By Kiduce Daniel | September 5, 2022
Photo Credit: Mario Terrana
UAlbany's Great Danes traveled to Waco, Texas to open up their season against the No. 10 Baylor Bears. The result was not pretty, as Baylor won comfortably 69-10, finding little resistance in their FCS opponent Saturday night.
The Bears got out to a hot start and never looked back. Only 2:20 minutes was taken off the clock when the scoring party got started as quarterback Blake Shapen delivered a 47-yard strike to sophomore receiver Monaray Baldwin. Baldwin would finish the game with four catches and 84 yards to go along with his touchdown.
Baylor’s defense was recognized as among the best in college football and they didn’t miss a beat against the Great Danes.
After a quick punt on the first possession, UAlbany receiver Jackson Parker coughed up the football after a hit from defensive back Al Walcott. Another quick strike from Shapen followed by a 72-yard punt return by Gavin Holmes found UAlbany down 21 before picking up a first down.
Even while being down 21-0, there was still a lot of fight in UAlbany. After a big 4th down stop, Reese Poffenbarger hit Julian Hicks from 17 yards out for the first UAlbany touchdown of the season, cutting the lead to 21-7. Poffenbarger would finish the night with 200 yards and that score, leading the Great Danes in both passing and rushing yards.
Baylor responded to the UAlbany score with a 14-0 second quarter, capped by a one-yard goal line scramble by Shapen as the clock expired to finish an 11-play, 80-yard drive. The score effectively put the game out of reach for UAlbany, as they were outscored 48-3 following their only touchdown of the game.
Head Coach Greg Gattuso spoke on the positives he took from that night despite the blowout loss. "There's a lot of good things. I think we found a quarterback who can make plays with both his feet and his arm,” said Gattuso. “I thought the offensive line battled their tails off against one of the best defensive lines in the country.”
Gattuso also mentioned injuries being an issue during the game. He expressed his admiration for his squad for their efforts, “I think the kids played their butts off for two and a half quarters,” Greg Gattuso said. “We were beat up in the second half. We took a lot of starters out, a lot of cramping.”
The Great Danes will look to bounce back Saturday when they host New Hampshire at Casey Stadium in the 2022 home opener.