DURHAM, N.H. — The University at Albany football team dropped its Colonial Athletic Association opener Saturday, falling 24-6 to New Hampshire at Wildcat Stadium.
The Great Danes (1-4, 0-1 CAA) were held scoreless until late in the fourth quarter, when quarterback Colin Parachek connected with Alex Jreige on a six-yard touchdown pass with just over three minutes remaining. Parachek finished 21-of-42 for 181 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
New Hampshire (3-2, 1-0 CAA) struck first on its opening possession, marching 75 yards for a touchdown to go ahead 7-0. The Wildcats doubled their lead just before halftime, capitalizing on a fade pass to Ryan Blagg with 41 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
After forcing a turnover on downs at midfield early, the UAlbany defense kept the game within reach but could not slow down a 97-yard UNH scoring drive in the third quarter, capped by a three-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Matt Vezza. The Wildcats added a 47-yard field goal with 8:29 left in the fourth to push the lead to 24-0.
Kylen Austin paced the Great Danes’ receiving corps with four catches for 56 yards, while Caden Burti added four receptions for 35 yards. Defensively, Parris Smiley and Troy Berschwinger led UAlbany with nine tackles apiece. Balansama Kamara registered two sacks, and Denzel Patrick added one of his own among his six total tackles.
“Tough game,” head coach Jared Ambrose said. “Always tough coming in here to play. UNH is one of those tradition-laden places where it always seems like you’re playing more than the 11 guys on the field… We need to play better. There were too many crucial moments where we had self-inflicting wounds. Dropped balls, missed tackles, penalties on touchdown plays.”
UAlbany will look to rebound next Saturday when it returns home to face rival Stony Brook in the annual battle for the Golden Apple. Kickoff from Casey Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m. as part of Hometown Heroes and Family Weekend.