2023 Albany Great Danes football team

American college football season

2023 Albany Great Danes football

CAA co-champion
NCAA Division I Semifinal, L 0–59 at South Dakota State
Conference	CAA Football Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 5
FCS Coaches	No. 7
Record	11–4 (7–1 CAA)
Head coach	Greg Gattuso (10th season)
Offensive coordinator	Jared Ambrose (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Bill Nesselt (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Darrin Walls (1st season)
Home stadium	Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium
Seasons ← 2022 2024 →

2023 Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 5 Albany +^	7	–	1	11	–	4
No. 6 Villanova +^	7	–	1	10	–	3
No. 15 Richmond +^	7	–	1	9	–	4
No. 10 Delaware ^	6	–	2	9	–	4
Elon	6	–	2	6	–	5
New Hampshire	4	–	4	6	–	5
Rhode Island	4	–	4	6	–	5
William & Mary	4	–	4	6	–	5
Campbell	4	–	4	5	–	6
Towson	4	–	4	5	–	6
Hampton	3	–	5	5	–	6
Monmouth	3	–	5	4	–	7
Maine	1	–	7	2	–	9
North Carolina A&T	0	–	8	1	–	10
Stony Brook	0	–	8	0	–	10

+ – Conference co-champions ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2023 Albany Great Danes football team represented University at Albany, SUNY as a member of Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference (CAA), during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by tenth-year head coach Greg Gattuso, the Great Danes played home games at Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium in Albany, New York.

The CAA, formerly known as the Colonial Athletic Association from 2007 through 2022, changed its name in July 2023 to accommodate future membership expansion outside of states that were among the Thirteen Colonies.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 26	7:00 p.m.	Fordham*		Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium Albany, NY	FloSports	W 34–13	8,500
September 2	6:00 p.m.	at Marshall*		Joan C. Edwards Stadium Huntington, WV	ESPN+	L 17–21	25,101
September 9	12:00 a.m.	at Hawaii*		Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex Manoa, HI	SPEC PPV	L 20–31	9,485
September 23	6:00 p.m.	at Morgan State*		Hughes Stadium Baltimore, MD	ESPN+	W 23–17 ^OT	1,175
September 30	3:30 p.m.	No. 16 Villanova		Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium Albany, NY	FloSports	W 31–10	7,071
October 7	4:00 p.m.	at Towson		Johnny Unitas Stadium Towson, MD	FloSports	W 24–17	4,789
October 14	1:00 p.m.	at New Hampshire	No. 24	Wildcat Stadium Durham, NH	FloSports	L 31–38	8,346
October 21	3:30 p.m.	Rhode Island		Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium Albany, NY	FloSports	W 35–10	5,196
October 28	1:00 p.m.	at Maine		Alfond Stadium, Orono, ME	FloSports	W 37–21	3,932
November 4	1:00 p.m.	No. 24 William & Mary	No. 23	Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium Albany, NY	FloSports	W 24–8	3,518
November 11	1:00 p.m.	at Stony Brook	No. 18	Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium Stony Brook, NY (rivalry)	FloSports	W 38–20	5,671
November 18	1:00 p.m.	Monmouth	No. 12	Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium Albany, NY	FloSports	W 41–0	3,505
December 2	12:00 p.m.	No. 22 Richmond*	No. 9	Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium Albany, NY (FCS Second Round)	ESPN+	W 41–13	2,652
December 9	10:00 p.m.	at No. 4 Idaho*	No. 9	Kibbie Dome Moscow, ID (FCS Quarterfinal)	ESPN+	W 30–22	9,372
December 15	7:00 p.m.	at No. 1 South Dakota State*	No. 9	Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium Brookings, SD (FCS Semifinal)	ESPN2	L 0–59	12,265
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[1]^[2]

Game summaries

Fordham

Game One – Albany Great Danes (0–0) vs Fordham Rams (0–0)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Fordham	3	3	7	0	13
Albany	7	14	3	10	34

at Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium • Albany, New York

Date: Saturday, August 26, 2023
Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	FOR	ALB
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Fordham	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Albany	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Marshall

