UAlbany football just got absolutely blanked 22-0 by Princeton on Saturday, and man, what a gut punch that must be for everyone involved. This wasn’t just another loss; it was their first regular-season shutout in nine years, and it brought their record to a rough 2-3. It also marks the first time first-year head coach Tom Perkovich has seen a truly poor performance from his Great Danes, which is saying something for a guy in his inaugural season.
The Ugly Truth of a Rainy Afternoon
Talk about an unwelcome homecoming! UAlbany senior quarterback Kai Colon, who actually started for Princeton last season, got hugs from his old teammates after the game, but that was all the affection the Tigers showed him. On a rainy, windy afternoon in New Jersey, UAlbany couldn’t get anything going. Coach Perkovich didn’t mince words after the game, saying they “got our butts whooped today, plain and simple.” He wasn’t wrong. The Great Danes just couldn’t find a rhythm, couldn’t find a way to score, and really, really struggled in the red zone. Remember their 6-0 loss at Elon back in 2017, or even that brutal 59-0 shutout in the FCS semifinals last year? This felt different. This felt like a complete collapse in all three phases, and a 40-yard field goal missed wide left by RJ Kocan in the first quarter just summed up the whole vibe.
Offensive Struggles and Turnovers Sink the Ship
The offense was a mess, plain and simple. Kai Colon went 12-of-20 for 111 yards, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. He threw an ill-advised interception right before halftime at the Princeton 3-yard line, killing any momentum UAlbany might have built. Then, backup quarterback Aidan Semo threw another pick at the Princeton 8 with under a minute left in the game. You just can’t make those kinds of mistakes against a team like Princeton, especially when you’re already struggling to find points. Princeton’s sophomore QB Ty Ciongoli, making his college debut off the bench, drove 80 yards for their first score, a 5-yard touchdown. Then, after Semo got stopped on a third-and-1 rush, punter Gavin Myers dropped the snap, giving Princeton another short field that led to a 14-yard touchdown run. That’s a backbreaker. Perkovich nailed it when he said it was “feast or famine,” and that the “turnovers are what’s hurting us” along with that frustrating “lack of being able to finish in the red zone.” Even outgaining Princeton 288-265 doesn’t matter when you can’t put points on the board. And when Tavahri Groves, who had 6 catches for 81 yards, gets rocked and helped off the field in the fourth quarter after a fourth-down incompletion in the end zone, you know it’s just not your day.
Drew Buckley did lead the Great Danes with nine tackles, but even solid defense can only do so much when the offense is coughing it up.
What’s Next for the Great Danes
So, what now for Perkovich’s crew? They have to go “back to the drawing board on some things and adjust and try to get better quickly,” according to the coach. They’re back home next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. to face Delaware State. After a performance like this, they absolutely need to bounce back and show some fight. Getting their butts “whooped” is one thing, but figuring out how to stop the turnovers and score in the red zone? That’s what really matters moving forward. This next game is huge to right the ship and get their season back on track.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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