Great Danes Blow 18-Point Lead to Remain Winless

Credit: UAlbany Athletics

By: Brandon Vanenburg | October 11, 2021

On Saturday the University at Albany Great Danes fell to William & Mary 31-24. It looked like a bounce-back win for the Great Danes, but they were unable to hold onto their largest lead in over a year in the loss. Their offense which played well in the first half struggled to find rhythm in the second half and the defense gave up 28 consecutive points.

Joey Carino made his first start at quarterback for the Great Danes due to COVID-19 affecting the program and had a decent showing. Carino passed for 244 yards passing two touchdowns. Star back for the Great Danes Karl Mofor had his best game of the season. Mofor finished the game with 126 yards rushing, 40 yards receiving and a score.

The Great Danes second half woes continued Saturday. They only had seven plays in the third quarter for 32 yards. Some costly mistakes included backup quarterback Braeden Zenelovic having two fumbles, including one of them recovered deep in Albany territory. Karl Mofor could not find a rhythm in the second half only rushing for nine yards in total including zero for the third quarter.

The defense who kept a lot of games close for the Great Danes all season gave up 28 straight points in the second half. William & Mary scored on four of their five second half possessions. They finished with 189 yard and two touchdowns on the ground. Quarterback Darius Pitman only had 145 yards through the air, but his 11-yard touchdown pass to Lachlan Pitts put the Tribe up for good in the fourth.

Coach Greg Gattuso talked about how hard the loss was on the team. "It's one of the most devastating losses I've been a part of as a football coach,” said Gattuso. “I can't put into words how tough it was. Our guys played hard, but the beginning of the second half was an atrocity that we had trouble recovering from. I felt that we had a chance all the way up to the end on that last pass to score and go for two and win the game."

The Great Danes finally return home after a month of games on the road. The team's annual Homecoming game is on tap as No. 11 Villanova pays a visit to Casey Stadium. UAlbany looks to get their first win in front of the home crowd.