CAA FOOTBALL WEEKEND RECAP - SEPT. 13
No. 7 JAMES MADISON 52, No. 3 MASSACHUSETTS 38
Boxscore
HARRISONBURG, Va., Sept. 13, 2008 ? Senior quarterback Rodney Landers broke his own school record for quarterback rushing yards to lead James Madison to a 52-38 triumph over Massachusetts on Saturday afternoon at Bridgeforth Stadium/Zane Showker Field.
JMU, ranked seventh nationally by the Sports Network, improved to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association while third-ranked UMass fell to 2-1 and 0-1 in the league.
The Dukes led from start to finish. JMU scored the first two touchdowns of the game and led by at least two scores for all but four minutes of the fourth quarter when the Minutemen pulled within a touchdown at 45-38. However, the Dukes went on a drive of 4:04, capped by a tailback Griff Yancey touchdown to clinch the victory with 1:56 remaining.
Landers rushed 26 times for a net of 206 yards with two touchdowns. He also completed four of six passes for 85 yards and a score. Landers broke his own JMU record for quarterback rushing yards in a game, previously 171 at William & Mary in 2007. He now holds seven of the top 10 rushing outputs by a JMU quarterback. Landers also tied the JMU record for career 100-yard running games by a quarterback with eight and went over 2,000 career rushing yards to move into 11th on the JMU career rushing chart.
Altogether JMU had 338 yards rushing and six touchdowns with Yancey carrying 19 times for 88 yards and three scores. Sophomore tailback Jamal Sullivan had the other touchdown with 40 yards.
The Dukes also benefitted greatly from the special teams effort of junior cornerbvack Scotty McGee, who returned three punts for 92 yards and four kickoffs for 104 yards, setting JMU up on short scoring drives on several occasions.
UMass actually led the game in overall offense 443-423 and had one more first down at 21-20. The Minutemen concentrated on the air attack with senior quarterback Liam Coen completing 26 of 39 attempts for 339 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Junior Victor Cruz broke a Bridgeforth Stadium record with 262 receiving yards on 13 catches with two scores.
JMU held a 21-10 lead late in the first half when the Dukes took possession on their own 24-yard line with 1:47 remaining. Landers led JMU on a 76-yard drive in 1:09, capped by a 47-yard touchdown pass to freshman Kerby Long.
UMass took the ball with 38 seconds remaining and Coen was promptly picked off by JMU senior cornerback Evan McCollough. Senior placekicker Dave Stannard then connected on a career-best 46-yard field goal to finish a 10-point swing for the Dukes in the final 30 seconds of the half.
The teams traded a pair of touchdowns each to open the second half. UMass struck on a 20-yard pass by Coen to Cruz three minutes into the half with JMU responding with a one-yard touchdown by Yancey.
Coen then found senior tight end Ian Jorgensen on a two-yard strike late in the third quarter. This time, Landers led the Dukes on a 13-play, 76-yard drive in 5:57, capped by a two-yard run by Yancey.
The Minutemen kept on the air attack with Coen leading a quick-strike, five-play drive covering 68 yards in 1:28 with Coen finding Cruz again on a 37-yard touchdown. The UMass defense held the Dukes in check on their next drive, and Coen then led another five-play drive in one minute with a two-yard touchdown completion to Nelson to make the score 45-38.
JMU took possession with 6:00 on the clock and Landers orchestrated an eight-play, 71-yard drive. The Dukes ran the clock down to 1:56 remaining with Yancey’s touchdown putting JMU in front 52-38.
UMass took possession at its own 30-yard line, but Coen was knocked out of the game, and Scott Woodward’s first snap resulted in an interception by JMU senior cornerback Darrieus Ramsey to seal the JMU victory.
No. 10 NEW HAMPSHIRE 51, RHODE ISLAND 43
Boxscore
KINGSTON, R.I. -- R.J. Toman threw five touchdown passes to lead New Hampshire to a 51-43 win over Rhode Island on Saturday.
Toman completed 29 of 40 passes for 309 yards for New Hampshire (2-0), which finished with 511 offensive yards. The teams combined for more than 1,000 yards of offense.
The Wildcats took a 10-0 lead on the opening play of the second quarter when Toman found tight end Scott Sicko alone in the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown pass.
