New York, N.Y. - UAlbany travels to Ivy League opponent Columbia in the final non-conference game of the season on Saturday, Sept. 24. Kickoff is 12:30 p.m. Fans can listen to the game on Fox Sports 980, WOFX-AM, with Rodger Wyland and Zach Bye providing the coverage.
The Lions started their 121st season of football last week with a 21-14 loss to Fordham in the 10th Liberty Cup. Sean Brackett, the first Columbia quarterback to earn first-team All-Ivy League honors since 1994, passed for 239 yards and two touchdowns in the opener. He averaged 207.2 passing yards and tossed 19 TDs last year. Brackett, who added 516 rushing yards, led the league in passing efficiency with a 136.1 rating. Wide receivers Kurt Williams and Mike Stephens each totaled more than 100 receiving yards against Fordham. Williams moved from defensive back at the start the 2010 campaign. Stephens, who had eight catches for 105 yards and one TD a week ago, suffered a season-ending injury in last year's first game. Jeff Adams (6-7, 305) is a two-time first-team All-Ivy League left tackle and a three-year starter.
LB Josh Martin (6-3, 242) made six tackles and blocked a second-quarter field in last Saturday's first game. He earned second-team All-Ivy recognition last year. LB Zach Olinger (6-1, 220) totaled 12 tackles, including nine solo, with two forced fumbles and a recovery vs. Fordham. The Alabama native appeared in four games as a freshman. The defensive line features three seniors, including DE Ben Popeck (6-4, 260). Popeck made 42 tackles as a junior. CB Ross Morand, one of four captains, had 17 tackles and two pass break-ups last season
UAlbany is coming off a 31-15 loss to Maine, a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. The Great Danes has trouble getting started last week, but did produce a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. QB Dan Di DiLella, who threw for 179 yards, helped set up both scores. TB Dillon Romain reached paydirt on a one-yard blast and TB Andrew Smith flipped a 6-yard TD pass to FB Justin Petersen.
The Great Danes had three defenders reach the 100-career tackle plateau last week. Jon Morgan, a junior inside linebacker, recorded a career-best 14 tackles against Maine. S Jake Ciccarello (9 tackles) and ILB Dave Plungas (7 tackles) also toppled the century mark.
Paw Prints: UAlbany and Columbia are meeting for the first time ... the Great Danes have previously met Ivy League members Brown (2003, 2004), Cornell (2006) and Yale (2010) ... UAlbany has played in eight games decided by three points or less since the beginning of the 2009 campaign ... PK Herb Glass needs one field goal to eclipse the program's career standard (28) ...OLB Kyle Jordan had nine tackles and two sacks in his first start as a collegian against Maine, while FS Justin Hassan had a career-high 10 tackles, including six unassisted.
