Football To Joust At No. 21 James Madison

ALBANY, N.Y. – Amidst a three-game road stretch, the University at Albany football program returns to the state of Virginia for the second consecutive week, taking on CAA-foe James Madison Saturday at 1:30 p.m. With the Dukes’ Family Weekend contest already named a sellout at Bridgeforth Stadium – a 24,877-seat venue — the Great Danes are slated to play in front of the largest crowd in UAlbany program history.

CATCH THE ACTION
AUDIO: The game can be heard in the Capital Region on FOX Sports 980AM or anywhere online here. To listen on your mobile device, download the iHeartRadio app and search for FOX Sports 980. Rodger Wyland and Zach Bye will have the call.
VIDEO: Saturday’s action will be live streamed through MadiZone.
TWITTER: Follow @UAlbanySports on Twitter for live updates, photos and highlights.
LIVE STATS: Live stats can be found here. A full recap and box score will be available at the conclusion of the game at UAlbanySports.com.
GAME NOTES: An in-depth look at the weekend’s matchup.

SCOUTING THE GREAT DANES
2013 Record: 1-4, 0-1 CAA
2012 Record: 9-2, 7-1 NEC (T-1st)
2013 CAA Preseason Poll: 10th/11
Head Coach: Bob Ford (41st varsity season at UAlbany/44th overall at UAlbany/45th overall as head coach) (256-163-0 / 265-184-1)

THE COACH: Bob Ford ranks first among active NCAA Division I FCS coaches with 265 career victories and is also fourth on the all-time FCS chart. Ford, the architect of the UAlbany program, has led the Great Danes to a 256-163 record in his 41st varsity season. Under his direction, the Great Danes have moved from the club level in 1970 to its present NCAA Division I FCS status. At the team’s media day on Aug. 13th, Ford announced that his 44th season at the helm in 2013 will be his last. More than 100 of Bob Ford’s assistant coaches are currently working in the professional, college and high school ranks.

UALBANY OVERVIEW: After winning back-to-back championships in the Northeast Conference, the Great Danes are in their first season competing in the CAA. Through five weeks of competition, UAlbany owns a 1-4 record, overcoming Colgate 37-34 in week two for the lone victory of the season. Offensively, the Great Danes are led by junior quarterback Will Fiacchi (84-152-4) who has thrown four touchdowns with an average of 213.6 passing yards per game. Senior Kevin Chillis has served as Fiacchi’s top receiver, making 24 catches for 307 yards and three touchdowns. On the ground, junior Omar Osbourne leads the squad with 120 carries and 599 rushing yards (119.8/game), while crossing the goal line six times this fall. Defensively, TJ Idowu and Christian Dorsey lead the team with 42 and 35 tackles, respectively.

LAST TIME OUT
: Taking on a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) transition team for the first time in program history Saturday night at S.B. Ballard Stadium, UAlbany battled Old Dominion University in front of a sell-out crowd of 20,118. While the Great Danes scored a touchdown on their first drive of the game – a 55-yard pass from Will Fiacchi to tight end Brian Parker — the Monarchs responded with a controlling offensive surge, overcoming UAlbany 66-10. Led by the 2012 Walter Payton Award winner – the FCS version of the Heisman Trophy – junior quarterback Taylor Heinicke led the Monarchs with 365 passing yards and two touchdowns, completing 28-of-33 passes. In all, ODU totaled 614 yards of total offense and had 36 first downs. For the Great Danes, Fiacchi threw for 221 yards and a touchdown, as he completed 15-of-26 passes. Senior Cole King served as the top target, recording five catches for a total of 73 yards. On the ground, junior Omar Osbourne carried the ball 10 times, netting 49 yards, while freshman Andre Martin rushed 11 times for 27 total yards. UAlbany finished with 325 yards of total offense. Defensively, TJ Idowu and Michael Nicastro both broke double-digits, recording 12 and 10 tackles, respectively.

SCOUTING THE DUKES
2013 Record: 3-2, 0-1 CAA
2012 Record: 7-4, 5-3 CAA (6th/11)
Head Coach: Mickey Matthews (15th season at JMU) (106-67/Same)

THE COACH: In his 15th season at the helm, Mickey Matthews is the winningest JMU coach in program history. Matthews has led the Dukes to an NCAA championship (2004) and to five other playoff appearances (1999, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011). Matthews three times has been National Coach of the Year and was the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year in 1999 and CAA Coach of the Year in 2008. Prior to joining the Dukes in 1999, Matthews served as the linebackers coach at Georgia (1996-98) and the defensive coordinator at Marshall (1990-95) and Southwest Texas State (1988-89).

JAMES MADISON OVERVIEW: The Dukes enter Saturday’s clash ranked 21st in the FCS Coaches Poll with a 3-2 overall record. JMU has earned home wins over Central Connecticut State (38-14), Saint Francis (Pa.) (24-20), and Charlotte (34-7), while dropping a nail-biter at Akron (35-33) in week two and a conference game at Delaware (29-22) last week. The Dukes are led offensively by senior running back Dae-Quan Scott, who is averaging 128.8 rushing yards per game, ranking second in the CAA. Sophomore quarterback Michael Birdsong (88-146-7) enters Saturday averaging 212.6 passing yards per game with Daniel Brown serving as his top target with 18 receptions for a total of 306 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Stephon Robertson – the reigning CAA Defensive Player of the Year — leads the Dukes with 61 tackles, two sacks, an interception, and one forced fumble and recovery.

