West Virginia hosts FCS semifinalist from last season, Albany

Field Level Media|published: Thu 5th September, 07:27 2024

Aug 31, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Garrett Greene (6) is sacked on the two point conversion attempt during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images

On the heels of a disappointing loss to Penn State, West Virginia will try to get rolling when it hosts FCS opponent Albany on Saturday evening in Morgantown, W.Va.

The Mountaineers (0-1) gave up 457 yards of offense to No. 8 Penn State last week, were just 1-for-4 on red-zone trips, and committed three turnovers in a 34-12 loss.

"Our season's still in front of us," West Virginia coach Neal Brown said Monday. "There's been a lot of good West Virginia teams that got beat by Penn State in its history and bounced back and have had special years, and there's no reason why this team can't do the same."

West Virginia is 24-0 against FCS opponents since 1978. Albany is 1-8 against FBS foes, with the win coming against Buffalo in 2016.

The Great Danes (1-0) defeated Long Island University 27-21 in their season opener after trailing in the second half. Sophomore quarterback Myles Burkett threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Seven McGee, and defensive lineman Jack Iuliano returned a Sharks fumble 20 yards for a score.

"I don't think we had our fastball tonight, but the big thing is we fought through and won the game," Albany coach Greg Gattuso said afterward. "I thought we stepped up in big moments and made big plays when we needed them."

Albany earned a share of the CAA title last year and reached the FCS playoff semifinals, but lost the majority of that team to the transfer portal or graduation. The Great Danes' offense revolves around running back Griffin Woodell and a talented offensive line.

Woodell rushed for 85 yards against the Sharks. He was the CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023 after scoring 12 touchdowns.

Albany is ranked No. 16 in the FCS Top 25 and was picked to finish third in the CAA this season.

"They're a good football team," Brown said. "This is the best FCS program we've had coming in here since the first game in 2019 when we played James Madison."

West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene threw for 161 yards against Penn State, connecting with eight different receivers, but the Mountaineers were held to under 100 yards rushing.

Mountaineers redshirt freshman linebacker Josiah Trotter, the son of NFL All-Pro linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, had 10 tackles in the loss and broke up a pass.

The Albany game is sandwiched between two big rivalry games for West Virginia. The Mountaineers will travel to Pitt for the "Backyard Brawl" next week.

--Field Level Media

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