42-17), THE DEFENSE: Redshirt sophomore linebacker Michael Nicastro in addition to the triumph over Liberty. The two losses game at the leads the team with 44 tackles (20 solo), including 3.5 (10-yards) for hands of Virginia (45-13) and No. 7/9 New Hampshire (29-26). The Spi- a loss, and a fumble recovery, followed by junior Kyle Sakowski’s 41 ders lead the nation in third down conversions (.650) and fourth down tackles (14 solo) with an interception, fumble recovery and seven pass conversions (1.000), as well as rank second in the country in passing breakups.