Offense |
Defense |
Depth Chart |
Further Analysis
Good luck, Turner Gill.
The Nebraska quarterback legend and new head coach brings
fire and enthusiasm to a program that never caught a break under
former head man Jim Hofher. Like all new coaching staffs, there are
plenty of new ideas, lots of talk about turning things around, and
lots of energy knowing that the team is starting from the bottom up.
What the program really needs are players, and lots of them. That's
where Gill will earn his money.
One of the most tireless and influential recruiters in the game,
it'll be up to Gill to sell those shunned by the bigger schools on
the merits of Buffalo, like Ted's hot dogs, a big school, a
good-sized city, and the chance to make an impact right away.
Head coach: Turner Gill
1st season
Returning Lettermen:
Off. 26, Def. 20, ST 1
Lettermen Lost: 20 |
Ten
Best Bull Players
1. TE Chad Upshaw, Sr.
2. SS Kareem Byrom, Jr.
3. LB Ramon Guzman, Sr.
4. QB Drew Willy, Soph.
5. FS Jesse Imes, Jr.
6. FB Steven King, Sr.
7. DE Andrae Smith, Jr.
8. RB Chris McDuffie, Jr.
9. RB Jared Patterson, Sr.
10. LB Jeff Bublavi, Sr. |
|
2006
Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
2-10 |
|
8/31 |
Temple |
| 9/9 |
at Bowling Green |
| 9/16 |
at Northern Illinois |
| 9/23 |
at Auburn |
| 10/7 |
Ball State |
| 10/14 |
Miami Univ. |
| 10/21 |
at Ohio |
| 10/28 |
at Boston College |
| 11/4 |
Kent State |
| 11/9 |
at Akron |
| 11/18 |
at Wisconsin |
| 11/24 |
Central Michigan |
|
|
2005 Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
3-8
2005 Results: 1-10
Preview
2005 predicted wins |
| 9/1 |
at
Connecticut L 38-0 |
| 9/10 |
at Syracuse L 31-0 |
| 9/17 |
Rutgers L 17-3 |
|
10/1 |
at Western Mich
L 31-21 |
| 10/8 |
Akron
L 13-7 |
| 10/15 |
Bowling Green L 27-7 |
| 10/22 |
at Toledo L 38-15 |
| 10/29 |
Ohio L 34-20 |
| 11/5 |
at Miami Univ. L 54-13 |
| 11/12 |
at Kent State W 10-6 |
| 11/19 |
Eastern Mich
L 38-14 |
|
Buffalo plays in the MAC, so it's not like it has to deal with
playing Ohio State, Florida or Texas, but it doesn't have become
competitive in conference play for the first time since, well, ever.
Built to be a good defensive program under Hofher, the Bulls have never
been able to do much offensively averaging a mere 15.3 points per game
over the last seven seasons. There are plenty of young prospects to
build around with a decent group of quarterbacks led by big sophomore
Drew Willy, a good backfield with four nice options, and tight end Chad
Upshaw leading a promising receiving corps. The offensive line is big
and bigger, and now it needs to use its bulk to shove someone around.
The bar will be set low by everyone but Gill and his coaching staff, so
even the most modest of successes will be hailed as a big step. The
program is due for some good fortune.
The
Schedule: The Bulls play Temple right off the bat in a battle of two
of last year's worst teams (New Mexico State should be included in a
round-robin tournament). A win is a must with three straight road games
getting progressively harder starting at Bowling Green, then to Northern
Illinois, and finally to Auburn. Forget about the rest of the
non-conference schedule going to Boston College and Wisconsin, but there
are chances for a few wins playing Ball State and Kent State at home and
going on the road to face Ohio.
Best
Offensive Player:
Senior TE Chad Upshaw. While a little light at 246 pounds to attract a
lot of big interest from the NFL types, Upshaw has room to grow on his
6-4 frame and add another ten to become a possible second day pick. He
has the hands and the moves to go along with his good blocking ability.
Best
Defensive Player: Junior SS Kareem Byrom. Byrom will combine with
Jesse Imes to form a decent safety tandem that needs to be the rock of
the defense until everything else comes together. Byrom led the team in
both tackles and interceptions and should once again be the tone setting
playmaker.
Key player
to a successful season: The entire offensive line. It's a huge line
averaging well over 300 pounds per man and must be far more productive.
It was awful in the ground game and did nothing to keep the quarterbacks
upright. If the front five doesn't have a better year, neither will one
of the nation's worst offenses.
The season
will be a success if ... Buffalo wins four games. Considering the Bulls haven't won
more than three since moving to D-I, a four victory season would be
reason for a parade. The chances will be there with five winnable games,
but there will need to be at least one good upset to make it happen.
Key game:
August 31 vs. Temple. Two new coaching staffs will play up the
season opener like it's the BCS Championship game. For these two woeful
programs, it might be. A win by the Bulls would match last year's
victory total and get the Gill era off to a huge start before dealing
with the brutal part of the slate.
2005 Fun
Stats:
- Sacks: Opponents 43 for 303 yards - Buffalo 18 for 142 yards
- First quarter scoring: Opponents 81 - Buffalo 7
- Field goals: Opponents 14 of 19 - Buffalo 4 of 13
The Last Time Buffalo…
…played in a bowl game…never
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…2001 (Ohio)
…was shutout…2005 (Syracuse)
…went undefeated…1899
…won a conference title…never
…had a 3,000-yard passer…never
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…1996 (Anthony Swan)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…1997 (Drew Haddad)
…had a first-round draft choice…never