On Thursday, I had a chance to talk with senior safety Dave Casale. Casale, a captain, is a graduate of Troy High and had seven interceptions last year.

Casale is one of the anchors of the defensive unit for the Great Danes (0-2), who take on Maine at 4 p.m. on Saturday in a game that can be seen on Time Warner channel 3.

What was the team's mood after the UMass game?

DC: We realized that we have to turn the season around and we have to do it quickly. We have to start taking care of the little things and really getting on everyone in order to turn the season around.

Did you almost wish you could press the reset button after the bad start against UMass?

DC: It seemed that way, but then again with four minutes left in the third quarter, the score was only 20-7. We had opportunities to get back in the game, deep in the third quarter and we just didn't take advantage of them. Our turnover ratio was just completely unacceptable. It's not possible for us to win a game with the amount of turnovers we had and lack of turnovers the defense got.

What's the biggest thing you guys have to correct?

DC: We just have to get rolling. Defensively, we have to start swarming to the ball and not letting their offense get any momentum, especially in the beginning of the game. Offensively, they've been harping on keeping control of the ball.

How tough has it been walking around campus, going to class and knowing that you're 0-2 and that's not where you want to be?

DC: It's tough, but we can't dwell on this loss. I think we thought about the Georgia Southern loss a little too long and we realized after film on Sunday that the past is past and we have to look forward and work on improving the future.

You've played these tough teams early in the year and the record hasn't been that great, but this isn't time to panic is it?

DC: We're definitely far from panicking. You have to take it one game at a time and come Saturday, our goal is to go out and get a win and hopefully that win will spark more to come.

Are you extra excited for the home opener?

DC: We're really excited. Everyone has a ton of people coming to the game. It's exciting to play in front of people you know and people that support you.

You're a little banged up, any chance you won't be out there on Saturday?

DC: No. I'll be out there. I'm not going to let my hamstring hold me back.

(UAlbany Athletics)

On Wednesday, I caught up with Saratoga Springs native and red-shirt senior wide receiver Tim Bush.

Bush caught 67 passes for 794 yards and five touchdowns in 2008. Bush is a legitimate No. 1 receiver and despite his size (5-9, 185 lbs.), he is a definitely a big play guy.

With the big season opener against Georgia Southern right around the corner, I wanted to see how the team was preparing.

TB: To be absolutely honest with you, it's been four weeks of preseason ball and I've seen these faces too much, the same colors every single time I come out on the football field. It's going to be pretty exciting going out there and seeing some different color jerseys. Our team as a whole is excited for that. We're ready for the challenge. We don't see ourselves as an underdog coming into this game, we just think of it as a challenge that we have to overcome. We have a lot of great veterans and starters on both sides of the ball and I think we can get it done.

AS: How is this week different now that you're game planning for a different team?

TB: During preseason ball, we only watch film on ourselves. We watch our scouting against our defense. Afterwards, we get a good 30 minutes after our meetings to Georgia Southern. It gets us all pumped up, knowing that these are the kids we're going to be going up against. Especially in the secondary, they have pretty decent corners, but our receiving corps has came along and we just want to showcase what we have.

AS: How does the start of classes change things (Classes began Aug. 31)?

TB: I have to lift at 6 o'clock in the morning, then I have a 7 a.m. meeting, then I have classes all day and then I have to practice for another 2 and 1/2 hours. It's not a short day. It's a very long and tedious day. It's hard.

AS: What are the guys saying to get psyched up against a team that on paper is the heavy favorite?

TB: Our team is a bunch of kids that are very disciplined, play very, very hard and just play to the whistle. We don't care what goes on in between each play. We know that when the time comes to make a play, we'll make one. That makes our team very, very deadly and we have nothing to lose. Overall, our team is just very excited for this game.

AS: It will probably be hotter down there. You guys do anything this week to simulate that?

TB: It's nice that this week is supposed to be a little warmer. It was a little cooler yesterday, it's supposed to be warmer today. It's pretty much about being prepared. There's nothing you can do about that. We're going down there, yeah the temperature is going to be hotter, but most of our team has been hydrating to be prepared for the game on Saturday.

AS: There's going to be a lot of people there. You guys do anything to simulate that?

TB: Not really. It's not like a Montana setting where they're (the fans) right on top of you. They're a little further back. It's a horseshoe stadium I heard. We don't expect it to get to a point where it gets so loud we can't here our cadences and here the calls of our quarterback and likewise for defense.

AS: What are your expectations for this season?

