THE BASICS:

• Score: Albany 14, Holy Cross 13

• Records: Holy Cross 0-1, Albany 1-0

• Location: Bob Ford Field, Albany, N.Y.

• The Lead: Neil Morrison recovered a fumble and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown with 44 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, as Albany came from behind to defeat the Holy Cross football team 14-13.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Holy Cross totaled 440 yards of total offense on the evening, while holding Albany to just 263 total yards from scrimmage.

• Sophomore quarterback Peter Pujals (Glenview, Ill.) led the way by completing 23 of 42 passes for 323 yards and a touchdown, while sophomore wide receiver Jake Wieczorek (Cumming, Ga.) had a career-high seven receptions for 149 yards and a score.

• Sophomore free safety Luke Ford (Wilmette, Ill.) led the Holy Cross defense with 11 tackles and two pass breakups, while junior linebacker John Zakrzewski (Traverse City, Mich.) added nine tackles.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The Crusaders opened the scoring at the 2:06-mark of the first quarter on a 26-yard field goal by junior placekicker Connor Fitzgerald (Bloomington, Ind.).

• Fitzgerald added a 23-yard field goal early in the second quarter, then Peter Pujals threw a one-yard touchdown pass to Wieczorek with just eight seconds left before halftime to make the score 13-0 at the break.

• After neither team scored any points in the third quarter, Albany's Will Fiacchi threw a 12-yard scoring strike to Brian Parker to make the score 13-7 with 11:05 left to play.

• Holy Cross was later able to drive down to Albany's 21-yard line with less than two minutes to play, before Morrison's fumble return gave the Great Danes their first lead of the game.

• The Crusaders were unable to cross midfield on their final possession, as Albany escaped with the victory.

UP NEXT:

• Holy Cross returns to action next Saturday, Sept. 6, when it plays host to Morgan State in its home opener at 1:05 p.m.