The University at Albany football team secured a dominant 37-3 victory over the University of Maine on Saturday at Casey Stadium.
The win allowed the 25th-ranked Great Danes to bounce back from a recent loss at Bryant, according to Yahoo Sports.
UAlbany senior quarterback Kai Colon threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns to lead the offense.
The team scored on its first three possessions to establish an early 21-0 lead, reported the Times Union.
Despite missing key players due to injury, the Great Danes improved their overall record to 7-4.
Regarding the team’s bounce-back effort, Colon noted, “We had a lot more energy today, and I think that just goes back to practice.”
The defense played a critical role by holding the Black Bears to just one conversion on 14 third-down attempts.
Freshman defensive lineman Cole Sisson led the effort with eight tackles and a sack, per the Times Union.
This victory was particularly significant for head coach Tom Perkovich, who improved his record to 10-1 on Senior Day.
Perkovich reflected on the importance of the occasion for his graduating players, stating, “I was really happy we were able to send them off in that situation with Senior Day because they’ll always remember their last game being a win at home.”
The Great Danes now shift their focus to the regular-season finale against North Carolina A&T.
The team remains in contention for an at-large bid to the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, according to local news reports.
Senior defensive end Shawan Lewis expressed his satisfaction with the performance, remarking, “Just to go out there and have a dominant win was the perfect Cinderella story.”
With this result, UAlbany successfully clinched a winning record for the season.