Red Flash Can’t Stop Great Danes’ Run and Fall 27-3

ALBANY, N.Y. (Oct. 25, 2008) – The Saint Francis football team couldn’t overcome the running game of the defending Northeast Conference Champions and fell to the University at Albany 27-3 on a rainy Saturday evening at University Field in Albany.

The Red Flash, who fall to 0-8 on the season, will be back in action on November 9 when they travel to Connecticut to take on Central Connecticut State in New Britain to finish up their away schedule.

The Great Danes won the toss, but deferred and the Flash received first. Unfortunately, SFU couldn’t gain any yardage and would have to punt it away.

Albany took over at its own 38-yard line and never looked back. Tail back David McCarty, who currently ranks 5th in the nation in rushing yards and 2nd in all-purpose yardage, took the Great Danes to the Saint Francis 22-yard line. McCarty would then catch a 22-yard pass from Great Danes quarterback Vinny Esposito to put them up 6-0. Herb Glass’ kick was good for another point.

Esposito and McCarty drove the team up the field to the Saint Francis 45-yard line. On the next play, Justin Gannon broke through the Red Flash defense and ran 45 yards into the end zone for Albany’s second touchdown in 3 minutes. Glass would put the Great Danes ahead 14-0 with his point after.

Winston had another great kick return, returning Glass’ kickoff 19 yards to the SFU 22-yard line. Yearwood rushed 11 yards to his own 33-yard line, and Sipe was able to gain another 6 but couldn’t get the first down and would have to punt it away.

McCarty and Colin Simmons took the team from their own 38-yard line to the Saint Francis 29 where the ball would be turned over on downs. The Red Flash took over, but again couldn’t pick up the first down. With 39 seconds left in the first quarter, Esposito completed a 58-yard pass to wide receiver Tim Bush for the Great Danes third score of the quarter. Glass’ kick was good, and he would kick it off to the Red Flash with Albany up 21-0 and 30 seconds left to play in the first quarter.

Sipe again showed his running ability, picking up 22 yards and on one carry and then another 6 on a few more plays. Yearwood added in another 5 yards, setting up a 34-yard field goal attempt by Zak Campbell (Munhall, Pa./Steel Valley) that sailed through the uprights to put the Red Flash on the board at 21-3. The kick, which the longest of Campbell’s career, was the first time Saint Francis had scored at University Field since Oct. 26, 2002, when the lost to Albany 49-21.

The Great Danes moved the ball to their own 32-yard line on the next drive before Esposito was intercepted by Red Flash linebacker Scott Lewis (South Fork, Pa./Bishop McCort). Lewis, the NEC Defensive Player-of-the-Week, returned the pick 15 yards to the Great Danes’ 12-yard line. A personal foul brought the ball to the Albany 7-yard line, but the Flash couldn’t find the end zone.

The rest of the half would go back and forth between the two teams, with the wet weather getting the best of them. The poor field conditions proved to be hard to run in, and the rain made passing nearly impossible, with neither quarterback completing more than 10 passes in the entire game.

Albany came out of the locker room ready to receive the ball. Simmons returned Bobby Fuller’s (Mount Savage, Md./Beall) kick 19 yards to the Great Danes’ 35-yard line. McCarty, who finished the game with 122 rushing yards, gained 7, and teammate Justin Peterson caught a pass from Esposito for another 5 yards. Bush caught a 12-yard pass for a first down, but would be forced to punt for the first time after coming up short of another.

The Red Flash went three-and-out on their next possession, and the Great Danes couldn’t convert on their next series either. Sipe and Yearwood again combined to pick up 21 yards on the next drive for the Red Flash, and Sipe’s pass to Winston added another 5. Saint Francis would again be forced to punt.

McCarty led the Great Danes’ next drive, picking up 13 yards. Albany then turned the ball over on downs after failing to convert of 4-and-5.

Sipe got the ball first in the fourth quarter, but turned the ball over on down at the Albany 20-yard line. Albany wouldn’t fair much better in their possession, going 3-and-out. The Red Fash again couldn’t convert and punted the ball away. A few short runs by McCarty also failed to pick up the first down for the Great Danes. Winston fumbled Albany’s punt, and the Great Danes took over at the Saint Francis 9-yard line. The drive was all McCarty, and he picked up another 6 for Albany on a 1-yard run to make the score 27-3. The score would remain there after the Great Danes fumbled the snap on the point after attempt.

It was Calvin Williams’ (Cleveland, Ohio/South) turn to run on the next drive, and he brought the Flash from their own 22-yard line to the 33. Sipe hit tight end Ryan Zarnich (Rochester, Pa./Rochester Area) for a 15-yard completion. Sipe was sacked later in the drive for a loss of 10 yards, and Fuller would again come out to punt. Albany could not make it out of their own territory, and the Red Flash could only make it as far as the Great Danes’ 49-yard line before Sipe was intercepted by Nick Krajacic to end the game at 27-3.

Sipe finished the day 9-of-23 with 2 interceptions. Zarnich led the receivers with 3 catches for 40 yards and Yearwood led he rushing with 31 yards on 13 carries. Lewis led the defense with a total of 15 tackles and 2 tackles for loss. Matthew Parker (Darlington, Pa./Blackhawk) had 13 tackles and Ryan Revtai (Oakdale, Pa./West Allegheny) made 12 stops. Freshman Richard Wingertsahn (Pittsburgh, Pa./Keystone Oaks) had the only sack for the Red Flash.