Defense Looks Strong In First Scrimmage

ALBANY, N.Y. – Under blue skies Saturday morning, the University at Albany football team took to the gridiron for the first intrasquad scrimmage of the 2013 season. With the offense in gold and the defense donning purple, the Great Danes set the baseline for the season.

Immediately following the one-hour friendly, Head Coach Bob Ford, who enters his 44th season at UAlbany, was disappointed in the team’s performance.

“After doing this a long time, I now we’re not as bad as we think we are and we’re not as good as the kids think we are,” said Ford. “The truth lies somewhere in the middle.”

Seeing that the Great Danes are just six days into training camp, rough edges are to be expected. While there were some off-line kicks, dropped passes, and missed tackles, there were also quite a few bright spots.

On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Prosper Mbongue-Muna picked off a short pass early in the scrimmage and played well throughout. 

Sophomore cornerback Jojo McClary, as well as true freshman Neil Morrison exhibited their athleticism with a sequence of pass-breakups. Morrison hit tight end Brian Parker with a strong blow as Parker caught a 10-yard pass up the middle, knocking the ball loose.  McClary then followed with another breakup, shutting the gold team’s passing game down.

Offensively, junior running back Omar Osbourne picked up where he left off with a few swift-footed runs.  In addition, redshirt freshman Nic Ketter gave the offense a first down late in the game with a short catch and sprint down the sideline.

The Great Danes continue camp on Monday with their first double session of the season. The first practice of the day begins at 9:00 a.m. and the second at 3:00 p.m. All practices are open to the public.

Week Two
Mon., Aug. 12th – 9-11 a.m. & 3-5 p.m.
Tues., Aug. 13th – 9-11 a.m. / Media Day Luncheon 12 p.m.
Wed., Aug. 14th – 9-11 a.m. & 3-5 p.m.
Thurs., Aug. 15th – 9-11 a.m.
Fri., Aug. 16th – 9-11 a.m. & 3-5 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 17th – Scrimmage 9-11 a.m.

Week Three
Mon., Aug. 19th – 9-11 a.m. & 3-5 p.m.
Tues., Aug. 20th – 9-11 a.m.
Wed., Aug. 21st – 9-11 a.m. & 3-5 p.m.
Thurs., Aug. 22nd – 9-11 a.m.
Fri., Aug. 23rd – Scrimmage 6:30 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 24th – 3-4:30 p.m.