JMU LAST TIME OUT: The Dukes held a 19-7 lead in the third quarter before ultimately falling, 29-22, on Delaware’s home gridiron last Saturday. James Madison gave up two straight drives to Delaware, the first set up by a long kick return and the second on a blocked punt. The Blue Hens converted both into touchdowns to take a 22-19 lead. The Dukes rallied with an eight-play, 65-yard drive but the drive stalled at the 11-yard line. Madison was forced to settle for a 28-yard field goal from Cameron Starke to tie the game at 22 with 11:35 remaining in the fourth quarter. Delaware responded on its ensuing possession by going on an 11-play, 75-yard march that ended with 4-yard touchdown pass to give the Blue Hens what would be the game-winning touchdown with 6:40 remaining in the fourth quarter.  

LAPORTA VIES FOR CAMPBELL TROPHY
Eric LaPorta, a senior center for UAlbany, has been named a semifinalist for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy, announced by the National Football Foundation Wednesday. LaPorta is one of 170 candidates vying for the award honoring the nation’s top scholar-athlete. LaPorta, a native of Yorktown Heights, N.Y., is a three-year starter for the Great Danes and 2013 team captain. After beginning his career as a walk-on, LaPorta was named to the 2012 Capital One Academic All-District Football Team and helped UAlbany win back-to-back Northeast Conference titles. As a dual major in criminal justice and history, LaPorta graduated magna cum laude with a 3.57 cumulative grade point average and is currently enrolled in UAlbany’s Master of Science In Secondary Education program for social studies with a 3.65 GPA. LaPorta is one of three athletes from the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) in the semifinalist stage.

FIACCHI MOVES TO FIFTH ALL-TIME
Against Central Connecticut (9/21), Will Fiacchi became the sixth quarterback in program history to pass for over 3,000 career yards. Fiacchi (272-462-9, 15 TD) has currently thrown for 3,224 yards in just his second season as a starter, and ranks fifth all-time – just 51 yards away from fourth-place (Dan DiLella – 3,275) and 340 yards away from third (Ryan Roeder – 3,564).

KING CLIMBS INTO TOP-10
With 83-career reception (1,336 yards), senior Cole King ranks 10th all-time in UAlbany’s archives. At Old Dominion, King had his best performance of the season with five receptions for a total of 73 yards. He is three receptions away from ninth place.

TOP CROWDS
The largest crowd UAlbany has ever played in front of was 23,097 at Montana on Sept. 22, 2007. With Old Dominion selling out in 32 consecutive games (20,118), the Great Danes played in front of the fourth-largest crowd in program history last week. The Great Danes are expected to play in front of over 24,000 at JMU, which would be the program’s most. UAlbany has a 1-3 record in games played with 20,000+ in attendance.

UALBANY’S TOP FOOTBALL ATTENDANCE MARKS
1. 23,097 vs. Montana, 9-22-07 – L (35-14)
2. 22,196 vs. Delaware, 9-27-08 – L (38-7)
3. 22,016 vs. Delaware, 9-16-06 – W (17-10)
4. 20, 118 vs. Old Dominion, 9-28-13 – L (66-10)
5. 19,511 vs. Montana, 9-7-02 – L (45-7)
6. 18,118 vs. Georgia Southern, 9-5-09 – L (29-26)
7. 15,840 vs. Youngstown State, 9-15-12 – L (31-23)
8. 15,112 vs. Massachusetts, 8-30-08 – L (28-16)
9. 14,000 vs. Central Florida, 11-8-80 – W (28-27)

TRIPLE THREAT
UAlbany is the only team in the CAA to have a trio of players record a 300-yard passing performance, 200-yard rushing performance, and a 100-yard receiving performance this season. Quarterback Will Fiacchi totaled 346 yards at Duquesne (8/31), running back Omar Osbourne rushed for 252 yards at Colgate (9/7), and wide receiver Kevin Chillis received over 100-yards in both outings. In addition, the Fiacchi and Osbourne also owns the top single-game performances in the conference for passing and rushing, respectively.

THE ROLE OF THE UNDERDOG
In their first season in the CAA, the Great Danes embrace the role of the underdog. UAlbany, who had 35 scholarships as a member of the NEC, has moved up to 54 scholarships for the 2013 season. While it is more, it is still well under the 63 limit that a majority of the CAA programs are at. UAlbany looks to average 57 scholarships across the next two seasons in order to play an FBS opponent in 2015 and have that game count in the opposition’s bowl eligibility.

NEARING 100 DIVISION I WINS
Since becoming a Divison I FCS program in 1999, UAlbany owns a 98-62 overall record – just two victories away from the century mark.

UP NEXT
UAlbany hits the road for one more away game, traveling to Delaware (10/12) before returning home on Oct. 19th to host Towson for Homecoming.