TB: I expect myself to have a great season, everybody does. Every single person who is a starter wants to have a great season. It's all about the opportunities that are giving to me by (Offensive Coordinator) Coach (Ryan) McCarthy, the playcalling and our quarterback Vinnie Esposito. Him and I have developed a huge trust in one another. If our offense gets in a whole, I want to be that go-to guy to keep our offense on the field.

(UAlbany Athletics)

I also talked with Coach Bob Ford and senior running back David McCarty for Saturday's game preview.

Ford told me that the only injuries are junior linebacker and Troy native Chris Blais, who is out four weeks with a injured thumb and Queensbury native Jeff Benway, who is having surgery on his hand.

Look for our story on Troy native Dave Casale in Thursday's paper.

While the calendar just switched to June, the University at Albany is starting to think about football season.

That's because the Great Danes were selected to win their third consecutive Northeast Conference title on Monday.

Here's the release from UAlbany.

Albany , N.Y. – After putting together its most celebrated season at the NCAA Division I FCS level, UAlbany has been picked to win its third consecutive Northeast Conference football championship by Sporting News Yearbook .

In 2008, the Great Danes claimed the conference title for the second year in a row and became the first NEC program to be crowned Gridiron Classic champions.

Head coach Bob Ford, the active Division I FCS leader with 234 career victories, has 14 starters returning from last year’s 9-3 squad.

All-America tailback David McCarty (at left) leads an offensive unit that averaged more than 26 points and 363 yards.

McCarty, who was named to the Sports Network FCS All-America team for the second straight season, is the Sporting News Yearbook preseason NEC offensive player of the year.

He rushed for a school-record 1,852 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior. McCarty, the Gridiron Classic MVP, was second among the NCAA rushing leaders and tied for fourth in all-purpose yards (184.0 ypg).

The Great Danes were dominant at times on defense and allowed 18.2 points and 119.1 rushing yards overall.

All-ECAC and All-NEC safety Dave Casale (at right) recorded the most interceptions by a UAlbany defender since 1990 with seven, plus was second in tackles (74). Justin Brancaccio, a first-team all-conference inside linebacker, led the team with 91 tackles. The Great Danes captured their fourth conference championship last year and set the program's FCS record for single-season wins. UAlbany won the NEC title outright in 2002 and 2007 and shared the crown in 2003.

Meanwhile Casale, a Troy native, has been selected to the Consensus Draft Services preseason FCS All-America second team, while McCarty, a La Salle graduate, Brancaccio and Kevin Richards were chosen in the honorable mention category.

UAlbany begins the season on Saturday, Sept. 5 at Georgia Southern.

I had a chance to stop by UAlbany football practice today and the team is certainly happy that they are 1-1 and not 0-2 after their dramatic overtime victory over Hofstra.

Of course they have changing big Raphael Nguti (he's 6-foot-7 and 330-pounds) to the special teams unit to thank for that.

Nguti (who is as big as advertised, believe me I talked to him Wednesday) blocked two kicks - including one in overtime as the Danes defeated Hofstra 22-16.

Nguti was named Northeast Conference Special Teams Player of the Week (duh).

David McCarty broke the program record by rushing for 178 yards and eclipsing 100 yards for the eighth consecutive game passing Gary Jones' (2002) total of seven.

McCarty, who scored the game-winning touchdown, didn't know about this until I told him today and he also didn't know that he has eclipsed 2,000 all-purpose yards for his career.

The accolades piled up for McCarty this week as he received a College Sporting News All-Star selection and Northeast Conference Offensive Player of the Week.

Here's what McCarty had to say about that...

“I’m just out there to win,” McCarty said. “I hadn’t done anything all game. I was just happy to be involved in the winning play.”

Here's a picture of the winning touchdown....

(Brian DePasquale - UAlbany Athletics)

Another key player and someone I had a chance to catch up with was junior safety Dave Casale, who blocked the third kick of the night for UAlbany when he deflected the Pride's possible game-winning kick with under 10 seconds to go, which forced overtime.

Casale said the team is much more positive heading into the big matchup against 10th-ranked New Hampshire (2-0), the first time these teams have ever met, on Saturday with last week's thrilling win under their belt.

Coach Bob Ford said that the win was one of his best (and remember he's got 226 of them), but he also said that the big win provides a large challenge as his squad gets ready for a tougher task come Saturday.

“The two toughest challenges in coaching are picking a team up after a devastating loss and after a great win, bringing them back down to earth,” Ford said.

I'll have something in the print edition on UAlbany's matchup and last week's big win, probably on Saturday or possibly on Friday.

New Hampshire Results
Sept. 6 @ Army W 28-10
Sept. 13 @ Rhode Island W 51-43