Game Two – Albany Great Danes (1–0) vs (FBS) Marshall Thundering Herd (0–0)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Albany	0	3	14	0	17
(FBS) Marshall	0	0	14	7	21

at Joan C. Edwards Stadium • Huntington, West Virginia

Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023
Game time: 6:00 p.m. EDT
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 91 °F (33 °C)
Game attendance: 25,101
Referee: Javarro Edwards
TV announcers (ESPN+): Mark Martin (play-by-play), Carl Lee (analyst)

Game information
First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter (0:06) ALB – John Opalko 46 yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 20 yards, 1:03; Albany 3–0) Third quarter (9:35) ALB – Jackson Parker 19 yard pass from Reese Poffenbarger (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:25; Albany 10–0) (6:50) MRSH – Chuck Montgomery 19 yard pass from Cam Fancher (Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 2:38; Albany 10–7) (3:31) ALB – Reese Poffenbarger 54 yard run (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:19; Albany 17–7) (2:22) MRSH – Rasheen Ali 13 yard run (Drive: 3 plays, 65 yards, 1:09; Albany 17–14) Fourth quarter (12:53) MRSH – Rasheen Ali 30 yard run (Drive: 6 plays, 54 yards, 2:30; Marshall 21–17)

Game information

First quarter

No scoring plays

Second quarter

(0:06) ALB – John Opalko 46 yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 20 yards, 1:03; Albany 3–0)

Third quarter

(9:35) ALB – Jackson Parker 19 yard pass from Reese Poffenbarger (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:25; Albany 10–0)
(6:50) MRSH – Chuck Montgomery 19 yard pass from Cam Fancher (Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 2:38; Albany 10–7)
(3:31) ALB – Reese Poffenbarger 54 yard run (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:19; Albany 17–7)
(2:22) MRSH – Rasheen Ali 13 yard run (Drive: 3 plays, 65 yards, 1:09; Albany 17–14)

Fourth quarter

(12:53) MRSH – Rasheen Ali 30 yard run (Drive: 6 plays, 54 yards, 2:30; Marshall 21–17)

Statistics	ALB	MRSH
First downs	19	21
Plays–yards	74–300	61–413
Rushes–yards	36–106	26–145
Passing yards	194	268
Passing: comp–att–int	22–38–0	28–35–1
Time of possession	35:09	24:51

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Albany	Passing	Reese Poffenbarger	22/38, 194 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Nate Larkins	13 carries, 39 yards
	Receiving	Jackson Parker	5 receptions, 51 yards, 1 TD
Marshall	Passing	Cam Fancher	28/35, 268 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Rasheen Ali	18 carries, 137 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Chuck Montgomery	6 receptions, 81 yards, 1 TD

At Hawaii

Game Three – Albany Great Danes (1–1) vs (FBS) Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (0–2)

Period	1	2	Total
Albany			0
(FBS) Hawaii			0

at Clarence T. C. Ching Athletics Complex • Manoa, Hawaii

Date: Saturday, September 9, 2023
Game time: TBA EST

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	ALB	HAW
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Albany	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Hawaii	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Morgan State

Game Four – Albany Great Danes (0–0) vs Morgan State Bears (0–0)

Period	1	2	Total
Albany			0
Morgan State			0

at Hughes Stadium • Baltimore, Maryland

Date: Saturday, September 23, 2023
Game time: TBA EST

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	ALB	MGST
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Albany	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Morgan State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 16 Villanova

Game Five – Albany Great Danes (0–0) vs No. 16 Villanova Wildcats (0–0)

Period	1	2	Total
No. 16 Villanova			0
Albany			0

at Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium • Albany, New York

Date: Saturday, September 30, 2023
Game time: TBA EST

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	VIL	ALB
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Villanova	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Albany	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Towson

Game Six – Albany Great Danes (0–0) vs Towson Tigers (0–0)

Period	1	2	Total
Albany			0
Towson			0

at Johnny Unitas Stadium • Towson, Maryland

Date: Saturday, October 7, 2023
Game time: TBA EST

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	ALB	TOW
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Albany	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Towson	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At New Hampshire

Game Seven – Albany Great Danes (0–0) vs New Hampshire Wildcats (0–0)

