By: Jack Greven
The Tribe will play their penultimate home game of the season this Saturday as they face the Albany Great Danes at Zable Stadium.
We’re reaching crunch time in the 2025 season with just four games left on the schedule — all of which the Tribe will likely be favored to win. If they can run the table in November, a potential FCS playoff berth could be within reach.
Both W&M and Albany are coming off road defeats — the Tribe falling 34-24 at New Hampshire, and the Great Danes dropping a 29-16 contest at Villanova. The two programs last met in 2023, when the Tribe lost 24-8 in New York.
Let’s take a look at this week’s opponent:
Albany Great Danes
Conference: CAA
2025 Record: 1-7
Albany has experienced limited success since moving up to Division I in 1999. They won six conference championships in the Northeast Conference before joining the CAA in 2013, where they’ve recorded a losing record in nine of thirteen seasons.
The program’s high point came in 2023, when the Great Danes went 11-4 and reached the FCS Semifinals — but they’ve fallen hard since. After finishing 4-8 in 2024, they’ve managed just one win so far in 2025 under interim head coach Jared Ambrose — a 13-10 slugfest over Cornell.
One of their seven losses came against FCS newcomers New Haven in their first year in Division I — a team that has lost by 17+ points against every other FCS opponent. Albany has struggled mightily to put points on the board, scoring 17 or fewer in all but one game.
They rank last in the CAA in several categories, including points per game (16.9), completion percentage (50.2%), opponent completion percentage (68.8%), rushing yards per game (82.8), sacks allowed (28), and third-down conversion rate (26.3%). While slightly better defensively, they still rank last in turnovers forced (5) and fourth-worst in points allowed per game (33.3).
Offense
The Great Danes are led by redshirt senior quarterback Jack Shields, a Buffalo transfer starting full-time for the first time this season. He’s missed two games this month due to injury, and Albany’s two lowest scoring outputs against FCS opponents came without him — evidence that he’s clearly their best option under center.
However, Shields has struggled with accuracy, completing just 51.4% of his passes with six interceptions. He’s also not a running threat, carrying the ball 49 times for just 23 yards.
The run game has been equally rough for the Great Danes, who rank second-to-last in the CAA in rushing attempts, largely due to game scripts forcing them to pass. Sophomore Jojo Uga and junior Griffin Woodell handle most of the carries. Uga has 252 yards on 58 attempts, while Woodell has 199 yards on 47 carries and contributes in the passing game with 13 catches for 140 yards.
In the air, Albany spreads the ball around — eight players have at least ten receptions. Junior tight end Carter Moses leads the way with 22 catches for 267 yards and two touchdowns, and he’ll be a key target to contain. Junior Caden Burti leads the team in receiving yards (308) but has missed the last two games with a knee injury; he may return Saturday. Redshirt freshman Tavahri Groves and graduate transfers Jasiah Barron and Kylen Austin are also reliable options, each with 13+ receptions and over 170 yards.
Albany has been extremely vulnerable to pressure this season, allowing 28 sacks. This presents a strong opportunity for Ty Gordon and Justin Krueger to win their matchups and boost their numbers. It’s also a good chance for the Tribe secondary to create takeaways — W&M has only three interceptions this year, and Shields’ inconsistency could lead to turnover opportunities.
Defense
The Albany defense hasn’t been great statistically, but they do have standout talent. Redshirt junior defensive lineman Balansama Kamara has been one of the CAA’s best, totaling 49 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, and two forced fumbles. He’s capable of disrupting entire drives on his own.
Albany will be without leading tackler Cam Stodghill, their only player with more than 50 tackles, as he recovers from a shoulder injury. Injuries have been a major issue this year — linebacker Ron Holmes, still third on the team in tackles, has been out since September.
Redshirt senior defensive backs Thomas Joe-Kamara and Denzel Patrick have stepped up in their absence. Joe-Kamara has recorded 42 tackles and an interception, while Patrick has 41 tackles, a sack, and two pass breakups. Sophomore Erv Wiggins Jr. has also contributed with 21 tackles, three tackles for loss, and four pass breakups. Alongside Kamara on the line, junior Kylyn Macklin has made his presence felt with 25 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and four QB hits.
The Tribe offense will need to control the tempo by establishing the run early. Albany’s offensive inefficiency and low completion rate have led to the lowest time of possession in the CAA at just 26:20 — meaning their defense spends more than 56% of each game on the field. W&M should look to take advantage by getting out to an early lead (they’ve led after the first quarter only once in eight games) and wearing the Great Danes down on the ground. Expect a strong showing from Rashad Raymond and Tariq Sims.
This matchup represents another excellent bounce-back opportunity for the Tribe and the start of a potential postseason push. A win would lift W&M to 5-0 at Zable and keep alive the chance of finishing undefeated at home for the first time since 2015.
Pack Zable — and Let’s Go Tribe!
Photos courtesy of Tribe Athletics
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