By Tiffany Williams –
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. — UAlbany controlled the opening quarter, watched Long Island University fight its way back before halftime, and then took complete command with a 21-point third quarter on the way to a 35-13 victory Friday afternoon at Shark Stadium.
The Great Danes improved to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play, while LIU fell to 0-3. UAlbany scored twice in the opening quarter before LIU cut the deficit to seven at halftime. The Great Danes then scored three unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter to build a 35-7 advantage that LIU could not overcome.
UAlbany received the opening kickoff, and Drew Buckley’s 26-yard return gave the Great Danes possession at their own 36. After an LIU offside penalty, Rahshan La Mons rushed for six yards and a first down. Kai Colón then connected with Jordan Rae for four yards and BJ Norman for five before La Mons converted third-and-one with a two-yard run.
The Great Danes continued methodically down the field. Colón found Norman for 13 yards to the LIU 29 before Aidan Semo and Daniel Growney combined for 10 rushing yards. Semo then completed a five-yard pass to Norman, and an LIU roughing-the-passer penalty moved the football to the 7. On the next play, Semo found Mitch Viviano in the middle of the end zone for a seven-yard touchdown. RJ Kocan’s extra point gave UAlbany a 7-0 lead with 10:23 remaining in the first quarter, completing a nine-play, 64-yard opening drive.
LIU’s first possession went nowhere. Luca Stanzani opened with an incomplete pass before running for seven yards, but Jeremiah Pruitt dropped him for a one-yard loss on third down. A false start backed the Sharks up another five yards, and Callum Brent punted. La Mons returned the kick 16 yards to the UAlbany 46, giving the Great Danes another favorable starting position.
UAlbany again put together a long touchdown drive. Joey Koch opened with a six-yard run, and Colón connected with Koch for 14 more. Norman rushed seven yards before Matthew Iuvara caught a four-yard pass for another first down. Koch added four yards on the ground, and Colón scrambled for two before finding Tavahri Groves for 16 yards down to the LIU 1.
LIU initially pushed the Great Danes backward when Koch lost two yards, but UAlbany answered immediately. Colón completed a three-yard pass to Koch for the touchdown with 2:56 remaining in the quarter. Kocan converted again, and UAlbany had scored touchdowns on each of its first two possessions to take a 14-0 lead.
The Sharks finally began generating offense on their next possession. Nathan Gray ran for six yards before Brent stunned UAlbany with a 30-yard run on fourth-and-five, moving LIU to the Great Danes’ 40. A pass-interference penalty against UAlbany later moved the Sharks to the 30, and Gray carried three consecutive times to reach the 18.
UAlbany’s defense stiffened as the first quarter ended. Gray lost three yards, and Stanzani was sacked for a seven-yard loss by Victor Holt and Dillon Dunathan. Will Johnson opened the second quarter by attempting a 40-yard field goal, but the kick was no good. UAlbany remained in front 14-0.
The Great Danes then committed their first major mistake. UAlbany moved from its own 23 to the 33, where La Mons gained enough for a first down but fumbled. Ryan Maxwell recovered for LIU at the UAlbany 33, handing the Sharks excellent field position with 10:35 remaining in the half.
LIU tried to capitalize almost entirely on the ground. Stanzani rushed for eight yards on two carries before Gray gained seven for a first down at the 18. Gray added nine yards on the next two plays, leaving the Sharks with third-and-one at the UAlbany 9. Gray was stopped for no gain, and LIU kept its offense on the field. Nasir Hennigan was also stopped for no gain on fourth-and-one, giving the football back to UAlbany.
The Great Danes could not escape the shadow of their own goal line. Colón was sacked for a seven-yard loss, Koch lost another two yards, and an incomplete third-down pass forced Gavin Myers to punt from his own 5. Felix Matos returned the punt six yards, and LIU took over at the UAlbany 42 with 5:22 remaining in the half.
This time the Sharks finished the drive. Stanzani and Hennigan moved LIU to the 33 before Hennigan converted fourth-and-one with a two-yard run. Stanzani found Joseph Young for six yards, and after Gray added another yard, Stanzani scrambled three yards on third-and-three to keep the possession alive. He then connected with Evan Brooks for 18 yards to the UAlbany 3.
After an incompletion on first-and-goal, Stanzani found Young for a three-yard touchdown with 1:36 remaining. Johnson’s extra point was good, completing a 10-play, 42-yard drive and cutting UAlbany’s lead to 14-7.
UAlbany attempted to answer before halftime. La Mons opened the possession with a 10-yard run, and Colón connected with Rae for 14 yards to the LIU 42. The drive eventually stalled, however, and Myers punted into the end zone. LIU moved from its own 20 to the UAlbany 38 in the closing seconds, but time expired with the Great Danes holding a 14-7 halftime advantage.
