Paul Peck's Bull Session
9/18/2012 12:00:00 AM | Football
Each week the voice of UB Football, Paul Peck, will preview Buffalo's upcoming game in his "Bull Session." The play-by-play veteran breaks down this week's opponent Kent State.
Buffalo vs. Kent State
I can't wait for Wednesday night! This is the Bulls' biggest game in years. National TV. Big crowd. Midweek spotlight. Mid-American Conference opener. Impressive season start. Star players like Oliver, Neutz and Mack. If you're a football fan, you have to be pumped up and you have to be there. It sounds like plenty of football fans will be. I hope you are too.
Bullseye on: Buffalo Offense
That would be the MAC's #1 scoring offense. Oliver, the line, and the Alex's have been fun to watch in the first two games. Neutz's amazing four touchdown performance against Morgan State incredibly stole the spotlight from Oliver's new I-A rushing record. Zordich and Neutz have a great QB-WR connection, in that Alex Z. knows exactly where to throw the ball and Alex N. knows exactly where to be and where the ball will be placed. That connection will test a Kent State secondary that will be missing starting cornerback Norman Wolfe…Oliver will have to work for his yards against a Flashes defense that has been one of the MAC's best for years….The Kent State player to watch is defensive tackle Roosevelt Nix. Although undersized at 245 pounds, his speed and quickness makes him one of the MAC's best players…Jeff Quinn mentioned linebacker Luke Batton and nose tackle Dana Brown as two other Kent State defenders he's impressed with…the loss of James Potts to injury will limit some of offensive coordinator Alex Wood's options, so look for more of freshman running back Devin Campbell…Oliver is third in the NCAA in rushing at 174 yards per game….only two players in the country have more touchdowns than Neutz's total of five.
Bullseye on: Buffalo Defense
Steven Means is the only current Bulls defensive starter to have started in the last meeting with Kent State, back in 2009…Means will square off against one of the MAC's top tackles, Kent State's Brian Winters….Golden Flashes quarterback Spencer Keith is starting his 27th straight game…he has gone seven straight starts without a turnover…The Bulls have given up some chunks of yardage on the ground. It sounds like that was a focus for defensive coordinator Lou Tepper…The Golden Flashes will test that run stopping ability with a pair of talented backs. Trayion Durham is the hammer, at 250 pounds…Dri Archer is the speed back…Archer's career high came against U.B, when he ran for 93 yards against the Bulls as a freshman in 2009…Safety Whitney Sherry was around the ball all night against Morgan State, as he totaled a career high 10 tackles. He leads the Bulls with 17 stops.
Bullseye on: MAC Opener
In the opener, the Bulls played "up" against Georgia. Next, they played "down" against Morgan State of the FCS. Now, we get to see them matchup with their peers. I know Quinn is anxious to see how his matches up. We'll have a much better idea of what this Bulls team is all about. I see a talented, confident team playing Jeff Quinn's "fast, smart, and physical" football. I think that's what the nation will see Wednesday night.
Please join me, color analyst Jim Kubiak, sideline reporter Nick Mendola and host Scott Wilson for the broadcast on the Bulls Football Network. Our pregame show starts at 5pm.