Period	1	2	Total
Albany			0
New Hampshire			0

at Wildcat Stadium • Durham, New Hampshire

Date: Saturday, October 14, 2023
Game time: TBA EST

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	ALB	UNH
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Albany	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
New Hampshire	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Rhode Island

Game Eight – Albany Great Danes (0–0) vs Rhode Island Rams (0–0)

Period	1	2	Total
Rhode Island			0
Albany			0

at Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium • Albany, New York

Date: Saturday, October 21, 2023
Game time: TBA EST

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	URI	ALB
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Rhode Island	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Albany	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Maine

Game Nine – Albany Great Danes (5–3) vs Maine Black Bears (2–6)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Albany	10	14	13	0	37
Maine	7	7	0	7	21

at Alfond Stadium • Orono, Maine

Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023
Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 73 °F (23 °C) • Wind: NE 10mph
Game attendance: 3,932
Referee: Anthony Florio
TV: FloFootball

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	ALB	ME
First downs	21	21
Plays–yards	62–473	67–312
Rushes–yards	32–149	24–92
Passing yards	324	220
Passing: comp–att–int	18–30–0	29–43–2
Time of possession	29:07	30:53

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Albany	Passing	Reese Poffenbarger	18/30, 324 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Faysal Aden	22 rushes, 142 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	MarQeese Dietz	7 receptions, 150 yards
Maine	Passing	Derek Robertson	29/43, 220 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Brian Santana-Fis	3 rushes, 35 yards
	Receiving	Michael Monios	10 receptions, 96 yards, TD

William & Mary

Game Ten – Albany Great Danes (0–0) vs William & Mary Tribe (0–0)

Period	1	2	Total
William & Mary			0
Albany			0

at Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium • Albany, New York

Date: Saturday, November 4, 2023
Game time: TBA EST

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	W&M	ALB
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
William & Mary	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Albany	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

At Stony Brook

Game Eleven – Albany Great Danes (0–0) vs Stony Brook Seawolves (0–0)

Period	1	2	Total
Albany			0
Stony Brook			0

at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium • Stony Brook, New York

Date: Saturday, November 11, 2023
Game time: TBA EST

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	ALB	STBK
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Albany	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Stony Brook	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Monmouth

Game Twelve – Albany Great Danes (0–0) vs Monmouth Hawks (0–0)

Period	1	2	Total
Monmouth			0
Albany			0

at Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium • Albany, New York

Date: Thursday, November 16, 2023
Game time: TBA EST

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	MON	ALB
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Monmouth	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Albany	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Personnel

Coaching staff

Greg Gattuso

Joe Bernard

Coaching staff

Name	Position
Greg Gattuso	Head coach
Jared Ambrose	Offensive coordinator
Joe Bernard	Defensive coordinator

Roster

2023 Albany Great Danes Football

Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Placekickers

Punters

Long snapper

Source and player details, 2023 Albany Great Danes (x/x/2023):

Statistics

Team

	Albany	Opp
Scoring
Points per Game
Points per Turnovers
First Downs
Rushing
Passing
Penalty
Rushing yards
Avg per play
Avg per game
Rushing touchdowns
Passing yards
Att-Comp-Int
Avg per pass
Avg per catch
Avg per game
Passing touchdowns
Total Offense
Plays
Avg per play
Avg per game
Fumbles-Lost
Penalties-Yards
Avg per game

	Albany	Opp
Punt-Yards
Avg per play
Avg per punt net
Punt Return-Yards
Avg per punt return
Kickoffs-Yards
Avg per play
Avg per kick net
Kickoff Return-Yards
Avg per kickoff return
Interceptions-Yards
Avg per play
Time of possession / game
3rd Down Conversions (Pct%)	(0%)	(0%)
4th Down Conversions (Pct%)	(0%)	(0%)
Touchdowns Scored
Field Goals-Attempts
PAT-Attempts
2 point conversion-attempts
Sack by Yards
Misc Yards
Safeties
Onside kicks
Red zone scores	(0%)	(0%)
Red zone touchdowns	(0%)	(0%)
Attendance
Date/Avg per date
Neutral Site

