FCS playoffs: Vandals come up short ... UAlbany makes big plays in fourth quarter to end Idaho’s season

By MARK NELKE

Sports writer

MOSCOW — The two star defensive ends for UAlbany were kept pretty much in check most of Saturday night.

But a pass rush is often a work in progress — and that rush got to Idaho quarterback Gevani McCoy at just the opportune moment for the Great Danes. 

With Albany leading 23-19 late in the fourth quarter, Anton Juncaj strip-sacked McCoy, defensive tackle Elijah Hills recovered, and the Great Danes punched in the clinching touchdown in a 30-22 victory over the Vandals in an FCS quarterfinal game before 9,372 at the Kibbie Dome.

“No. 4 (Juncaj) is a great player — I think that was his only tackle of the game,” second-year Idaho coach Jason Eck said. “To hold them to one sack … “

“That’s a great play by a great player,” UAlbany coach Greg Gattuso said of Juncaj.

Idaho bidding for its third semifinal appearance in school history, finished 9-4.

Albany (11-3) travels to top-seeded and defending champion South Dakota State (13-0) for its first semifinal game in school history on Friday night.

Idaho led 19-14 on Ricardo Chavez’s 24-yard field goal with 4:33 left in the third quarter.

Albany pulled within 19-17 on a field goal early in the fourth, then took the lead when Reese Poffenbarger, throwing on the run, hit Brevin Easton on a 30-yard score to put the Great Danes up 23-19 with 4:38 remaining.

Poffenbarger, runner-up to McCoy for the Jerry Rice Award last year for the top freshman in FCS, threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns, all to Easton.

Easton, a transfer from NCAA Division II Assumption, had nine catches for 228 yards.

“Easton really impressed me,” Eck said. “He was tremendous. They did a good job moving him around. And Reese is excellent at extending plays.”

“We have the mentality that we’re the underdogs,” said Poffenbarger, a transfer from Old Dominion. “We don’t get the kudos, and we don’t care.”

Griffin Woodell’s 29-yard run with 46 seconds left, following the fumble recovery, boosted Albany’s lead to 30-19.

Chavez kicked a 49-yard field goal with 25 seconds left to bring the Vandals within eight, but the Great Danes recovered the onside kick, and ran out the clock.

“Our message to our team — we shouldn’t hang our heads, we took another huge step,” said Eck, whose Vandals last week notched their first FCS playoff win since 1993, and went back-to-back in the playoffs for the first time since 1994-95. “I’m proud of this team. I think we settled for too many long field goals. That’s a really good defense, but I felt we had opportunities to score more.”

Jermaine Jackson had two big kick returns in the first half for Idaho. He returned the opening kickoff 55 yards to the UAlbany 44, but Chavez eventually missed a 47-yard field goal.

Jackson’s 73-yard punt return in the second quarter to the Great Danes 14 set up Anthony Woods’ 5-yard touchdown run for a 16-7 lead.

Chavez, who booted the game-winning field goal last week vs. Southern Illinois, had a rough first half, getting the PAT blocked and missing two field goals, including a 52-yarder at the end of the half.

Jordan Dwyer got behind the UAlbany defense and collected a 36-yard TD pass from Gevani McCoy to put Idaho up 7-0 6 minutes into the game.

Poffenbarger hit Easton on a 36-yard scoring play for UAlbany to tie it at 7.

After Woods’ TD, Poffenbarger escaped a sack and found Easton all alone in the corner of the end zone for a 39-yard scoring strike with 6:55 left in the half.

McCoy threw for 317 yards, and Hayden Hatten had 12 catches for 135 yards.

“It was hard to believe it was over,” Jackson said. “That’s the hardest thing.”

“I give my applause to Idaho fans,” Gattuso said. “They were loud, and we had trouble communicating (in the first half).”

UAlbany    7    7    0    16    —    30

Idaho    10    6    3    3    —    22

First quarter 

IDAHO — Dwyer 36 pass from McCoy (Chavez kick), 9:02

ALBANY — Easton 36 pass from Poffenbarger (Opalko kick), 7:28

IDAHO — FG Chavez 45, :17

Second quarter

IDAHO — Woods 5 run (kick blocked), 9:21

ALBANY — Easton 39 pass from Poffgenbarger (Opalko kick), 6:55

Third quarter

IDAHO — FG Chavez 24, 4:33

Fourth quarter

ALBANY — FG Opalko 22, 11:07

ALBANY — Easton 30 pass from Poffenbarger (pass failed), 4:38

ALBANY — Woodell 29 run (Opalko kick), :46

IDAHO — FG Chavez 49, :25

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Albany, Woodell 21-98, Poffenbarger 6-8, Aden 1-8, Easton 1-7. Idaho, Woods 16-104, Roman o 4-8, McCoy 2-(minus 2), Dwyer 1-(minus 3).

PASSING — Albany, Poffenbarger 24-41-0-341, Alexander 0-1-0-0. Idahom, McCoy 24-43-0-317.

RECEIVING — Albany Easton 9-228, Woodell 7-19, Alexander 4-43, Hicks 2-35, Dietz 1-14, Menninger 1-2. Idaho, Hatten 12-135, Jackson 4-66, Trainer 2-21, Romano 23-9, Dwyer 1-36, Ivy 1-31, Cox 1-18, Woods 1-1.

    MARK NELKE/Press Jermaine Jackson (1) of Idaho returns a second-quarter punt 73 yards to the UAlbany 14 as punter Tyler Pastula (6) of the Great Danes pursues Saturday night in an FCS quarterfinal game at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow.


  

    MARK NELKE/Press Tylen Coleman (38) of Idaho celebrates a sack of UAlbany quarterback Reese Poffenbarger in the second quarter of an FCS semifinal game Saturday night at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow.


  

    MARK NELKE/Press Tylen Coleman of Idaho sacks UAlbany quarterback Reese Poffenbarger in the second quarter of an FCS quarterfinal game Saturday night at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow.