It wasn’t perfect, but it was a good beginning for the Guilderland football team.
Quarterback Drew Smith ran for two touchdowns, and the Dutchmen defense kept Albany out of the end zone in a 20-0 Empire Division victory Friday in Guilderland.
I was really pleased overall with the physical aspect of the game, said Guilderland coach Dan Penna. `We knew Albany had some speed, and we did a good job of containing it.`
The Dutchmen (1-0) looked like they were going to run away with the game after scoring three touchdowns in the second quarter, but Albany held their offense in check through the second half.
`We shot ourselves in the foot when we didn’t execute offensively, but you could see we have big play capability,` said Penna.
Guilderland’s defense made the first big play, though. Albany was driving in Dutchmen territory when a series of penalties pushed the Falcons back to the Guilderland 35-yard line. Then, Jose George fumbled the ball on fourth down, which gave the Dutchmen the ball at their 30 with less than two minutes left in the first quarter.
Smith started the second quarter by racing up the middle for a 32-yard gain that gave Guilderland a first-and-goal at Albany’s 10-yard line. On the next play, Paul Booker swept to the right sideline and into the end zone to put the Dutchmen ahead 6-0.
Smith gave Albany more headaches the next time he touched the ball. The senior fielded a punt at his own 26-yard line, avoided a couple of tackles and took off for a 74-yard touchdown run. He then added a two-point conversion pass to Booker ` his only pass completion of the game ` to make the score 14-0.
`When I caught (the punt), I actually thought of Reggie Bush,` said Smith. `I just said, ‘Let me catch it and explode.’`
Albany tried to get back in the game, but it kept shooting itself in the foot with fumbles. The Falcons were inside Guilderland’s 30-yard line midway through the second quarter when they fumbled the ball back to the Dutchmen. Their defense stopped Guilderland on three plays, and they got a break when a personal foul on the ensuing punt return put them at the Dutchmen 43, but they fumbled the ball away again three plays later.
`We’ve had games where those turnovers were against us, and we found ourselves down two or three touchdowns,` said Penna. `I was proud of how we came up with them at opportune times.`
It didn’t take long for Guilderland to take advantage. The Dutchmen line cleared a hole in the middle the size of a small house, and Smith ran through it for a 53-yard touchdown that made the score 20-0.
`That was a designed play,` said Penna. `When Albany is in their nickel package, they leave their middle wide open.`
Guilderland had one more scoring opportunity in the second quarter after Albany fumbled the ensuing kickoff return at its 32-yard line, but the Dutchmen lost ground on three consecutive plays to end the quarter. The only other time Guilderland threatened was in the fourth quarter when big runs by Booker and Smith placed the Dutchmen at Albany’s 11-yard line. However, a holding penalty stalled the drive.
Still, Guilderland’s defense did its part when challenged. It kept Albany out of the end zone in the third quarter when the Falcons drove inside the Dutchmen’s 10-yard line, and it intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter to end another Albany series.
`Defensively, I thought we had a few breakdowns, but I think we did well overall,` said Penna.
Guilderland’s defense will face another challenge Saturday when the Dutchmen travel to Queensbury to take on the 1-0 Spartans and their double wing offense, which features three running backs.
`We know that Queensbury is going to be looking forward to that game as a playoff game,` said Penna. `Their offense is definitely imposing.“