UAlbany football fends off Long Island University in season opener

ALBANY, N.Y. ( NEWS10 ) — The 16th-ranked University at Albany football team got all it could handle from visiting Long Island University in Saturday night’s season opener at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium. But the Great Danes were able to hold off the upset-minded Sharks to collect the first win of the 2024 campaign, 27-21.

Key Stat Lines

• Myles Burkett completed 12-26 passes for 165 yards and a TD.
• Griffin Woodell led the ground attack with 91 yards on 20 carries, scoring one TD.
• Seven McGee led all receivers with 119 yards on five receptions, with a long catch of 41 yards for a TD.
• Jack Iuliano and Brock Boyer each recorded a solo tackle on defense.
• Iuliano also recovered a fumble, taking it back 20 yards to the house.
• John Opalko was 2-2 on field goals, one from 40 yards and one from 41.

Head Coach Greg Gattuso : “I don’t think we had our fastball tonight, but the big thing is we fought through and won the game. That was a tough game, they’re a good football team… They were ready to play. I thought we stepped up in big moments and made big plays when we needed them.”

How it Happened:

• UAlbany got the first points on the board with a 42-yard field goal from John Opalko in their first drive of the game. The drive lasted seven plays and spanned 27 yards.
• The Sharks scored in the first seconds of the second quarter on a 21-yard reception from Brandon Niemenski. With the score, LIU capped an 83-yard drive, making it 7-3.
• LIU’s Todd Bowles Jr. nearly had the first turnover of the game with just under five minutes remaining in the first half, but his interception was overturned by replay review.
• After the Great Danes failed to convert on fourth down, the Sharks started their next drive on their own 36. On the first play of the drive, Luca Stanzani fumbled the ball on the 22-yard line after being hurried by Ron Holmes . Jack Iuliano scooped the ball on the 20 and took it home for a touchdown to put UAlbany up 10-7.
• With just under a minute remaining in the first half, LIU completed a 75-yard drive with a 12-yard pass to Michael Love for the touchdown to take a 14-10 advantage.
• UAlbany immediately responded in the next drive. Myles Burkett completed a pass to Seven McGee for 75-yards to the end zone, putting the Great Danes up by three heading into halftime.
• UAlbany finished the first half with 127 yards of offense. LIU finished the first half with 195 yards.
• UAlbany’s Myles Burkett completed 7-13 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. Seven McGee was UAlbany’s lead receiver with two receptions for 80-yards and a touchdown.
• In LIU’s first drive of the second half, Luca Stanzani completed an 11-yard pass to Ludovick Choquette for a touchdown to complete their 37-yard drive. The score put LIU back on top, 21-17.
• UAlbany hit back with a 55-yard punt return by Jamal Cooney . Griffin Woodell followed that up with a rush to gain 41-yards and finished it off on the next play with a three-yard rush to the end zone, putting UAlbany ahead, 24-21.
• With under a minute to go in the third quarter, John Opalko put a 41-yard field goal through the uprights to extend the Great Danes lead, 27-21.
• With 10:31 left in the fourth, LIU’s Michael Coney missed a 38-yard field goal attempt, wide left. UAlbany took over from their own 23-yard line.

Next: The Great Danes travel to take on FBS foe West Virginia next Saturday night. 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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