Buffalo & Thermilus roll over the RedHawks

Buffalo Bulls 2009 ... Head Coach: Turner Gill

2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 6-6
2009 Record: 4-7

9/5 at UTEP W 23-17
9/12 Pitt L 54-27
9/19 at UCF L 23-17
9/26 at Temple L 37-13
10/3 Central Mich L 20-13
10/10 Gardner-Webb W 40-3
10/17 Akron W 21-17
10/24 at WMU L 34-31 OT
10/31 OPEN DATE
11/3 B Green L 30-29
11/10 Ohio L 27-24
11/18 at Miami Univ. W 42-17
11/27 at Kent State

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 3-9
2008 Record: 8-6

8/28 UTEP W 42-17
9/6 at Pitt L 27-16
9/13 Temple W 30-28
9/20 at Missouri L 42-21
9/27 at Central Mich L 27-25
10/4 OPEN DATE
10/11 West Mich L 34-28 OT
10/18 Army W 27-24 OT
10/28 at Ohio W 32-19
11/4 Miami Univ. W 37-17
11/8 OPEN DATE
11/13 at Akron W 43-40 4OT
11/21 at BGSU W 40-34 2OT
11/28 Kent State L 24-21
12/5 MAC CHAMPIONSHIP
Ball State W 42-24
International Bowl
1/3 Connecticut L 38-20

Buffalo Bulls

Nov. 18
Buffalo 42 … at Miami University 17
Brandon Thermilus ran for touchdowns from three and 31 yards away in the second quarter, and he took a pass 29 yards for a score in the fourth as Buffalo had control of the game early on and was never threatened. Miami made it a bit interesting in the second half with a six-yard Dustin Woods touchdown catch and a 36-yard Jamal Rogers scoring grab, but the Bulls ended any dreams of a comeback with a 23-yard Jeffron Gill touchdown run.
Player of the Game: Buffalo RB Brandon Thermilus ran 11 times for 126 yards and two touchdowns, and caught a 29-yard touchdown pass.
Miami: Passing: Zac Dysert, 24-37, 194 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Zac Dysert, 19-27, Receiving: Brayden Coombs, 14-100
Buffalo: Passing: Zach Maynard, 13-18, 136 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Brandon Thermilus, 11-126, 2 TD, Receiving: Terrell Jackson, 6-40
What It All Means: The running game worked perfectly, gaining 240 yards, the offense was creative and effective, with Terrell Jackson throwing a touchdown pass off a trick play and with the passing game working when needed. As bad as the season has been, if UB can beat Kent State on Friday, the 5-7 final record won’t be so bad. To get that, the ground game will have to continue to carry the offensive workload.

Nov. 10
Ohio 27 … at Buffalo 24
Matt Weller nailed a 47-yard field goal with 1:25 to play to break the tie and keep Ohio in the MAC East title race. The Bobcats got out to a 24-14 lead helped by fumble recovery in the end zone and touchdown runs from Tyler Tettleton and Vince Davidson, but Buffalo was able to get back into the game in the second half with a 22-yard Naaman Roosevelt touchdown catch and a 26-yard A.J. Principle field goal, but Ohio answered with a 5:33 drive to get the final points. Roosevelt also scored from 76 yards out in the first quarter and on a 21-yarder with three seconds to play in the first half.
Player of the Game: In a losing cause, Buffalo WR Naaman Roosevelt caught eight passes for 165 yards and three scores.
Buffalo : Passing: Zach Maynard, 17-36, 230 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Mario Henry, 5-43, Receiving: Naaman Roosevelt, 8-165, 3 TD
Ohio: Passing: Theo Scott, 22-28, 221 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Chris Garrett, 17-68, Receiving: LaVon Brazill, 10-99
What It All Means: This was a disappointing end to all hopes of making something positive happen this season. The defense didn’t force the big mistakes this year like it did last season, and the running game hasn’t been consistent enough to rely on week in and week out. Naaman Roosevelt showed once again why he’s one of the MAC’s premier playmakers, but for all the big plays he made, the Bulls still couldn’t do enough to hold on late. The string will be played out at Miami University and at Kent State, with the Bulls looking to play spoiler against the Golden Flashes. 

