Cornell Football looks to defend its house once more this weekend when it hosts UAlbany on Saturday, Oct. 5, at 1 p.m. The Great Danes will be hungry for a win after being ranked no. 16 in the national polls during the preseason, to not receiving a vote in this week's Stats Perform FCS Top 25.
A look at UAlbany:
- UAlbany comes into this weekend at 1-3, most recently falling to Maine, 34-20, on the team's family weekend at Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium.
- UAlbany is riding a three-game losing streak after opening the season with a 27-21 victory over LIU. The Great Danes were picked to finish third in the 2024 CAA Football Preseason Poll.
- Sophomore Myles Burkett has completed 72-of-135 passes for 963 yards and 5 touchdowns. He has thrown three picks this season but had no turnovers against FBS opponent West Virginia. Burkett is a transfer from the University of Wisconsin. He appeared in two games in 2022 for the Badgers, completing four passes for 84 yards on five attempts, before redshirting in 2023.
- Sophomore Griffin Woodell is the primary rusher for the Great Danes. He has totaled 161 yards on 52 rushes including two scores. Freshman Jojo Uga missed action in the season opener but has seen time in the three most recent games. He has taken 16 rushes for 73 yards and a house call as the team's number two.
- Senior Seven McGee is the favorite target of the Great Danes' offense, catching 18 passes for 337 yards and a trio of touchdowns. Senior Levi Wentz follows with 11 targets for 211 yards and a score.
- UAlbany returns 2023 All-CAA honorees Ozzie Hutchinson and Will Marotta on the offensive line.
- Senior linebacker Dontae Lunan leads the Great Danes with 45 tackles. Lunan has five tackles for loss, totaling 29 yards, including two sacks. Senior Ron Holmes has accounted for 30 tackles on the season including 5.5 for loss and two forced fumbles.
- Senior Jack Iuliano and freshman Erv Wiggins Jr. have each recovered a fumble.
- Punter Owen Lawson has punted 19 times for 825 yards for an average of 42.4 yards per boot. He sent away a season-high 73-yarder in the season opener against LIU. Lawson is a junior transfer from Arkansas. He appeared in 20 games for the Razorbacks as a punter.
- Graduate student kicker John Opalko is 4-for-5 on field goals through four games this season. He's missed just one PAT, which came last week against Maine.
The Series:
- Cornell and UAlbany have only met once, with the Big Red claiming the win.
- Cornell topped the Great Danes, 23-21, on Schoellkopf Feild on September 30, 2006.
- UAlbany entered that game ranked No. 23 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25.
- The Big Red has only ever faced the Great Danes at home.
2024 UAlbany Head Coach:
Head Coach: Greg Gattuso (Penn State '83)
Record at UAlbany: 51-64, 11th season
Overall Record: 148-96, 23rd season
CAA record: 29-48
CAA Titles: 2023
2024 UAlbany Football Information:
2024 Record: 1-3
Home/Away/Neutral: 1-1/0-2/0-0
2023 CAA Record/Finish: 7-1/T-1st
Starters Returning/Lost: 4-18
UAlbany Football Historical Information:
First Year of Football: 1973
Overall All-Time Record: 325-229
Overall CAA Record: 31-58