They increased their lead to 17-0 after recovering a fumble inside their own 30-yard line. Toman completed a 20-yard pass to Travis Negron with 10:54 left in the second quarter.
The Rams (1-2) closed the gap to 17-7 midway in the second on a 1-yard burst by Anthony Ferrer.
Louis Feinstein's 36-yard field goal with 5:32 remaining in the half cut the deficit to 17-10, but New Hampshire responded quickly as Toman struck for his third scoring pass, capping a six-play, 44-yard series with a 4-yard TD pass to Sean Jellison before halftime.
Ferrer caught a 1-yard touchdown pass from Derek Cassidy with 2:46 left in the third to cut New Hampshire's lead to 34-30, but the Wildcats followed with a 72-yard touchdown run from Chad Kackert. Kackert rushed for 164 yards on 11 carries.
Cassidy completed a career-best 34 passes on 60 attempts for 436 yards in the loss.
No. 21 VILLANOVA 33, LEHIGH 14
Boxscore
VILLANOVA, Pa. -- Antwon Young threw for 231 yards and a touchdown and Joe Marcoux booted four field goals to lead Villanova to a 33-14 win over Lehigh on Saturday.
Osayi Osunde added a 56-yard interception return for the Wildcats (1-1), who bottled up Lehigh's ground attack and picked off quarterback J.B. Clark four times.
Marcoux kicked field goals of 44 and 23 yards sandwiched around Osunde's interception return in the second quarter. Aaron Ball added a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:33 left in the half to give Villanova a 20-7 halftime lead.
The Wildcats put the game away in the third quarter with another 44-yard field goal by Marcoux and Young's 20-yard touchdown pass to Phil Atkinson, which capped an 80-yard drive that used up more than seven minutes on the clock.
Lehigh (1-1) got a touchdown pass from Clark to Sekou Yansane early in the fourth quarter, but Marcoux added one more field goal for the final margin.
The Wildcats set up two of Marcoux's field goals with interceptions by Fred Maldonado and Ross Ventrone.
Lehigh's only first-half score came on a 3-yard run by Matt McGowan that was set up when Tim Diamond forced a fumble by Lawrence Doss and recovered it at the Villanova 3-yard line.
The Wildcats held Lehigh to just 38 yards on 23 carries and sacked Clark three times.
No. 4 RICHMOND 45, TOWSON 14
Boxscore
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)Eric Ward and John Crone scored two touchdowns apiece lead Richmond to a 45-14 victory over Towson on Saturday.
Ward, the junior quarterback for the Spiders (2-1, 1-0 Colonial Athletic Association), completed 11 of 16 passes for 148 yards. Josh Vaughan had 103 yards rushing on 20 carries.
The Spiders intercepted Towson quarterback Sean Schaefer four times, including two that went for touchdowns late in the game.
Schaefer was 21-for-32 with 214 yards passing for Tigers (1-2, 0-1).
Richmond took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter after Crone score his first career touchdown on a 3-yard run and Ward connected with Jordan Mitchell for a 21-yard score.
The Tigers cut the lead to 24-14 in the third quarter when Schaefer threw a 10-yard touchdown to Hakeem Moore, but pulled no closer.
A pair of interceptions returned for touchdowns put the game away early in the fourth quarter, starting with Rogers taking in a Schaefer pass 68 yards for a score. Hatcher then intercepted Towson backup Blair Peterson for a 25-yard touchdown return with 8:42 remaining.
MAINE 28, STONY BROOK 13
Boxscore
ORONO, Maine -- Adam Farkes threw four first-half touchdown passes to lead Maine to a 28-13 victory over Stony Brook on Saturday night.
Farkes completed 12 of 22 passes for 148 yards and four scores, including a 31-yard strike to wide receiver Tyrell Jones with 1:21 left in the first half that gave the Black Bears (2-1) an 18-point halftime cushion.
Farkes also hooked up with Jones on a 30-yard TD toss in the first quarter to tie the game at 7, completed a 26-yard touchdown throw to tight end Derek Buttles in the second quarter and found Landis Williams on a 3-yard scoring pass in the second.
Jones finished with three catches for 73 yards and his first two career touchdowns catches.
Jhamal Fluellen complemented Maine's passing attack with 108 rushing yards on 17 carries.