Oct. 3
Bowling Green 30 … at Buffalo 29
Down 13 going into the fourth, Bowling Green scored 14 unanswered points with Tyler Sheehan running for a four-yard score early in the quarter and connecting with Freddie Barnes for an 18-yard score with 39 seconds to play. The Falcons also got two one-yard Willie Geter touchdown runs to offset short UB touchdown runs from Ike Nduka and Mario Henry. The Bulls were able to get up on an 18-yard Jesse Rack touchdown catch and a five-yard run from Jeffvron Gill, but it wasn’t enough to hang on.
Player of the Game: Bowling Green QB Tyler Sheehan completed 22-of-40 passes for 313 yards and a touchdown with an interception, and hr re ran for a team-leading 20 yards and a score.
Buffalo: Passing: Zach Maynard, 13-27, 149 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jeffvron Gill, 23-172, 1 TD, Receiving: Brett Hamlin, 3-54
Bowling Green: Passing: Tyler Sheehan, 22-40, 313 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Tyler Sheehan, 6-20, 1 TD, Receiving: Freddie Barnes, 8-122, 1 TD
What It All Means: This was a devastating loss. The Bulls were winning big, the running game was working, and everything was set up for a key win to keep hope of a winning season alive. But the pass defense that’s been so strong all season long couldn’t come up with a stop late and now the Bulls have to win out just to finish .500. Zach Maynard was fine throwing the ball, but the positive was the play of Jeffvron Gill, who rumbled for 172 yards and a score and gives the program a player to get fired up for the next three years. The true freshman was fantastic, and combined with Maynard, there’s reason to get fired up for the future.

Oct. 24
at Western Michigan 34 … Buffalo 31 OT
Western Michigan’s John Potter hit a 28-yard field goal in overtime after Buffalo’s John Rachuna missed a 43-yard attempt. UB’s A.J. Principe forced overtime with a 28-yard field goal to cap a wild final few minutes, answering a three-yard Brandon West run with 1:58 to play. The two teams traded punches all game long highlighted by UB’s Ike Nduka, who was playing hurt, rushing for scores from 11, two, and 56 yards away and WMU’s Tim Hiller throwing two touchdown passes to short touchdown passes to Ansel Ponder. UB outgained WMU 541 yards to 505.
Player of the Game: Western Michigan QB Tim Hiller completed 34-of-55 passes for 350 yards and two touchdowns
Buffalo: Passing: Zach Maynard, 26-51, 327 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Ike Nduka, 18-172, 3 TD, Receiving: Brett Hamlin, 10-146, 1 TD
Western Michigan: Passing: Tim Hiller, 34-55, 350 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Brandon West, 27-133, 2 TD, Receiving: Ansel Ponder, 10-86, 2 TD
What It All Means: For being banged up, Ike Nduka ran extremely well. He was questionable at best, but he still averaged close to ten yards per carry with three scores and Zach Maynard threw the ball well outside of the two interceptions. Basically, the team showed it could keep up in a shootout, but it couldn’t come through in overtime. There’s still time to turn the MAC season back around with home games against Bowling Green and Ohio up next before going to Miami, but winning the turnover margin would be nice and generating more pressure is a must. 

Oct. 17
at Buffalo 21 … Akron 17
Mario Henry ran for a one-yard touchdown in the final six minutes to give Buffalo the lead for good. Naaman Roosevelt caught touchdown passes from seven and eight yards out, and became UB’s all-time reception leader, but Akron came back in the fourth quarter with a one-yard Alex Allen scoring run and a 30-yard field goal to take the lead until the Henry score.
Player of the Game: Buffalo WR Naaman Roosevelt caught 12 passes for 100 yards and two scores
Akron: Passing: Patrick Nicely, 17-34, 200 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: DeVoe Torrence, 13-90, Receiving: Jeremy LaFrance, 5-62
Buffalo: Passing: Zach Maynard, 20-35, 205 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Mario Henry, 20-62, 1 TD, Receiving: Naaman Roosevelt, 12-100, 2 TD
What It All Means: Buffalo is going to need more out of Zach Maynard. He came up with a great game against Akron, even with two interceptions, and he has Naaman Roosevelt to work with, and now he’s going to have to do even more with the running game struggling through injuries. Ike Nduka has an ankle injury and will be questionable for Western Michigan, and to get back into the MAC race and come up with a win, there will need to be more overall firepower. To beat WMU, the turnover margin has to be in UB’s favor, and that’s been a problem all year.  

