UAlbany football loses to Richmond in double OT

PHOTOGRAPHER: Richmond Athletics via Twitter

Richmond needed double overtime to defeat UAlbany on Saturday.

RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond kicker Griffin Trau’s 34-yard field in double-overtime gave the Spiders a 41-38 victory over the University at Albany at Robins Stadium Saturday.

The teams combined for 867 yards of total offense in playing an overtime shootout for the second consecutive season. Last year, Richmond won 36-30 in triple overtime at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium.

“Well, we needed to score in the second overtime and didn’t,” said Great Danes coach Greg Gattuso. “There were some good things, some room for improvement. Disappointing. I take a lot of the blame. We went away from a couple plays that were working for us with the outside throws. We just couldn’t finish the game off. It’s a shame.”

Playing a Top 25 opponent for the third consecutive week, the No. 24 Great Danes racked up a season-high 454 yards of total offense against No. 14 Richmond.

But the Spiders tied the game with a touchdown pass in the final minute of regulation and then emerged with a win after the teams had traded field goals in the first overtime.

In a game that matched one of the best offenses in the Football Championship Subdivision against one of the top defenses, both quarterbacks produced gaudy totals.

UAlbany’s Will Brunson completed 18 of 29 passes for 339 yards, the most by a Great Danes quarterback since Will Fiacchi threw for 335 against Delaware on Nov. 8, 2004. It marked the fourth-highest single-game total in program history.

Brunson also tossed four touchdown passes and ran for another on a day the Great Danes held the ball for more than 36 minutes.

He spread the TDs among four different receivers, including senior Jerod Diggs, who posted his second 100-yard day of the season with 137 yards on five catches.

Richmond’s Kyle Lauletta, the No. 1 passer in FCS, was 24-for-40 for 353 yards with three touchdown passes.

Richmond score first in overtime, on Gordon Collins’ 5-yard touchdown run. UAlbany responded with Brunson’s 20-yard pass to Jordan Crockett on third down.

The Great Danes started with the ball in the second overtime, but Ethan Stark’s 40-yard field-goal try was blocked.

The Great Danes have a bye week, followed by the annual Homecoming game against Maine on Oct. 21 at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium.

UAlbany 0 14 10 7 7 7 0 — 38
Richmond 0 14 7 10 10 7 3 — 41
UA — McDonald 30 pass from Brunson (Stark kick).
R — Wilkins 22 pass from Lauletta (Trau kick)
UA — Reeves 13 pass from Brunson (Stark kick).
R — Lauletta 11 run (Trau kick).
UA — Stark 25 FG.
R — Simpson 54 pass from Lauletta (Trau kick).
UA — Brunson 3 run (Stark kick).
UA — Diggs 39 pass from Brunson (Stark kick).
R — Trau 33 GF,
R — Brissett 3 pass from Lauletta (Trau kick).
R — Collins 5 run (Trau kick).
UA — Crockett 20 pass from Brunson (Stark kick).
R — Trau 34 FG.