Stony Brook (1-2) grabbed a 7-0 lead on its first possession when Dayne Hoffman completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Melaquan Saffold. However, Maine scored on its next two possessions to take the lead for good.
Hoffman was 19-for-38 for 199 yards. He also had two interceptions.
Maine held Stony Brook to 271 total yards, including only 72 on the ground.
WILLIAM AND MARY 52, VMI 17
Boxscore
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The William and Mary football team earned its 23rd consecutive victory against Virginia Military Institute with a 52-17 win in its home opener on Saturday evening at Zable Stadium. With the triumph, the Tribe improves to 1-1 on the season, while the Keydets fall to 1-1.
W&M piled up 570 yards of total offense, including 398 yards on the ground. Additionally, the College’s defense limited the Keydets to just 25 yards passing and 13 first downs.
Sophomore running back Terrence Riggins led W&M’s ground attack with a career-high 180 yards on 15 carries (12.0 yards per rush), while true freshman running back Jonathan Grimes scored a pair of touchdowns and rushed for 97 yards on five carries (19.4 yards per rush). Sophomore running back Tom Schonder also found the end zone with a rushing touchdown and registered 54 yards on the ground on seven carries.
Senior quarterback Jake Phillips threw for three touchdowns and finished the contest completing 13 of his 18 passes for a game-high 172 yards. The Warm Springs, Va., native also accounted for a rushing touchdown and totaled 49 yards on the ground on four carries.
Junior tight end Rob Varno, senior wide receiver Elliott Mack and junior wide out D.J. McAulay all hauled in a touchdown reception for the Tribe. Varno finished with four catches for a game-high 60 yards, while Mack also had four grabs for 42 yards. McAulay posted a pair of catches for 43 yards.
After turning the ball over on its first two possessions, the Tribe scored the contest’s initial points when Grimes earned his first-career touchdown with a 29-yard run late in the first quarter. The seven-play, 80-yard drive was keyed by a 39-yard run by Riggins on the series’ first play. Phillips also came up big as he completed all three of his passes on the scoring drive.
Junior safety David Caldwell forced a fumble by VMI quarterback Tim Maypray on the Keydet’s ensuing possession, and sophomore linebacker Evan Francks made the recovery at W&M’s 39 yard line. The turnover led to a five-play, 61-yard drive that ended with another Tribe touchdown. Riggins once again ignited the drive, rushing for 14 yards on the first play. Phillips later completed a 14-yard strike to Mack that was followed by a 21-yard touchdown pass to Varno in the right side of the end zone that put W&M ahead, 14-0, with 13:28 showing in the second quarter.
After forcing VMI to punt for the fourth time in its initial five possessions, the Tribe began its third touchdown-scoring drive. Riggins recorded rushes of 9 and 17 yards on the first two plays, while Grimes followed with an 8-yard carry. Phillips then connected with McAulay, who broke a tackle and raced down the left sideline for a 28-yard score. It was McAulay’s third touchdown reception of the season.
While the Keydets finally got on the scoreboard with 1:01 remaining in the first half when Greg Stevens connected on a 38-yard field goal, W&M marched back down the field in the final minute and countered with a 42-yard field goal by Brian Pate as the first half clock expired to put the College ahead 24-3 at the break.
W&M registered 309 yards of total offense in the first half, while limiting the Keydets to 133 yards. Additionally, the Tribe rushed for 175 yards in the opening half. Riggins accounted for 108 of those yards on the ground (on nine carries).
The College wasted little time extending its lead after halftime, scoring a pair of touchdowns in the opening 1:26. Riggins rushed for 53 yards on the first play of the half, and Grimes followed with a 12-yard touchdown scamper down the left side to push W&M’s lead to 31-3.
Senior linebacker Josh Rutter caused Maypray to fumble on the first play of VMI’s ensuing possession, and Caldwell recovered the loose ball at the Keydet’s 31 yard line. After a 12-yard rush by Phillips on the series’ first play, he scored with a 19-yard touchdown run on the following play as the Tribe built a comfortable 38-3 advantage.
VMI cut the College’s lead to 38-17 midway through the third quarter after a 64-yard touchdown run by Maypray and a six-yard touchdown by backup quarterback Kyle Hughes.
However, the Tribe answered with an eight-play, 72-yard drive that culminated with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Phillips to Mack with 3:29 remaining in the third quarter. Phillips completed 3-of-4 passes for 38 yards on the drive, while Grimes added a key 39-yard run.
