No. 18 UAlbany beats Stony Brook to retain Golden Apple

by: UAlbany Athletics

Posted: Nov 11, 2023 / 11:08 PM EST

Updated: Nov 11, 2023 / 11:08 PM EST

STONY BROOK, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The University at Albany football team took down rival Stony Brook on Saturday afternoon, 38-20. The win keeps the Golden Apple Trophy in Albany for the second consecutive year. The victory over the Seawolves also brings their season to an end, officially with a 0-10 overall record.

Key Stat Lines

Reese Poffenbarger completed 20 of 28 passes for 247 and four TDs. It’s the fourth time this season he has passed four TDs in one game.
Freshman back Griffin Woodell gained 136 yards and a TD on the ground. The 136-yard mark is a season-high for the Glens Falls native.
Julian Hicks ended the game with two TDs and 62 yards on six receptions. Wideout Brevin Easton finished with similar numbers, gaining 89 yards on six receptions with a TD.
Levi Wentz scored his first collegiate TD. He finished the game with 65 yards on four receptions, his best thus far as a Great Dane.
Dylan Kelly led the defense with 14 tackles, five solo.
Anton Juncaj finished with another sack, which was also a forced fumble.
Larry Walker Jr. also added a forced fumble. He finished with five tackles, three solo.

Head Coach Greg Gattuso: “It’s a great win. We struggled a little bit but have to give credit to Stony Brook for playing really hard throughout the game. At the end of the day there were a few mistakes that hurt us, but all-in-all it was a great win for us. It gets us to eight wins, now we have a shot to go play for a championship.”

How it Happened:

Stony Brook got on the board first, with linebacker Clarens Legagneur taking an interception back to the house for 49 yards on UAlbany’s opening offensive possession.
The Great Danes responded with a touchdown on the ensuing possession. After getting grate field position to start the drive, Griffin Woodell ran it on after hitting the edge from four yards out to tie the game, 7-7. The Drive covered 32 yards on five plays.
John Opalko sent one through the uprights from 29 yards out late in the first quarter to give the Great Danes a 10-7 lead.
Stony Brook tied the game three minutes into the second quarter with a 23-yard field goal from Enda Kirby, 10-10.
UAlbany re-took the lead with 9:50 remaining in the second quarter. After again getting good field possession thanks to a Levi Wentz return, Reese Poffenbarger found Brevin Easton on an 18-yard strike to make it a 17-10 game. The reception capped a five-play, 38-yard drive.
The Seawolves responded by driving the ball 55 yards on their next possession but had to settle for a 25-yard field goal to make it 17-13.
The Great Danes found the end zone once more before the half, punching the ball in with 53 seconds remaining. Poffenbarger found wideout Julian Hicks on a slant route over the middle, catching the ball to make it a 24-13 game. UAlbany drove 75 yards for the score, consuming 4:04 of clock over 11 plays to close out the half.
The Great Danes missed an opportunity to go up 14 early in the third, with Opalko going wide left on a 26-yard field goal attempt.
The great Danes struck again with 6:03 remaining in the third, this time on a 28-yard strike to Levi Wentz. The TD was the first collegiate score of the wideouts career. Wide open in the end zone, the catch was the final of a seven-play, 56-yard drive, to push the score to 31-13.
The Great Danes forced a turnover early on in the fourth quarter. After Stony Brook’s Ross Tallarico brought in a pass on a flea-flicker, Larry Walker Jr. forced a fumble at the UAlbany nine-yard line. Bill Hackett recovered the football to stop the Seawolves dead in their tracks.
The defense forced another fumble late in the fourth quarter, this time on a sack from Anton Juncaj. Elijah Hills recovered the ball at the UAlbany 15-yard line.
On the next drive, UAlbany drove the ball 43 yards on four plays for the score to make it 38-13. Hicks brought in his second TD of the game, this one from 13 yards out.
Stony Brook scored with 1:26 left to make the score 38-20. Anthony Johnson brought in a 22-yard pass from Daron Bryden.