The third quarter changed everything.
LIU received the second-half kickoff but could not build on its late first-half momentum. A UAlbany pass-interference penalty gave the Sharks a first down at their own 40, but Shawan Lewis sacked Stanzani for a nine-yard loss. The Sharks eventually punted, and La Mons broke loose for a 48-yard return all the way to the LIU 33.
UAlbany needed only five plays to turn the field position into points. Koch rushed three times for 13 yards, moving the football to the LIU 20. After Semo threw incomplete, Colón returned and found Norman for a 20-yard touchdown on third-and-eight. Kocan added the extra point, pushing the Great Danes’ advantage to 21-7 with 10:23 remaining in the third.
LIU answered with a three-and-out. Stanzani threw incomplete twice before completing a two-yard pass to Boakai Veikai, and Brent punted 73 yards for a touchback. UAlbany then moved from its own 20 to midfield behind La Mons, who rushed for five yards and then broke a 19-yard run. The possession stalled after Maxwell sacked Semo, and Myers punted LIU back to its own 10.
The Sharks again failed to move the chains. Gray lost two yards and then gained three before Mekhi Moore threw incomplete on third-and-nine. Brent punted 58 yards to the UAlbany 31, but the Great Danes needed only three plays to strike again.
After La Mons was stopped for no gain, Colón went deep. He connected with La Mons for 36 yards to the LIU 33. On the next snap, Colón found Rae down the left side for a 33-yard touchdown. Kocan’s extra point made it 28-7 with 2:35 remaining, completing a lightning-fast three-play, 69-yard scoring drive.
Things deteriorated further for LIU on its next possession. After a holding penalty erased a nine-yard run, Ethan Greenwood gained three yards before losing 13 on the next play. Sam Boyer forced Greenwood to fumble, and Rich Benenge recovered for UAlbany at the LIU 5.
The Great Danes needed only two plays to capitalize. Semo completed a three-yard pass to Tyler Wilms before keeping the football himself and running two yards for the touchdown. Kocan’s extra point gave UAlbany a commanding 35-7 lead with 38 seconds remaining in the third quarter. In less than 12 minutes of game time, a seven-point halftime advantage had become a 28-point lead.
UAlbany then consumed more than seven minutes on its opening possession of the fourth quarter. La Mons and Koch helped move the Great Danes out of their own territory, while Colón completed passes to Koch, Norman and McAuliffe as UAlbany reached the LIU 17. Rodney Mills eventually sacked Colón for a 10-yard loss, and the drive ended when Kocan missed a 46-yard field goal with 7:48 remaining.
LIU used its final full possession to put together its best drive of the second half. Stanzani broke a 29-yard run to the UAlbany 43, and Hennigan later gained eight yards on third-and-three. Stanzani added a 10-yard run to reach the 18 and then completed a seven-yard pass to Brooks on third-and-eight, leaving the Sharks facing fourth-and-one at the UAlbany 9.
Gray converted the fourth down in emphatic fashion, rushing nine yards for the touchdown with 2:28 remaining. Johnson’s extra-point attempt failed, leaving the score 35-13. LIU attempted an onside kick, but UAlbany took possession at the Sharks’ 45 and ran out the remaining time.
UAlbany finished with 343 yards of total offense, including 237 through the air and 106 on the ground. LIU accumulated 221 yards, with 143 rushing and only 78 passing. The Great Danes produced 20 first downs, converted five of 11 third downs and held the football for 32:22.
Colón completed 16 of 23 passes for 207 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Semo completed five of six for 30 yards and another touchdown while also rushing for UAlbany’s only score on the ground. La Mons led the rushing attack with 57 yards on 11 carries, while Koch added 32 yards on 10 attempts.
Rae caught three passes for 51 yards and a touchdown, Norman finished with five receptions for 45 yards and a score, and Koch caught four passes for 43 yards and a touchdown. Viviano supplied the Great Danes’ other receiving touchdown. UAlbany finished with four passing touchdowns without throwing an interception.
For LIU, Stanzani completed 11 of 19 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown while rushing 12 times for 43 yards. Gray led the Sharks with 51 rushing yards on 15 carries and scored their fourth-quarter touchdown. Young caught LIU’s only touchdown pass.
The game ultimately turned on UAlbany’s ability to regain control immediately after halftime. LIU had trimmed a 14-point deficit to seven and entered the break within one possession, but the Great Danes answered with touchdown drives of 33 and 69 yards and then converted an LIU fumble into another touchdown. Twenty-one third-quarter points transformed a competitive 14-7 game into a 35-7 advantage, allowing UAlbany to finish off a 35-13 victory at Shark Stadium.