AP

ALBANY — Drew Smith wants to make the most of every opportunity he gets to carry the football.
 
The senior running back is averaging nearly 100 yards per game so far this season for the University at Albany.
 
Smith will be one of the keys, as UAlbany (1-0, 3-1) gets set to host league rival Monmouth (2-0, 3-1), at home, on Saturday afternoon.
 
“It’ll be a tough ballgame,” said Great Danes coach Bob Ford. “We’ll have to play well.”
 
Smith, who has 392 yards and five touchdowns already this season, has been the Great Danes leading back for the past two years. He credits maturity with helping him turn things up even another level, as a senior.
 
“I think it’s me being more mature and knowing what to do, when to go and not being reckless,” said the Guilderland High grad. “I know my sophomore year, I was running high and got dinged up.”
 
Smith and his fellow seniors haven’t lost to Monmouth in their careers. The last time the Hawks won in this Northeast Conference matchup was back in 2006.
 
Smith says he spends more time in the tub and talking to trainer Jay Geiger, if even the slightest things flares up.
 
“I know my body now,” Smith said. “I know what to expect of it. I have Omar too, to help me out.”
 
Sophomore Omar Osbourne and Smith have helped UAlbany excel in the running game this season. The Great Danes are averaging more than 200 yards rushing per game and haven’t been held to fewer than 110.
 
Smith will likely become just the third running back in school history to surpass the 3,000-yard mark for his career, joining David McCarty (2006-09) and Gary Jones (2002-03), both also Section II high school products.
 
Smith has dealt with injuries in past seasons, but he says he’s running lower now, which helps him avoid some of the more violent contact.
 
For his career, Smith has averaged 5.3 yards per carry (484 total rushes) and scored 27 rushing touchdowns.
 
All this for a guy who played quarterback in high school and initially was slotted behind Vinny Esposito in the QB depth chart for the Great Danes.
 
The goal for the UAlbany running backs is to pick up four yards per carry. Smith just wants to do as much as he can to help the team to victory.
 
“I want to make the most of every carry,” he said.

ALBANY - "Don't let this fall apart."

Those were the words from graduating seniors David McCarty, the all-time leader in rushing yards, and Vinny Esposito, the starting quarterback, to red-shirt sophomore Andrew Smith (who will be further mentioned as Drew for various reasons, most notably there's
another Andrew Smith - a freshman from Wading River, NY - on the roster).

Smith said he was really close with both players, especially Esposito and that those guys want to see the team continue to succeed.

"I'm playing for them and for the University," Smith said.

The 2010 season UAlbany football season unofficially began on Tuesday with Media Day.

Smith said he is really ready for the season, especially since he basically has been waiting two years for Esposito to graduate so he can try to play more quarterback.

While he will compete with Dan Di Lella and Buddy Leathley, Smith will also be playing at running back (the position he will be listed at on the roster) and wide receiver.

"It's pretty much my time right now," said Smith.

*****

Look for a story on the season being close to start and a story about transfer Said Gaida, who will play his final season at UAlbany after Hofstra eliminated their football team in Wednesday's edition of The Record.

Here is Gaida talking about what Great Danes fans can expect from him.



I talked with Andy Sparano, son of Miami Dolphins coach Tony Sparano and he gave me some great quotes for Wednesday's paper.

Sparano was named a captain of the 2010 team, along with Mike Kelly, Troy native Chris Blais and Kyle O'Keefe.

Here's one.

"This team lost a lot of very important players. You can never downplay what those guys have done here. They started a dynasty. Guys like myself and the other three captains and guys like Drew Smith, we look to build on that. We don't look to step backward, we look to go forwards."

*****

Burnt Hills native Zach Morton received the Capital District Student Scholarship, sponsored by the New York Giants.

I had a chance to talk to Zach, who was selected an all-NYS Class A second team after his senior year with the Spartans.

The 6-foot-5 Morton, who could stand to put on some bulk (I'm sure he's working on that), said that the main reason to come to UAlbany was the tradition and sense of "Purple Family."

Morton also looked at Sacred Heart and some schools in the Ivy and Patriot Leagues.

Gansevoort native David McCarty, the University at Albany's career rushing leader, will attend the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' NFL Rookie Mini-Camp this weekend.

The Buccaneers first practice is scheduled for Friday at 2 p.m.

McCarty, a La Salle Institute graduate, rushed for 4,287 yards in his four season with the Great Danes.

McCarty is also UAlbany's career leader with 24 games of 100 yards rushing.

McCarty is the second La Salle graduate to latch on with an NFL team this season, joining former teammate Scott Sicko, who signed a free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday.

I decided to check in with senior running back David McCarty because he's listed as questionable for Saturday's big road game against Central Connecticut State.