Oct. 10
at Buffalo 40 … Gardner-Webb 3
Gardner-Webb blocked the extra point after Ike Nduka’s first of two one-yard touchdown runs, and responded with a 44-yard field goal. That was it for the excitement as the Bulls scored 34 unanswered points with Jesse Rack caching two of Zach Maynard’s three touchdown passes and Brandon Thermilus running for a two-yard score. UB outgained Gardner-Webb 508 yards to 215.
Player of the Game: Buffalo RB Ike Nduka ran 24 times for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
Gardner-Webb: Passing: Stan Doolittle, 16-29, 159 yds
Rushing: Stan Doolittle, 12-18, Receiving: Marquis Sanders, 5-74
Buffalo: Passing: Zach Maynard, 16-20, 232 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Ike Nduka, 24-131, 2 TD, Receiving: Brett Hamlin, 6-132, 1 TD
What It All Means: After a four-game losing streak, this was the scrimmage the team needed to get back on track before jumping back into the MAC season. Zack Maynard was almost perfect throwing the ball and the running game pounded away. Meanwhile, the defensive line that hasn’t done anything all year when it comes to pressure was able to get into the backfield early and often. The pieces are there, and now the production has to come against Akron to get the season on track.

Oct. 3
Central Michigan 20 … at Buffalo 13
In a game that was delayed midgame by a lightning storm, Dan LeFevour hit Bryan Anderson on an 11-yard touchdown pass and Antonio Brown for a 27-yard score on the way to a 20-10 lead. Brown also ran for a seven-yard score. Buffalo’s offense moved the ball, and got a 24-yard Naaman Roosevelt touchdown catch, but couldn’t get on the board in the fourth quarter.
Player of the Game: Central Michigan QB Dan LeFevour completed 22-of-28 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, and he ran 21 times for 98 yards
Buffalo: Passing: Zach Maynard, 16-31, 210 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Ike Nduka, 22-172, Receiving: Naaman Roosevelt, 6-114, 1 TD
Central Michigan: Passing: Dan LeFevour, 22-28, 268 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Dan LeFevour, 21-98, Receiving: Bryan Anderson, 8-95, 1 TD  
What It All Means: Buffalo isn’t getting anything from the pass rush and it’s proving costly. The Bulls didn’t do much of anything to pressure Dan LeFevour, and the secondary got picked clean. On the plus side, the offense might have found something with Ide Nduka pounding away with 172 yards on 22 carries. But there aren’t enough points coming with all the yards; the offense can’t close. Gardner-Webb is up next to finally get another win, but the team needs a lot of tweaking to have any chance of turning around the season.

Sept. 26
at Temple 37 … Buffalo 13
Elijah Joseph returned an interception 95 yards for a touchdown and James Nixon scored on a 92-yard kickoff return as Temple got revenge for last year’s Hail Mary loss to the Bulls. UB held a 6-3 lead before Nixon gave the Owls the lead for good, and Joseph added to the Owl run of 27 straight points with just seven seconds to play in the first half. Buffalo got its lone touchdown on a six-yard Marcus Rivers touchdown catch.
Player of the Game: Temple RB Bernard Pierce ran 20 times for 116 yards and a score.
Buffalo: Passing: Zach Maynard, 26-41, 281 yds, 1 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Brandon Thermilus, 8-31, Receiving: Naaman Roosevelt, 9-120
Temple: Passing: Vaughn Charlton, 6-17, 95 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Bernard Pierce, 20-116, 1 TD, Receiving: Evan Rodriguez, 3-17, 1 TD
What It All Means: Buffalo can’t afford to make big mistakes against anyone, but the ones against Temple were killers. The Bull defense did a terrific job, holding the Owls to just 293 yards of total offense, but driving for a score late in the first half, the pick six from TU’s Elijah Joseph took away all the momentum and all but ended the game. Zach Maynard is a nice prospect to work around, but at the moment, the team can’t rely on him to carry the offense or he’ll make too many mistakes. The four interceptions came because he had to force the passing game; the ground attack wasn’t there to help the cause. 

