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Coming off its first loss of the season, Syracuse will play its only Football Championship Series opponent of the season, UAlbany. The Great Danes are coming off a 16-14 loss against Rhode Island in their home opener last week.

UAlbany didn’t play a fall schedule last year, instead playing a shortened four-game spring schedule where they went 1-3. In 2019, UAlbany went 9-5 and lost in the second round of the FCS Playoffs.

Here’s everything you need to know about The Great Danes before they visit the Carrier Dome on Saturday:

All-time series

Saturday’s game will be the first-ever meeting between UAlbany and Syracuse.

The UAlbany report

Two years ago, UAlbany was predicted to finish in last place in the Colonial Athletic Association according to a preseason coaches poll. But the Great Danes picked up ranked wins over Towson and Central Connecticut before losing to Montana State in the FCS Playoffs.

This year’s CAA has five ranked teams, and UAlbany lost on the road 28-6 against No. 4 North Dakota State in week one. The Great Danes will enter the Carrier Dome 0-2 after losing by two points against Rhode Island in their home opener.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jeff Undercuffler has thrown for 400 yards and two touchdowns during the first two games. The top receiver, freshman Roy Alexander, already has 167 receiving yards and a touchdown. Alexander had a 67-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter against NDSU — the Great Danes only touchdown of the game.

Defensively, sophomore defensive back Larry Walker Jr. leads the team with 14 total tackles and three pass breakups. Walker will likely cover SU wide receiver Taj Harris during Saturday’s game.

Like Syracuse, UAlbany has struggled to move the ball on offense through its first two games. The Great Danes average just 10 points per game and are under 22% on third-down conversions. They average just 37 rushing yards per game.

How Syracuse beats UAlbany

Playing in the division below the Orange, UAlbany should be Syracuse’s easiest opponent of the season. This game will be an opportunity for SU’s offense to potentially get in rhythm, and it may give a better idea of whether Tommy DeVito or Garrett Shrader will be the starting quarterback for the rest of the season.

Syracuse head coach Dino Babers said he’s not using the word “tune-up” with any team — including the Great Danes — after how his offense performed against Rutgers. The Orange were shutout in the first half and had more punts (eight) than they did points.

Babers said teams like Ohio, who SU played in week one, and UAlbany play games against power conference schools like they’re bowl games. Syracuse is UAlbany’s only Football Bowl Subdivision opponent this season, and Babers said if an FCS team has the right players, they make it an “extremely interesting game.”

“If you have a good quarterback and an explosive defensive player, then you have a good team,” Babers said. “That’s why I take these games very seriously.”

But Syracuse shouldn’t have much trouble against UAlbany, and they will have a significant size advantage on the offensive and defensive line, as well as a skill advantage on the outside. The last time the Orange played an FCS team was when they blew out Holy Cross 41-3 in 2019. If SU can move the ball and score points early, the game against UAlbany should quickly become a blowout.

Stat to know: 0

Division I teams were split into one of two categories — I-A (FBS) and I-AA (FCS) — in 1978. Syracuse hasn’t lost to an FCS team in 18 games. The last time UAlbany played an FBS team — Pittsburgh in 2018 — the Great Danes lost 33-7 on the road.

“We gotta treat it like any other game,” Garrett Williams said. UAlbany’s a good team so we have to treat them as if we’re playing Rutgers or Clemson or anybody else on our schedule because you don’t wanna look past anybody.”

Player to watch: Roy Alexander, wide receiver

Alexander arrived at UAlbany as a cornerback, but he switched positions when UAlbany was running low on wide receivers and is now the Great Danes’ top receiving option. He averages over 20 yards a catch, and he has two rushing attempts as well. Babers didn’t say whether Syracuse’s top cornerback, Williams, will play on Saturday. If Williams is out or plays a limited number of snaps, Alexander would be going against freshman Duce Chestnut.

Published on September 15, 2021 at 7:16 pm

Contact Connor: [email protected] | @csmith17_