I received my media pass for UAlbany's first home football game (Oct. 9 vs. St. Francis) this afternoon from the UAlbany Athletics department .

That must mean football is on the way.

Okay, I'm joking. Obviously, the Great Danes 2010 season is already underway.

I probably have mentioned this already, but it bears repeating that UAlbany is the only FBS or FCS team that doesn't have a home game in the month of September. They are probably the only team in the country, including Division II and III, but that's not verified.

Anyway, the Great Danes are trying to stop a two-game slide that has them thinking the 3-0 season-opening victory over Maine was so long ago it was last season.

On a negative note, freshman running back Tramaine Wilson will not travel for the second straight week. Coach Bob Ford said it's a personal issue and he's again hoping he'll be there next week for the home opener.

I had a chance to talk to senior Ross Bertrand, who is the only player from the state of Connecticut about playing Yale.

"I know it has great history behind it, but I've never been there," said the Stamford, Conn., native.

Bertrand says he'll have at least 25-30 people coming to the game.

Look for our game preview online and in print on Saturday.

Below senior defensive end Mike Kelly talks about the Yale game. I've been told he is a theater minor, so he should be a natural on camera.

ALBANY - Freshman running back Tramaine Wilson has been suspended for one week according to coach Bob Ford for violating team regulations.

Ford wouldn't elaborate, but said he will "hopefully" be back next week.

Wilson, who the coaches were very high on during the preseason, has rushed for 50 yards on 24 carries so far this season.

That leaves the Great Danes (1-1) with Andrew Smith, freshman Dillon Romain and redshirt freshman Amsterdam High graduate Ben Miseikis in the back field for Saturday's Northeast Conference opener at Duquesne (2-1).

Smith will play, after missing the Stephen F. Austin game because of a leg injury.

Other Injury notes:

• Left guard Kyle O'Keefe back, but won't play the whole game
• Wide receiver Jason Poore has a hamstring issue, but he'll play
  

"There's two times that you're going to be healthy," Ford said. "Fourth of July and Christmas. In between, you'll always have aches and pains."

ALBANY - I'll admit that was a pretty bad use of the first opponents name in the headline.

The University at Albany football team is getting ready to kick off the 2010 season against Maine on Thursday evening.

I caught the tail end of practice on Tuesday and heard a couple of rave reviews about redshirt freshman running back Tramaine Wilson.

Wilson supposedly has had a great preseason camp and will help carry the load at the running back position.

UAlbany coach Bob Ford said that he thinks Wilson will play quite a bit.

The Great Danes lost a lot of players from last season, but Ford thinks they can plug the gaps.

“What you hope is that you replace him, or those specific kids, with an adequate replacement and then some of the other positions step it up a little more,” he said.

Ford was asked who he thought had most some big steps during the preseason camp, leading up to the season and he added in no particular order.

Wilson
Junior safety Jake Ciccarello
Senior captain offensive lineman Andy Sparano
Sophomore wide receiver Nick Hutcherson
Sophomore linebacker Jon Morgan
Redshirt freshman punter Paul Layton

Ford also said they are getting good play from senior defensive linemen Trevor Anderson and Eddie Delaney and they expect that from those two.

"We have the talent," Ford said. "I think the major question is how are we going to gel."

Another note from UAlbany camp. Former player Chris Simpson, who played last season at linebacker, is going after a Rhodes scholarship.

Simpson has one year left at RPI, after setting out for a 3 & 2 program with UAlbany and RPI, to get his undergraduate degree and his master's.

The team leaves for Maine at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.

Look for our preview pages in The Record and a feature on the versatile Andrew Smith on Thursday.