UAlbany routed by Rhode Island for worst CAA loss in program history

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Despite coming off a bye week, the University at Albany football team looked completely overmatched Saturday against Coastal Athletic Association leader Rhode Island.

The Rams, ranked 16th nationally in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 poll, opened up a 31-3 halftime lead and handed UAlbany a 58-17 loss on Homecoming Weekend at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium. The 41-point margin of defeat was the highest for the Great Danes in a CAA contest since joining the conference in 2013.

UAlbany now sits second-to-last in the CAA standings with an 0-3 league record.

Key Stat Lines

• Jack Shields threw one touchdown pass to Griffin Woodell on a 46-yard play. Shields finished the game 12-for-26 (46.2% completion rate) for 192 passing yards.
• Griffin Woodell led the Great Danes with 50 receiving yards and added 62 rushing yards on five carries, averaging 12.4 yards per carry. His longest run of the game went for 29 yards.
• Aidan Semo scored UAlbany’s only rushing touchdown on a two-yard run.
• James Bozek’s lone field goal came from 33 yards out.
• Denzel Patrick led the Great Danes in tackles, recording 11 total (seven solo, four assisted).
• Dillon Dunathan totaled 10 tackles, including seven solo and three assisted, along with a sack that resulted in a 17-yard loss.
• Dunathan, Jeremiah Pruitt, Isaiah Boyd and Kylyn Macklin each recorded a sack.
• On the ground, the Great Danes rushed for 133 yards, averaging 3.8 yards per carry, while the Rams totaled 142 yards with a 3.1 yards-per-carry average.
• UAlbany averaged 16.0 yards per catch, compared to URI’s 16.8 yards per reception.

Head Coach Jared Ambrose: “You just saw the class in the CAA. We have to own our performance, but those guys are as good as you’ll find in this conference, and the margin for error is razor thin at the Division I level. When you turn the ball over and allow a quarterback to be so efficient, those are steep odds. Coach Flem does a great job and they earned the credit, but we have a lot of work to do.”

How it Happened:

• Rhode Island was able to strike first on its opening possession of the game, hitting a 48-yard field goal to take an early, 3-0 lead.
• The first turnover of the day came midway through the first quarter when URI’s Ayinde Johnson intercepted Shields at midfield. The Rams would use that momentum to march 50 yards for a touchdown, courtesy of Antwain Littleton Jr., making it 10-0.
• UAlbany was able to get into field goal range at the start of the second stanza, leading to a James Bozek 33-yard kick that cut the deficit to 10-3.
• The Rams responded, though, with a five-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, growing the margin back to two scores. The drive was capped by a 32-yard TD toss from Devin Farrell to a wide-open Greg Gaines.
• The score moved to 24-3 in favor of the Rams with just under seven minutes remaining in the half on a 42-yard strike from Farrell to Gaines.
• The Rams picked up another interception late in the second when Moses Meus caught a ball that was tipped at the line of scrimmage, returning it to the URI 31-yard line. The Rhode Island offense would march 69 yards on six plays, reaching the end zone again to push the score to 31-3 before halftime.
• URI scored once more to start the third quarter, opening up a 35-point advantage with a five-yard TD reception from Connor Finer.
• The Great Danes scored their first touchdown of the day with six minutes remaining in the third when Jack Shields found Griffin Woodell on a checkdown. Woodell ran it 46 yards to the house to make it 38-10.
• UAlbany scored again less than four minutes later when Aidan Semo came in at quarterback for a play. He took a direct snap into the end zone from two yards out, drawing the Danes within three scores at 38-17.
• But the Rams responded with 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to stamp out any sort of UAlbany comeback.

The Great Danes hit the road for two straight games starting next weekend at Villanova. Keep up with all of the latest news, highlights, and insights on UAlbany football by following the team on X, Instagram, and Facebook.