Box Score       Photo Gallery

ALBANY – A pair of first-half blocked punts changed momentum, and Albany rallied for a 40-23 victory over Colgate here Saturday night in the season opener for both teams.
 
Colgate jumped to a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter when Jimmy DeCicco took an end-around handoff, pulled up and then found a wide open Kevin O'Connell in the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown pass.
 
“I was a quarterback last year on the roster,” DeCicco said. “We'd been running that jet sweep from motion and figured we had it set up – what better time than in the red zone.
 
“If there was nothing there I was just going to tuck it, but he was wide open and I hit him for a touchdown.”
 
But the host Great Danes (1-0), who are picked to win the Northeast Conference and last year advanced to the NCAA playoffs, answered before halftime with 16 consecutive points – nine of those coming off the two blocked punts.
 
Momentum Swing
The first one resulted in a safety that narrowed the Colgate lead to 10-9 with 8:19 left in the half. The second block was scooped up by Kyle Jordan and returned 19 yards for a touchdown that made the halftime margin 16-10 in favor of the Great Danes.
 
“Obviously the blocked punts hurt,” Colgate head coach Dick Biddle said. “But the other thing that hurt us in the second quarter was when we had stopped them and were getting the ball back, and then had a 15-yard face mask penalty. That changed the game because we had some momentum.
 
“I don't think we played very well defensively after that.”
 
The hosts pushed the lead to 23-10 midway in the third quarter when Omar Osborne capped an eight-play drive by carrying it over from four yards out.
 
Colgate (0-1) pulled with six again when McCarney hit Dan Cason on a 50-yard pass, and Jordan McCord carried it to paydirt from 15 yards out on the very next play. It was 23-17 with 4:51 still left in the third quarter.
 
But the Great Danes answered with a 42-yard field goal by Sean Kenny and then a six-play, 66-yard scoring drive, capped by Drew Smith's two-yard touchdown plunge. Kenny's PAT pushed the advantage to 33-17 with 13:08 remaining.
 
Quick Strike
Colgate stayed alive on its ensuing possession, covering 75 yards in just five plays and highlighted when McCarney hit C.J. Stempeck for the final 26 yards and a touchdown. Trailing by 10, Colgate went for two but failed to convert, and the deficit was 33-23 with 11:26 to play.
 
Albany then iced the game when Smith scored his second touchdown of the night, this one from a yard out with just 1:50 to play for the final 40-23 margin.
 
“It's always tough on the road but we came out pretty well, up 10-0,” said McCarney, who completed 16 of 33 pass attempts for 257 yards. “Mistakes here and there just offset us. We've just got to come back next week a little stronger.”
 
Albany's defense finished the game with one interception and six pass deflections, many coming at the line of scrimmage.
 
“They were getting a little pressure, but it's nothing we can't handle,” McCarney said. “We protected well tonight, and I've got to be able to find the windows and throw.”
 
McCord, Cason Lead Offense
Colgate's McCord rushed 22 times for 136 yards, while Cason caught seven passes for 144 yards.
 
We've still got a ways to go but I was pleased with our offense and disppointed defensively,” Biddle said. “We had some breakdowns. We made a field goal and then had a procedure penalty on it. Those are things we are not good enough right now to overcome, but those are things that happen in the first game.
 
“Last year, the score was 36-33 and we won. Give or take, tonight was about the same. They've got pretty good skill kids and they're a pretty good football team.”
 
Jonathan Mputu led the Raiders defensively with 10 tackles, eight of them solo. Chad Frey and Patrick Friel also had eight solo stops apiece, with Friel registering a sack and another tackle for loss.
 
Colgate's Mike Armiento had the defensive play of the first half when he intercepted Great Danes quarterback Will Fiacchi in the end zone. It was one of two red-zone stops by the Raiders.
 
“We watched film all week and noticed that they run those double-drags, and I knew it was coming,” Armiento said. “I was just trying to bait it, wait back so he could throw it. And I had my opportunity thanks to the defensive line getting pressure and the linebackers covering their guys.
 
“It's a team effort.”
 
Colgate is on the road again next week, visiting South Dakota for a 2 p.m. Central time kickoff at the DakotaDome in Vermillion.