The Tribe tacked on another touchdown late in the fourth quarter with a 12-play drive that covered 79 yards and lasted 7:17. Schonder provided the touchdown with an 11-yard run with 2:04 remaining in the contest. It was Schonder’s second career touchdown.
In addition to limiting VMI to just 25 yards passing, a number of players on W&M’s defensive unit posted impressive individual performances. Caldwell finished with a game-high 10 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a tackle for a loss. Senior all-conference cornerback Derek Cox added six tackles, including two for a loss, while senior defensive tackle Daniel Pulley recorded his first career sack. Junior defensive end Adrian Tracy and redshirt freshman linebacker Jake Trantin were both in on a half sack.
The Tribe will return to action next Saturday when it hosts Norfolk State at 7 p.m.
No. 6 DELAWARE 48, WEST CHESTER 20
Boxscore
NEWARK, Del.-- Johnathon Smith enjoyed his biggest night as a Blue Hen, scoring three touchdowns and running for 101 yards to lead the No. 6 ranked University of Delaware to an easy 48-20 football win over West Chester in UD’s home opener Saturday night at sold out Delaware Stadium.
Smith, a senior and a first-year starter in the Delaware backfield, scored all three of his touchdowns in the first half, including a 62-yard burst down the left sideline early in the second quarter as the Hens (1-1) jumped out to a 34-6 lead at the break and never looked back in posting a win over their NCAA Division II rivals for the 15th straight time, including the third straight year in the home opener.
The game was played before a sold out crowd of 22,029 that saw the Blue Hens, last season’s NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision runner-up, unveil a brand new video scoreboard. The board had plenty of chances to show Delaware highlights.
Smith led a balanced rushing attack that churned out 308 yards and scored four touchdowns on the ground. Smith enjoyed his first career 100-yard effort while Jerry Butler rushed for 92 yards on 12 carries, including a 53-yard scoring jaunt in the final quarter, Jared Bradley gained 78 yards on 10 carries, and Phillip Thaxton rambled for 47 yards on 10 tries.
Athlete photoDelaware junior quarterback Robby Schoenhoft, a first-year transfer from Ohio State, earned his first career win as he completed 14 of 26 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns, an 18-yard toss to All-American tight end Robbie Agnone in the opening quarter and a 14-yard strike to a diving Kervin Michaud in the final stanza.
West Chester (1-1), ranked No. 23 in the NCAA Division II poll and an NCAA Tournament qualifier the previous four seasons, managed to throw for three touchdowns but the Hens stuffed their run game all night, holding the Rams to just 16 yards on 17 carries without the benefit of a sack.
The Hens also held down West Chester All-American wide receiver Mike Washington to just one catch for no yards. Washington entered the game averaging 22 yards per catch with three touchdowns this season.
“I think we took some steps forward tonight,” said Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler, whose team fell in its season opener 14-7 at the University of Maryland Aug. 30 before taking last week off. “I don’t know how much the bye week hurt us, but we did make some mistakes. But our kids worked hard and we enjoy every win. West Chester played well and will be very competitive in their league, but they just could not run on us tonight and that was a big difference.”
In addition to holding the Rams to just 256 total yards, the Hens also intercepted two passes and blocked a punt on the Rams’ first possession that resulted in a first quarter touchdown. Linebacker Brian Brown (#6 at right) and Anthony Walters (#9 at right) played a big part for the UD defense with Walters intercepting a pass.
The Hens came out strong, scoring on six of their first seven possessions to take the big lead.
Delaware didn’t waste any time getting on the board as All-American defensive end Matt Marcorelle blocked a West Chester punt after a bad snap with the Hens getting the ball on the Ram seven yard line. Four plays later Smith bulled into the end zone from one-yard out on a fourth and one play.
The Hens went up 14-0 on Schoenhoft’s 18-yard pass to Agnone with 15 seconds left in the opening quarter before West Chester scored its initial touchdown on a 16-yard scoring pass from Joe Wright to Steve Miller just 45 second later.
But Delaware reeled off 20 straight points to end the half with Smith out-running the defense for a 62-yard run with 14:11 left and adding a one-yard dive with 4:52 left. All-American Jon Striefsky added field goals of 23 and 37 yards in a 90-second span to put the Hens up 34-6 at the break. The last field goal, with 24 seconds left in the half, was set up on an interception by safety Charles Graves.
