Sept. 25, 2004

Final Stats

FAIRFIELD, CT - Senior tailback Justin Wilson had 170 yards to lead a University of Albany rushing attack that piled up 346 yards enroute to a 23-6 win over Sacred Heart University in a Northeast Conference football tilt Saturday afternoon.

The game was the conference opener for Albany, who had opened the season with three losses against teams from the Ivy League, Atlantic 10 and Patriot League.

Sacred Heart, 1-3 overall and 0-3 in the NEC, drove to the Albany 35 on the opening possession of the game. The scoring chance ended when Pioneer QB Dan Ammel (White River Jct., VT) was intercepted by Albany linebacker Colin Disch at the Great Dane 22.

After forcing Albany to punt, the Pioneers started at their own 17 and moved the ball out to the Albany 46. A holding penalty and a mishandled snap by Ammel that was recovered by Disch gave the Great Danes the ball in SHU territory.

Albany took immediate advantage. While the run was the Great Dane staple on the day, the first score came two plays after the fumble recovery on a 40-yard pass from senior QB Nicholas Bazan to freshman Mike Wall with 5:59 left in the first quarter. A bad snap on the conversion attempt aborted the try and gave Albany a 6-0 lead.

Sacred Heart again moved the ball on Albany after the kickoff, using ten plays to put the ball on the Albany 16. On a fourth down and six, SHU coach Paul Gorham elected to go for the first down rather than try a field goal and Ammel was intercepted again - this time by junior linebacker Brian Becker. Becker actually returned the pick 85 yards for a touchdown, but a holding penalty on the return brought the ball all the way back to the Albany 15.

The Great Danes couldn't move the ball out of the hole and punted, giving the Pioneers the ball at the Albany 42. A 33-yard pass from Ammel to James Wright gave the Pioneers the ball on the five, but the drive stalled there. Another scoring chance went awry when Nick Passalacqua missed a 22-yard field goal.

After the missed field goal, Albany engineered a 19-play, 71-yard drive that took nearly eight minutes that ended in a 26-yard field goal by Chris Lynch. That was end of the scoring in the half and Albany went to the intermission with a 9-0 lead.

Albany took the opening kickoff of the second half and against ate up the clock. This time a 12-play, 83-yard march was capped by a two yard run by Bazan. Every play on the drive was a run and the Great Danes led 16-0.

A 65-yard run by Wilson with just over five minutes to play in the third dug the Great Danes out of a hole from their own ten. Three plays later sophomore David Fantell ran 14-yards for a score to give Albany a 23-0 advantage.

The Pioneers finally got on the board with 8:03 to go in the game on a three-yard run by junior Ed Pricolo (Johnston, RI). That run ended a 14-play, 72-yard march that also saw Ammel hit junior wideout Brian Butterworth with a 23-yard pass to the Albany 20. Pricolo, the leading rushed in the NEC, finished the day with 120 yards - his fourth straight game eclipsing the 100-yard mark.