How to watch UAlbany’s historic playoff game Saturday night

The UAlbany football team will play in the Football Championship Subdivision quarterfinals for the first time in program history at 10 p.m. Saturday. Here’s how the Great Danes got here and what you need to know about the contest. 

No. 5 UAlbany (10-3) at No. 4 University of Idaho (9-3) 

Where: P1FCU Kibbie Dome, Idaho’s 16,000-seat indoor stadium. The dome is sponsored by P1FCU (an Idaho-based credit union) and named for William H. Kibbie, an Idaho student who attended the school in 1936 and donated $300,000 to build the facility.

As league co-champs the Great Danes earned a No. 4 seed and a first-round bye in the 24-team FBS tournament. The seed also meant a home game in the second round against Richmond, the other Coastal Athletic Association regular-season champion. The Great Danes left little doubt about who the best team in the league was after a 41-13 victory Saturday afternoon. UAlbany redshirt sophomore quarterback Reese Poffenbarger passed for two touchdowns and ran for two others in the blowout victory for 2,652 fans at Casey Stadium. 

Few would have predicted the Great Danes would still be playing in December at the start of the season. After going a combined 5-17 the previous two years, UAlbany was picked to finish 11th in the preseason coaches’ poll. Coach Greg Gattuso has earned several accolades for his role in the turnaround, including CAA coach of the year and AFCA FCS Region 1 Coach of the Year.

Linebacker Dylan Kelly is also putting UAlbany in the national spotlight. The senior is one of three players invited to Frisco, Texas for the Jan. 6 presentation of the Buck Buchanan Award, which goes to the national defensive player of the year in the Football Championship Subdivision.

Idaho almost didn’t get here. The No. 4 seed had to survive a scare from Southern Illinois to win 20-17 in overtime at the Kibbie Dome in front of a crowd of 9,224 last weekend. The victory was secured by the Vandals’ special teams unit. Idaho’s Jermaine Jackson scored an 86-yard punt return touchdown, Xe’Ree Alexander blocked a go-ahead Southern Illinois field goal attempt at the end of regulation and Ricardo Chavez nailed a pair of field goals, including the game-winner in overtime. 

The Vandals start a redshirt sophomore at quarterback, just like the Great Danes. Idaho’s Gevani McCoy has thrown for 2,593 yards and 14 touchdowns. Poffenbarger has thrown for 3,030 yards and leads the FCS with 33 touchdown passes for the Great Danes.

The Vandals also had a solid performance against FBS competition. Idaho was leading Cal 17-14 at halftime before being shut out in the second half of a 31-17 defeat.