Sept. 19
at UCF 23 … Buffalo 17
Nick Cattoi hit three field goals as part of a 16-point UCF run to close out the game as Buffalo was held off the scoreboard in the second half. The Bulls took a 17-7 lead into halftime with two Jesse Rack touchdown catches, including one from 34 yards out from WR Naaman Roosevelt, but four turnovers and ineffectiveness at keeping the chains moving in the second half proved costly. Brynn Harvey ran for short scores from two and four yards out for the Knights.
Player of the Game: UCF RB Brynn Harvey ran 25 times for 98 yards and two touchdowns.
UCF: Passing: Brett Hodges, 15-20, 141 yds
Rushing: Brynn Harvey, 25-98, 2 TD, Receiving: Jamar Newsome, 6-37
Buffalo: Passing: Zach Maynard, 22-35, 184 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Brandon Thermilus, 12-36, Receiving: Naaman Roosevelt, 9-77
What It All Means: Buffalo’s defense did a great job in the first half after giving up an early scoring drive, but turnovers and inefficiency on offense were too much to overcome in a tough loss. Now the Bulls have to keep the mistakes to a minimum in the third road game in the first four weeks in the MAC opener against Temple. If the Bulls can get a win over the Owls, it would set the tone for a big game against Central Michigan that starts off a three-game homestand. To start to beat the better teams, the Bulls have to put together a full sixty minutes and the ground game has to hope Brandon Thermilus can do more to replace James Starks. 

Sept. 12
Pitt 54 ... at Buffalo 27
Bill Stull connected with Dorin Dickerson on three touchdown passes from 10, 23, and nine yards out in the first half on the way to a 27-7 lead, but Buffalo kept fighting back with Zach Maynard, who threw for 400 yards, hitting Naaman Roosevelt from 54 yards out and 67 yards away in the second quarter. Four Buffalo turnovers turned into 27 points including a 50-yard Greg Williams fumble return for a score in the third. Dion Lewis put the game away with an 85-yard scoring dash late in the fourth.
Player of the Game: Pitt RB Dion Lewis ran 24 times for 190 yards and two scores, and he caught six passes for 46 yards.
Pitt: Passing: Bill Stull, 21-30, 172 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Dion Lewis, 24-190, 2 TD, Receiving: Dorin Dickerson, 8-71, 3 TD
Buffalo: Passing: Zach Maynard, 24-35, 400 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Brandon Thermilus, 14-49, Receiving: Brett Hamlin, 12-149
What It All Means: Zach Maynard can play. Buffalo might have been blown out, and the defense failed to show up early, but Maynard, even with a few key mistakes, showed he'll be a playmaker who'll bomb away and can keep the passing game going whenever needed. Now the Bulls have to do a better job of getting the running game going early, but UCF, who's up next week, isn't Pitt offensively.

Sept. 5
Buffalo 23 ... at UTEP 17
UTEP appeared to have pulled out the comeback win with a late touchdown pass, but it was nullified by a holding call to ruin a great rally. Buffalo went on a 23-point run highlighted by a 42-yard touchdown catch from Naaman Roosevelt, but UTEP came back with a 17-yard James Thomas scoring dash and, with just under six minutes to play, a 31-yard Logan Barrett field goal to pull within six. The two teams combined for 22 penalties.
Player of the Game: Buffalo WR Naaman Roosevelt caught five passes for 91 yards and a score.
Buffalo: Passing: Zach Maynard, 12-19, 159 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Brandon Thermilus, 25-79, 1 TD, Receiving: Naaman Roosevelt, 5-91, 1 TD
UTEP: Passing: Trevor Vittatoe, 27-45, 233 yds
Rushing: Donald Buckram, 14-108, Receiving: Kris Adams, 9-98
What It All Means: The offense missed James Starks and will have problems without him all season long, but Brandon Thermilus picked up the rushing slack and pounded away against UTEP to give the attack a base. Now it'll be up to Zach Maynard to start running more and to start to make more big things happen with his athleticism. If that's not working, Naaman Roosevelt needs to get the ball in his hands. Five passes are way too few times for the team's most dynamic playmaker to touch the ball. He needs it on runs ,quick hits, whatever ... he needs the ball. This was a nice opening day road win to begin to suggest that last year wasn't a fluke. However, this week's game against Pitt will be a far tougher task.