UAlbany falls flat in second half; bested by Maine in CAA opener

ALBANY, N.Y. ( NEWS10 ) — The No. 21 University at Albany football team was outscored 24-6 and committed three turnovers in the second half of Saturday’s Coastal Athletic Association opener with Maine, ultimately suffering a 34-20 loss that drops its season record to 1-3.

Head Coach Greg Gattuso : “First of all you have to give Maine credit, they came in and played a good football game. I thought their quarterback was very good, knew where to go with the ball and avoided sacks… Myself and our coaching staff need to get our acts together, because we out coached and out played today in a game at home for the first time in well over a year.”

Key Stat Lines

• Myles Burkett completed 19-32 passes for 202 yards and two TDs.
• Seven McGee tallied four catches, 72 yards, and two TDs.
• Griffin Woodell led the run game for UAlbany, taking nine carries for 36 yards.
• Jojo Uga scored on the ground for the Great Danes, the first of his collegiate career.
• Dontae Lunan recorded a team-leading two sacks, finishing with three TFLs and 11 total tackles.
• Ron Holmes led the team with 12 total tackles, also finishing with three TFLs.

How it Happened:

• Maine was first on the board, scoring a 40-yard field goal on their opening drive.
• On their next drive, the Black Bears missed a 43-yard field goal wide left, to keep the game at 3-0
• Early in the second quarter, the Great Danes found the end zone on a two-yard run from Jojo Uga , the first of his career. The scoring drive spanned 8 plays and covered 74 yards.
• With 5:33 on the clock in the second, the Great Danes tried a 48-yard field goal on fourth and nine, which was no good. The play was penalized for running into the kicker. UAlbany then went for it on fourth down, but a completed pass to Levi Wentz was just short.
• Maine found the end zone on a one-yard rush from Jaharie Martin with 1:57 left in the half to take the lead, 10-7.
• The Great Danes retook the lead at the end of the first half, with Myles Burkett finding Seven McGee for a 13-yard touchdown pass to make the score 14-10. The drive started with under two minutes on the clock, but UAlbany was able to drive 75 yards on eight plays for the halftime advantage.
• The Great Danes offense finished the first half with 119 yards through the air and 50 yards on the ground. The Black Bears offense had 104 passing yards and 85 rushing yards.
• The first turnover of the game occurred early in the third quarter when Maine defensive back Alhaji Kamara intercepted the ball at the UAlbany 44-yard line.
• The Black Bears capitalized on the turnover, hitting a 40-yard field goal to cut the lead down to one, 14-13.
• On their following drive, Maine quarterback Carter Peevy found tight end Cooper Heisey in the end zone on a two-yard touchdown pass to cap off a 10 play, 55-yard drive. The Black Bears went for two, but didn’t convert, leaving the score at 19-14.
• With 7:04 left in the fourth, Maine ended a 12-play, 83-yard drive with another passing touchdown. Peevy again found Heisey from two-yards out for the score. Maine went for two and converted, pushing the score to 27-14.
• UAlbany quickly countered back, scoring on a 32-yard pass from Burkett to McGee. The Great Danes failed to convert the PAT; the score remained 27-20.
• Maine defensive back Jamaree Gibson intercepted a pass that turned into a 78-yard touchdown, making the score 34-20 with 1:46 remaining in the game.
• UAlbany fumbled the ball on its final possession, sealing the game for the Black Bears.

Next: The Great Danes hit the road next weekend for a trip to Cornell. Keep up with all of the latest news, highlights, and insights on UAlbany football by following the team on X and Instagram and by following UAlbany Athletics on Facebook .

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