McCarty, the school's all-time leading rusher, has suffered a laundry list of injuries this season, but is considering himself a go for the game.

DM: "We just have to win the game and if that means me staying out or playing, either or, for the benefit of the team I just want to win another (championship) and be on my merry way."

Do you have to be out there in this important game?

DM: "I'm more than confident they can do it by themselves. We have a lot of threats down field with receivers, Vinny (Esposito) can throw the ball wherever he wants to and I'm very glad that I have a running back like (Justin) Gannon behind me, so they're more than capable to do it."

What happened on the play you hurt yourself on against Monmouth?

DM: "My toe got stuck in the turf and two guys came down on top of it. It's just one of those things that happens a lot in football. Then, when I came down, I just came down awkwardly on my wrist. That's unfortunate, but something that you have to overcome with football, it's a physical sport."

McCarty gave a lot of credit to assistant athletic trainer Joe Tegnander.

DM: "I give him all the credit in the world. He's a great guy who knows his stuff. He's been with me for my wrist, my ankle, my hamstring, my hip. He's been there for anything, so I have to give all the credit to him.

What is the worst of the injuries that you've suffered this year?

DM: "Everything is just a nagging injury, which makes it so I can't play. It's not so excruciating that I need surgery or something else, it's just an injury that doesn't hurt, but when you need to run on it or you need to make a cut on it, it hurts. Like a hip pointer, if I just sat in bed, it wouldn't hurt me, but if I had to make a cut or had to make a run, it would kill."

McCarty was then asked about his alma mater, La Salle Institute losing in the first round of the Section II Class AA sectionals to Guilderland.

"When I read that on the way back from Monmouth, I couldn't believe it. I was very surprised, but Coach (Al) Rapp is one of those people who knows that any team can be beaten on any given day. It's not always the best team that wins."

How frustrating has it been to have your senior season be slowed by these injuries?

DM: "It's been injury after injury. I can never seem to keep a good rhythm. It takes a lot out of your moral because you can't practice and one thing that I believe in is you practice the way you play and if you're not practicing, you're not going to be able to play that well on Saturday. It's really demoralizing because you're always having to worry about something when you should be worrying about the next opponent."

Just got back from the University at Albany and senior running back David McCarty said he will play Saturday after suffering both a sprained right wrist and right ankle on the same play last weekend against Monmouth.

"I'll definitely play," said McCarty after Thursday's practice, the only practice he's participated in this week. "How much depends on how I feel and how the coaches feel."

I'll have more from McCarty and on the Great Danes big game against Central Connecticut State later this evening.

I caught up with senior center Kevin Richards on Thursday.

Richards, a Clifton Park native, was chosen as a second team All-Northeast Conference selection for the past two seasons and is the only starter from last season on the offensive line back in 2009.

First I want to say, hopefully, this blog entry doesn't cost Richards.

As Sports Information Director Brian DePasquale told me, the offensive line has this policy: if you get interviewed, you have to buy bagels for the rest of the lineman.

With that aside, here's what Kevin, who got married this past July, and I discussed on the upcoming game at Saint Francis on Saturday.


Talk about getting ready for another conference game.

KR: It might seem more meaningful, but we have to approach it just like it was a non-conference game because when we play our non-conference games, they say we're playing up. With the conference this year, there's a lot more parity. Saint Francis, on film, has looked so much better than they have in years past, so we really have to attack it the same way and I think we have so far.

This is your first 1 p.m. game of the year. How does that make preparation different?

KR: I think a lot of time with the night games and the 4 o'clock kickoffs, there's a lot of sitting around, just waiting to get to the field. Hopefully, we'll wake up at the same time and we'll just do everything a lot quicker. If anything, maybe that will get us going a little quicker, we've had some late starts the last couple games, so hopefully in the first half we'll get something going.

Does being on the road change anything?

KR: I think at this level it's really the team that matters. The home field advantage isn't necessarily anything. When people come out to our games, it's great. At the Maine game, we had 5,000 people there and that was a great day and something that I think contributed to the win. Coach Ford says all the time, we'll play anyone, anywhere, it doesn't really matter.

You're the elder statesman on this offensive line.

KR: Yeah (laughing). I'm pretty old. (Richards turns 23 on Oct. 29)

The offensive line lost a few guys from last year. How do you feel like the unit is coming along?

KR: I think it's come along well. We have a lot of young guys and a lot of first-year starters and only a couple guys last year had some playing time, but we all work together, it's one unit and we have to try to pick it up. We have some tight end help, Chris Kenneally is the senior on that side, so he helps those guys a lot and then we have (David) McCarty running behind us. That makes us look a lot better. The young guys realize that if they just play as hard as they possibly can, then he'll make them look good.