Individual leaders

Passing statistics
#	NAME	POS	RAT	CMP-ATT-INT	YDS	AVG/G	CMP%	TD	LONG
		QB	0.0	0-0-0	0 yrds		0.0%	0 TDs	0
	TOTALS		0.0	0-0-0	0 yrds	0.0	0.0%	0 TDs	0

Rushing statistics
#	NAME	POS	ATT	GAIN	AVG	TD	LONG	AVG/G
		RB	0	0 yrds	0.0	0 TDs	0	0.0
	TOTALS		0	0 yrds	0.0	0 TDs	0	0.0

Receiving statistics
#	NAME	POS	CTH	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	AVG/G
		WR	0	0 yrds	0.0	0 TDs	0	0.0
	TOTALS		67	730 yrds	10.9	10 TDs	38	243.3

Defense

Defense statistics
#	NAME	POS	SOLO	AST	TOT	TFL-YDS	SACK-YDS	INT-YDS-TD	BU	QBH	RCV-YDS	FF	BLK	SAF
			0	0	0	0-0 yrds	0-0 yrds	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	TOTAL		0	0	0	0-0 yrds	0-0 yrds	0-0 yrds- 0 TDs	0	0	-	0	0	-

Key: POS: Position, SOLO: Solo Tackles, AST: Assisted Tackles, TOT: Total Tackles, TFL: Tackles-for-loss, SACK: Quarterback Sacks, INT: Interceptions, BU: Passes Broken Up, PD: Passes Defended, QBH: Quarterback Hits, FR: Fumbles Recovered, FF: Forced Fumbles, BLK: Kicks or Punts Blocked, SAF: Safeties, TD : Touchdown

Special teams

Kicking/off statistics
#	NAME	POS	XPM-XPA (XP%)	FGM-FGA (FG%)	1–19	20–29	30–39	40–49	50+	PTS	LNG	KICKS	YDS	AVG	TB	OB
		PK	0-0 (0.0%)	0-0 (0.0%)	-/-	-/-	-/-	-/-	-/-	0 pts	0	0	0 yrds	0.0	0	-
	TOTALS		0-0 (0.0%)	0-0 (0.0%)	-/-	-/-	-/-	-/-	-/-	0	0	0	0 yrds	0.0	0	-

Punting statistics
#	NAME	POS	PUNTS	YDS	AVG	LONG	TB	FC	I–20	50+	BLK
		P	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	Team	--	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
	TOTALS		0	0 yrds	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	1

Kick return statistics
#	NAME	POS	RTNS	YDS	AVG	TD	LNG
			-	-	-	-	-
	TOTALS		0	0 yrds	0.0	0 TD's	0

Punt return statistics
#	NAME	POS	RTNS	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
			-	-	-	-	-
	TOTALS		0	0 yrds	0.0	0 TD's	0

References

^ "UAlbany Great Danes Schedule 2023". ESPN. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
^ "2023 Football Schedule". University at Albany. Retrieved September 21, 2023.

v t e Albany Great Danes football
Venues	University Field (1970–2012) Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium (2013–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Stony Brook
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1917 1918–1921 1922 1923 1924 1925–1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

CAA Football Conference champions

Richmond & UMass (2007)
James Madison (2008)
Richmond & Villanova (2009)
Delaware & William & Mary (2010)
Towson (2011)
New Hampshire, Richmond, Villanova, & Towson (2012)
Maine (2013)
New Hampshire (2014)
James Madison, Richmond, & William & Mary (2015)
James Madison (2016)
James Madison (2017)
Maine (2018)
James Madison (2019)
Delaware (2020)
James Madison & Villanova (2021)
New Hampshire & William & Mary (2022)
Albany, Richmond, & Villanova (2023)

National championships in bold

v t e 2023 NCAA Division I FCS playoff participants
Albany Austin Peay Chattanooga Delaware Drake Duquesne Furman Gardner–Webb Idaho Lafayette Mercer Montana Montana State Nicholls North Carolina Central North Dakota North Dakota State Richmond Sacramento State South Dakota South Dakota State Southern Illinois Villanova Youngstown State
Champion – South Dakota State