“Our line really came up with some blocks up front tonight,” said Smith, a former linebacker of his performance and big touchdown run. “It was exciting to run like I did but I just want to stay consistent. Once I get down the sidelines, I have some big strides and I didn’t think the little guys could catch me.”
After a scoreless third quarter, the Hens upped the lead to 41-13 on a 14-yard diving touchdown catch by Michaud in the middle of the end zone just 1:23 into the final stanza.
West Chester backup quarterback Jared Jorgensen, who hit on 4 of 8 passes for 77 yards in relief of Wright, followed with a 55-yard scoring toss to Darryl Canty just over a minute later to cut the lead to 41-13, but the Hens countered with another big run as Butler scampered 53-yards down the right sideline 15 seconds later to push the score back up to 48-13.
The Rams closed out the scoring with Jorgensen hitting Andrew Taylor with a four-yard pass into the end zone with 6:59 left. That score was set up when Mike Dell recovered a fumble by Delaware wide receiver Tommy Crosby at the Delaware 23-yard line by Matt Colyar.
Delaware will return to action next Saturday when the Hens travel to Furman for a big non-league matchup. West Chester will host Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference foe Millersville.
No. 17 GEORGIA SOUTHERN 34, NORTHEASTERN 27 (ot)
Boxscore
Antonio Henton’s 25-yard touchdown run in overtime helped the Georgia Southern Eagles overcome a six-point deficit and beat the Northeastern football team 34-27 Saturday night in Statesboro, Ga.
The loss is Northeastern’s second overtime defeat to the Eagles in their two-game series.
Northeastern (0-2) had the ball at the GSU 35 with 3:07 to play in the game, holding a 27-21 lead. They were looking to run the clock out. On 3rd and 1 at the 26, senior Alex Broomfield took an option pitch from senior Anthony Orio and took it to the 20, where he fumbled away the ball and it was recovered by J.B. Shippy.
That gave Georgia Southern new life as Henton completed a 65-yard touchdown pass to Tim Camp to tie the game. The Eagles could have taken the lead, but Jesse Hartley’s extra point attempt was blocked by senior Mark Washington.
The Huskies got the ball back, but failed to get a first down. With 32 seconds left, the Eagles tried to win in regulation. Henton hit Raja Andrews with a 39-yard pass to move into field goal range. However, Hartley’s 45-yard attempt was wife left, sending the game to overtime.
The Huskies won the toss and elected to play defense first. The Eagles got the ball at the NU 25 and after an incomplete pass, Henton rushed the ball into the end zone for the score and a 34-27 lead.
Northeastern had one last chance to tie the game. Sophomore Greg Abelli ran a reverse three yards. Orio then missed a pass to sophomore Lloyd Clarke. On third down, Orio rushed for six yards to make it 4th and 1. On the last play, Broomfield took a halfback option and threw to senior Brian Mandeville, but the ball fell incomplete, giving the Eagles the victory.
Orio finished with a career-high 287 yards on 24-of-38 passing. Broomfield had 126 yards on the ground with two touchdowns. He also had six catches for 38 yards. Mandeville led the Huskies with 82 yards in the air.
Henton had 298 yards passing, the fifth-most in Eagles history. He had two TD passes and three rushing touchdowns. Andrews had 123 receiving yards.
The Huskies opened the game with a bang after kicking off to Georgia Southern (2-1). On the first play from scrimmage, Henton threw a quick out to Andrews, who caught the ball and was immediately hit by senior captain Cord Parks, causing a fumble. Junior Jason Vega recovered the ball and gave the Huskies possession at the GSU 22.
Two plays later, the Huskies were in the end zone. Orio connected with Mandeville on a 16-yard pass to get NU to the six-yard line. Orio then handed off to Broomfield, who crossed the goal line for a six-yard touchdown and a 7-0 NU lead just 48 seconds into the contest.
Georgia Southern came right back with an eight-play drive that culminated with a touchdown of its own. Moving down from their own 39, the Eagles got to the NU 14 where Henton threw a screen pass to Andrews, who then fumbled after getting hit by sophomore Chad Parham. However, Camp recovered the ball and ran into the end zone seven yards for the score.