It's starting to get cold. Is there anything weather-wise that you'll do to prepare?

KR: Watching the film of us against Saint Francis from last year, it was a torrential downpour. It was like a monsoon out there. We'll play anywhere, any weather, it doesn't matter. Two years ago, we had an epic against Stony Brook, where there was lighting and it was a five-hour game, so that stuff doesn't really faze us.

Are you waiting for that big breakout running game?

KR: With these young guys, we're knocking on the door. It's going to come, it's just a matter of getting it. Now that we're in conference, it has to come sooner than later.

(UAlbany Athletics)

Here is another note from practice.

• Coach Bob Ford said that sophomore guard Kyle O'Keefe is dealing with some shoulder issues and that they'd have a better idea of where he was at practice today

If you think the players are taking Saint Francis lightly (UAlbany has never lost in 10 meetings), they certainly aren't acting like it.

• “They’re definitely a better team than they were last year,” said sophomore Eddie Delaney. “I think they’re average o-lineman has put on 15 pounds since last year.”
• “They don’t look lost out there, they look in good shape, they look physical, they look like no Saint Francis team I’ve ever seen," senior Justin Brancaccio said. "They look like they’re up there with the top teams in our conference.”

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.

Here's a link to a story on University at Albany senior running back David McCarty that ran on Thursday.

Thanks to Ed Weaver for heading over to media day as I was down in New York City.

I'm hoping to get over to Great Danes football practice tomorrow.

Story

New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin spent part of Wednesday afternoon talking to the University at Albany football team.

The Giants are finishing their 2009 Training Camp at UAlbany, while the Great Danes are in the second week of workouts for their 2009 season.

Coughlin tried to impart some of his wisdom on UAlbany as they go for their third consecutive Northeast Conference crown.

Here's some of what Coughlin had to say.

"The number one thing is the mission...the mission. If every guy is on the same page, if every guy believes in what we're doing and if every guy hangs in there together and fights their way through the tough times...and you're going to have them...you can accomplish that and be very proud of the group that you have."

I am hoping that we will have a new feature coming to the blog as the UAlbany football season begins.

Remember, the Great Danes begin the season at Georgia Southern in only 17 days.

I will be heading to Georgia in three days, but it is for purely non-work activities before the Fall season heats up.

Also, look for a feature on senior running back David McCarty in Thursday's print edition of The Record.

Continue coming to this blog for all news regarding UAlbany football and the upcoming 2009 season.

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.

Stopped by UAlbany football practice today and the Great Danes seem ready for their home opener (yes, finally they will play a home game).

Again the game is a 1 p.m., not 4 p.m. like originally listed and will also air on Time Warner 3.

Like many of the players, junior quarterback Vinny Esposito is ready for a home game and he's calling on more fans to get to University Field for the game.

“Going down to Delaware and playing in front of 23,000 people, that was a great experience,” Esposito said. “I don’t think any time soon we’re going to get 25,000 people here, but it would be nice to have a real college football atmosphere, which we’ve had in the past and we’d like to continue with.”

Esposito added that it's nice to finally be able to have friends and family catch a home game.

“The most exciting part about it is to be able to get our friends and family up there to watch the game," Esposito said.

While Esposito says the losses, even to more talented teams, have kept this team hungry, he's confident in this bunch.

“I think that we can beat any team if we play the way we can,” Esposito said. “Delaware’s the only team that really kicked out butts. We could be 4-1 heading into this week.”

I asked Vinny about his maturation as the quarterback, this being his second season at the helm of the offense.

“Last year, things were moving real fast,” Esposito said. “We opened up with Colgate, Montana and Hofstra and I was thinking this is quick, but this year, things have slowed down. Not that my stats are eye-popping, but I think that I’m doing a good job of managing the game and I feel comfortable.”

Esposito added that he knows his role, which is to make throws when necessary and the goal is to try and balance out the offense a little more with the running game.

Speaking of the run, talented junior running back David McCarty seems ready to get after Central Connecticut State as well, especially after what he called a subpar performance by their standards last week at Duquesne and a "sloppy" one, according to Coach Bob Ford.

“It almost seems as if we play up to the big games,” McCarty said. “At Duquesne, we didn’t play up to what we're capable of, like we did at UMass and UNH. We had 14 penalties, but I think playing at UNH, UMass, Delaware, Hofstra and Montana really does help in the end.”

McCarty had 230 yards last week, has 710 on the season and last season and rushed for 247 last season against the Blue Devils.

McCarty told me he thinks the key to Saturday's game will be dependant on each team's defense and which one comes to play.

With that being said, it should be a good game. CCSU is 4-1 and their only loss came at the hands of then No. 1 ranked North Dakota State.

Look for more on the game in Saturday's paper and I'll be at University Field Saturday afternoon.

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