UAlbany football beats Idaho in FCS quarterfinal

University at Albany wide receiver Brevin Easton, who was playing Division II college football two years ago, helped lead the Great Danes to the Football Championship Subdivision semifinals for the first time.

He caught nine passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday night, including the winning 30-yard score from Reese Poffenbarger with 4:38 to play, in a 30-22 win over fourth-seeded Idaho in an FCS quarterfinal at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho.

Easton transferred to UAlbany from Division II Assumption last year.

“It definitely means everything to get to this point, coming from a Division II and just a lot of different ups and downs going through in life and just finding a way to persevere,” Easton said. “But I’m definitely most happy for me and my whole family, my football family, and everybody on the team. We’ve been through a lot these last two years and to get to this point is just bittersweet.”

No. 5 seed UAlbany (11-3) will play defending FCS champion and No. 1 seed South Dakota State (13-0) in a semifinal at 7 p.m. Friday in Brookings, S.D.

“I just have faith in these guys,” UAlbany head coach Greg Gattuso said. “They played their tails off. We just kept banging away and banging away until we could get an opportunity to get the lead and we were able to hold on to it. So it was a badge of a win for our program. First time in the final four is pretty sweet.”

Showing his usual elusiveness against the pass rush, Poffenbarger completed 24-of-41 passes for 341 yards and three scores.

Poffenbarger also threw scoring passes of 64 and 39 yards to Easton in the first half. Easton added a 39-yard catch down the left sideline that set up John Opalko’s 22-yard field goal with 11:07 left.

“He was just open,” Poffenbarger said. “You’ve been watching us all year. Brevin’s always open. So is Ju (Hicks), so is Roy (Alexander), so is (MarQeese) Dietz, so is Levi (Wentz). So when we have incompletions, I blame myself a lot because we have such good receivers and there’s always a play to be made.”

Easton’s catch in the right corner of the end zone after Poffenbarger moved right and threw put UAlbany up 23-19. Griffin Woodell of Glens Falls added the clinching score on a 29-yard touchdown run with 46 seconds left.

Wtih the Great Danes leading by four, UAlbany defensive end Anton Juncaj sacked Idaho quarterback Gevani McCoy to force a fumble that defensive tackle Elijah Hills recovered with 2:46 remaining to preserve the lead.

It was Juncaj’s 15th sack of the season.

Idaho’s Ricardo Chavez kicked a 49-yard field goal to bring Idaho within 30-22 with 25 seconds left, but Dietz recovered an onside kick  to secure the victory.

UAlbany earned its first victory in a dome and its first triumph outside the Eastern time zone. The Great Danes were previously 0-8 in games outside EST.

“I don’t think there’s really anything better,” Poffenbarger said. “Especially Idaho having such a cool venue like this and taking a lot of pride in playing at home and winning at home. We just have that mentality that we’re the underdogs.”

McCoy completed 23 of 43 passes for 317 yards and a touchdown for Idaho, which finished at 9-4.