UAlbany Rallies Past Idaho To Reach The Semifinals Of The NCAA FCS Playoffs
Rob Washburn
CAA Football will have a team in the semifinals of the FCS playoffs for the 10
th time in the past 11 years after 5
th-seeded UAlbany rallied past #4 Idaho, 30-22, on Saturday night. The Great Danes will face #1 South Dakota State, who battled past Villanova, 23-12, earlier in the day.
UAlbany 30, Idaho 22
Box Score
Brevin Easton caught three touchdown passes from Reese Poffenbarger, including a go-ahead 30-yard score with 4:38 remaining as 5
th-seeded UAlbany rallied past #4 Idaho, 30-22, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA FCS playoffs on Saturday night. The Great Danes (11-3) advance to the semifinals for the first time ever, where they will meet #1 South Dakota State next Friday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
Poffenbarger finished 24-of-41 passing for 341 yards and 3 TD’s, while Easton made nine receptions for a career-high 228 yards and 3 TD’s.
Trailing 19-14 entering the fourth quarter, UAlbany got a 22-yard field goal from John Opalko to close within two with 11:07 to go. The Great Danes then put together a 10-play, 85-yard drive, capped by Poffenbarger’s 30-yard TD pass to Easton in the corner of the end zone to move on top, 23-19.
On the ensuing possession, UAlbany’s Anton Juncaj recorded his school-record 15
th sack and forced a fumble that was recovered by Elijah Hills. After converting a key third down, freshman Griffin Woodell broke loose for a 29-yard TD run to extend the Great Danes’ advantage to 30-19 with 46 seconds on the clock.
Idaho booted a 49-yard field goal with 25 seconds remaining to pull within eight, but UAlbany recovered an onside kick to seal the victory.
UAlbany fell behind 7-0 midway through the first quarter but responded quickly. Poffenbarger connected with Easton on a 64-yard strike to tie the game with 7:28 left in the opening period. The Vandals were able to build a 16-7 advantage before the Great Danes dialed up another big play. Poffenbarger escaped pressure and found Easton with a 39-yard TD toss to cut the deficit to 16-14 with 6:55 to go in the second quarter.
Woodell ran for a team-high 98 yards on 21 carries and caught seven passes for 19 yards. Dylan Kelly paced the UAlbany defense with seven tackles.
South Dakota State 23, Villanova 12
Box Score
Villanova stayed within one score of top-seeded South Dakota State into the fourth quarter but dropped a 23-12 decision to the Jackrabbits. The Wildcats had their seven-game winning streak snapped and ended their season with a 10-3 mark, while SDSU improved to 13-0 and recorded its 27
th consecutive victory.
Villanova took a 6-3 lead midway through the second period on a 25-yard touchdown run by Jalen Jackson. The Jacks went back on top after returning a blocked punt 45 yards for a score, but a 46-yard Matt Mercurio field goal pulled the Wildcats within 10-9 at the half. VU’s defense limited SDSU’s powerful offense to only 62 total yards in the opening 30 minutes.
The Jacks extended their advantage to 17-9 on a 20-yard Jaxon Janke TD reception midway through the third quarter. However, the Wildcats put together a 16-play, 70-yard drive and trimmed the deficit to five on a 23-yard Mercurio field goal with 13:29 remaining. SDSU responded with a 66-yard TD run by Isaiah Davis (27 att., 192 yds.) on the ensuing possession and VU was unable to score again.
Jackson rushed for a team-best 67 yards on nine carries, while quarterback Connor Watkins passed for 74 yards in windy conditions and ran for 50. Danny Abraham recorded a career-high 12 tackles for the Villanova defense, while Shane Hartzell and Jake Reichwein added nine stops apiece.