On the next Husky possession, Orio aired out a pass to senior Chris Plum for a 37-yard reception, moving Northeastern from its own 38 to the GSU 25. The Huskies then dug themselves a hole when they were called for a chop block penalty. On 3rd and 18, Orio connected with Plum on a 17-yard pass to set up 4th and 1 at the Eagles 16. Orio hurried his offense to the line of scrimmage and drew the defense offsides for a new set of downs.
Broomfield then took the ball and had a nine-yard rush and then scored his second TD of the day with a two-yard rush up the middle. That gave Northeastern a 14-7 advantage at the 7:44 mark of the first quarter.
Showing shades of the 2005 contest between these two teams, the Eagles came back once again to tie the game. With just five plays, Georgia Southern scored on Henton’s one-yard keeper that was set up by the first play of the drive, a 43-yard pass from Henton to Andrews that got the Eagles to the NU 15.
Northeastern got the offense back on the field and moved the ball once again. At the NU 20, Broomfield got it started with an 11-yard rush. After an Orio keeper, Tony Lott caught a pass from Orio for 22 yards, bringing the Huskies to the GSU 43. The Huskies then methodically worked their way into the red zone as Broomfield and Orio did most of the work. NU was at the three-yard line when Orio found sophomore Conor Gilmartin-Donohue in the back of the end zone for a touchdown catch. For Gilmartin-Donohue, it was his second TD catch in as many games. The Huskies now led 21-14.
On kickoff, sophomore Paul Branco hit a squib kick that Terence Hall mishandled and recovered by sophomore Demetrius Biggs, regaining possession for Northeastern on the GSU 31. The Huskies drove down to the seven-yard line and it appeared that they would score again, but Broomfield took the handoff and got to the one-yard line before fumbling the ball away as E.J. Webb hit him and Darrel Pasco recovered the ball.
After Georgia Southern punted, the Huskies got the ball at their own 22 and again began a long offensive drive. Broomfield opened up with a 14-yard rush. Orio followed with multiple passes to senior Brian Mandeville, who had three catches for 47 yards on the drive. His big catch came on 4th and 8 at the GSU 29 when Orio found him up the middle for a 14-yard gain. After Broomfield’s two-yard rush on 4th and 1 got the Huskies to the GSU 6, the Eagles stuffed the Huskies at the goal line on four rushing attempts. NU settled for a 19-yard field goal by junior Mat Johnson, making it 24-14 NU. The drive lasted nearly nine minutes and took 18 plays, taking up most of the second quarter.
The Huskies went into the half with a 24-14 lead after Georgia Southern was stopped in the final minute.
The third quarter was quiet compared to the first half. Neither team did much with their initial drives of the second half. The Huskies put up the only points of the quarter when Johnson hit a 39-yard field goal, giving Northeastern a 27-21 lead.
The Huskies continued to hold off the Eagles’ offense as they forced them to punt a couple of times and recovered a fumble from Joe Haynie with 7:22 to play. Parham picked up the loose ball for NU.
However, Northeastern’s offense fell silent in the final minutes of the game, allowing the Eagles to make their comeback.
Defensively, sophomore David Akinniyi had a big game, making eight tackles and two sacks. Parham made his presence known with two tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Quentin Taylor led the Eagles with 13 tackles.
ALBANY 22, HOFSTRA 16 (ot)
Boxscore
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- David McCarty scored on a 7-yard run to give Albany a 22-16 overtime victory over Hofstra on Saturday night.
McCarty scored after Albany blocked Brian Hanly's 30-yard field goal attempt on the first possession of overtime.
McCarty finished with 178 yards on 27 carries for the Great Danes (1-1), and Vinny Esposito completed 10 of 22 passes for 102 yards and had two 1-yard scoring runs.
Hofstra (0-2) tied it at 16 on Brock Jackolski's 3-yard with 10:34 left.
Cory Christopher was 27-of-37 for 272 yards and a touchdown for the Pride. Anthony Nelson had nine catches for 85 yards, and Edward Benjamin ran for 67 yards on 17 carries.
Hofstra took a 9-7 lead on Hanly's 25-yard field goal with 1:24 to play in the second quarter, but Albany tied on a safety midway through the third and took a 16-9 lead on Esposito's second TD run with 2:12 left in the third.
Albany had lost its previous nine games against Hofstra.