Ibitokun-Hanks leads Danes in victory over Holy Cross

After back-to-back 100 yard games from University at Albany running Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks, Great Dane fans may have expected a little bit of a dropoff in Week Three from the sophomore back.

But on Saturday night Ibitokun-Hanks would provide the opposite.

Ibitokun-Hanks ran the ball 28 times for 183 yards Saturday night, tying a program Division 1 record four rushing touchdowns to go with his 6.5 average per carry, fueling the Danes offense to put up 45 points in a 17 point victory over Holy Cross.

“Ibi (Ibitokun) has been unbelievable,” Danes Head Coach Greg Gattuso said postgame. “He’s a bull back there and he’s hard to tackle. He works his tail off and I love him. We’re blessed to have him.”

Ibitokun-Hanks ran into the end zone on rushes of 40, 4, 7 and 13, using his quick feet and ability to change directions quick to get past the Crusader defense.

Neven Sussman was also impressive for the Danes, as he went 8-for-12 good for 183 yards and a pair of touchdowns, bouncing back from a rough outing last week where he went just 2-for-9 for 7 yards before being pulled in favor of DJ Crook in the victory at Rhode Island.

Both touchdowns were connections to Zee Roberson, as the sophomore caught five passes for 142 of the 183 receiving yards the Danes had. The two touchdowns were on passes of 41 and 49 yards, a pair of well thrown fade routes by Sussman.

“I told the coaches just rely on me,” Roberson said. “I’ll make the plays. I’ll do it. I’ll step up.”

The Danes defense also stepped on, forcing four turnovers from the Crusaders, forcing three fumbles and picking off a Peter Pujals pass in the final seconds.

Albany, now 3-0 on the season, returns to Bob Ford Field at Tom & Mary Casey Stadium next Saturday, when they host Saint Francis (PA) at 7:00.