1st and Ten –
Turner’s Time – After a career spent mostly on the plains of
Nebraska, as a player and as an assistant coach, Turner Gill is
in for the challenge of his coaching career. But, on the flip
side, he could also be the best thing to happen to Buffalo
football in quite some time. Gill had the opportunity to mold
All-American QBs, Tommie Frazier and Eric Crouch, and be part of
the Nebraska 1990s dynasty, as well as being the leader of one
of the most powerful offensive units of all time, his 1983
Husker team. But after a year spent in Green Bay with the
Packers, Gill was ready to come back to the college game. He’s
arrived in the Northeast with a 6’ X 6’ wide open canvas and an
unlimited amount of paint. He’ll have an opportunity to mold
this team exactly how he desires and with little pressure, well,
relatively speaking and what coach in America wouldn’t want to
have carte blanche to turn a team around? Think about it this
way, two wins will be improvement over last year, but at this
stage, the Bulls just have to progress week in and week out.
Gill might have been explosive with the ball in his hands, but
he was tough as nails and that’s the leadership that this team
will need to build a foundation for MAC success throughout his
time as head coach. It might be a bumpy ride and the learning
curve is going to be steep for the new head man, but the Buffalo
Bulls couldn’t have had a better situation fall right into their
hands. And, it couldn’t have broken any better for Turner Gill,
either.
2nd and Seven –
A Diamond in the Rough – Although the Bulls got blitzed for
much of the year, giving up nearly 30 points per game, the
secondary was the team’s bright spot. The back four led the MAC
in passing yardage defense, giving up only 172 yards per game in
league games. There in lies the good news for Gill and the
Buffalo faithful - this unit could be even stronger in 2006.
Start at safety where Kareem Byrom and Jesse Imes return after
two solid seasons. The safety duo racked up 136 tackles and 5
interceptions between them. The corner position needs
consistency from some young players, but a number of young’uns
got some experience playing early as freshmen last year. Fans
of the MAC aren’t used to seeing Buffalo’s name atop the stat
sheet, but with this foursome, get used to it.
3rd and Three –
Batman and Robin – Although it’d be wonderful to have an
Adrian Peterson or a Marshawn Lynch to dominate the ball and
carry it 25 to 30 times a game, the Bulls don’t quite have that
luxury at running back. But, what they do have is two solid
ball carriers – Chris McDuffie and Jared Patterson – who can
play off of one another to create a better running game than
last year. Okay, you could throw Steven King, last year’s
leading rusher, into the mix as well to make it a triumvirate of
pigskin carriers, although he’s listed as the first team
fullback on the spring depth chart. The Bulls’ only ran for 109
yards per game last year, a drop off of nearly 40 yards from
2004, but that should change with strong campaigns from
McDuffie, who returns after missing all of 2005, and Patterson
and a ‘new’ offense that should focus more on the running game.
4th and One –
Buffalo’s Three Amigos – Remember the 1980’s Denver Broncos’
Three Amigos at receiver? Ricky Nattiel, Vance Johnson and Mark
Jackson? Well, it’s quite a stretch but the Bulls have their
own version of the Three Amigos at receiver with Chad Upshaw at
TE, along with WRs Brett Hamlin and Evan Wallace. Hamlin and
Wallace form a solid perimeter duo, but Upshaw is the guy who
completes the Amigos. He’s one of the best tight ends in the
MAC, but how his role changes this year in Gill’s offense could
determine whether he’s a 50 catch a year star or a 20
catch/non-threatening weapon in the middle of the field.