Paul Peck's Bull Session: Bowling Green
11/28/2013 12:00:00 AM | Football
Each week, Voice of Bulls Football Paul Peck will preview the upcoming game.
Buffalo (8-3, 6-1) vs. Bowling Green (8-3,6-1)
When the Bulls 2013 schedule came out this summer, you couldn't help but look at the last game-Bowling Green at Ralph Wilson Stadium-and think it would be cool if the season came down to a clash of the two MAC East favorites. See, sometimes we are all experts. That's what we've got Friday, and it's great to have such a big, meaningful game here in WNY. Playing it at the home of the Bills gives it an even bigger feel. Add in the fact that these two teams are both really good, and they're so similar in so many ways. It should be a great day at the Ralph, and I can't wait for kickoff.
Bullseye on: Buffalo Defense
The Bulls defense will face an outstanding running back, a highly-efficient quarterback and a dangerous receiving corp. That's pretty much what they face in practice every day. The BG offense is very similar in so many ways. QB Matt Johnson did not start the season opener. But he came in early in that game and has not given up the job. He ranks second in the MAC in passing yards, and first in passing efficiency. Johnson's not a runner, but he is elusive in the pocket. Even so, he has been sacked 29 times this season….Running back Travis Greene was a receiver last year, and entered spring practice as the fifth-string running back. All he's done is run for 1,293 yards, good for fourth in the MAC. At 181 pounds, he's not big, but shifty. Greene's run for over 100 yards seven times, and over 90 yards twice. He averages over six yards per carry…When the Falcons need a power runner, they turn to freshman William Houston. He's 262 pounds. BG uses him near the goal line. Of Houston's 11 TD, 10 have come 2 yards or less…The Bulls rushing defense will be ready for both. They are the MAC's third best unit against the run, and it's been very hard to teams to move the ball on the ground against the Bulls…Getting Adam Redden back will help. He remains the Bulls fourth-ranked tackler, despite missing the last three games. Redden's athletic ability and versatility are the perfect counterbalance to Khalil Mack at linebacker…Even without Redden, the Bulls defense did not miss a beat thanks to the play of Okoye Houston and Okezie Alozie. Houston had the big TD, along with five tackles and a sack against Miami. Alozie had 18 tackles in the three games Redden missed…Mack already owns the NCAA's all-time record for forced fumbles. He's just 2.5 tackles for loss away from that career mark. It's amazing to think that of every defensive player in college football history, Mack will have done more disrupting than anyone else…The Bulls defense leads the MAC in third down defense. Bowling Green's offense leads the MAC in third down conversions….The Bulls have 24 takeaways and 29 sacks in the last 8 games…On the season, UB's 26 takeaways have been converted in 113 points…Bowling Green's offense has scored more than 40 points five times this season, and more than 45 in their last three games.
Bullseye on: Buffalo Offense
The Bowling Green defense will present the Bulls offense with its biggest test of the season. The Falcons lead the MAC in the following defensive categories: scoring defense, total defense, rush defense, pass defense, first downs allowed and red zone defense. They lead the nation in pass defense and red zone defense. This isn't a new trend. The Falcons were the MAC's best defense last year. While the Bulls D is mostly second in every category, the two squads have different styles. The Falcons don't have a dominant player like Khalil Mack. It is truly a team approach. They also don't sack the quarterback like the Bulls, and don't force as many turnovers. BG has just five interceptions this season….While there may not be one great player, there are a number of very good ones on their D. Safety Boo Boo Gates is a playmaker and probably their best defender. He's a hitter. Linebacker D. J. Lynch leads the team in tackles and tackles for loss. Cornerback Cameron Truss is their lockdown cover guy. The Falcons use 8-10 defensive lineman, with DT's Jairus Campbell and Ted Ouellet the key guys…Last week against Eastern Michigan, the Falcons defense held the Eagles to just four passing yards and 65 total yards…They are missing what may be their best player on defense. Rover Gabe Martin is out for the season with a knee injury. He's been gone for the last three games, and it hasn't seemed to have too much effect on the defensive success…The Falcons have given up five 100 yard rushers this season…So Branden Oliver should still have a good chance to top the century mark for the eighth straight game. Bo is averaging 169 yards a game vs. MAC opponents…Oliver is 111 yards from becoming the 13th player in MAC history to top 4,000 career yards….He's just 21 yards away from his own single-season record of 1,395 yards…Alex Neutz, held to just one catch last week, is only 51 yards from 3,000 in his career…Joe Licata's first completion will give him 200 this season…Licata will become the first player to start a high school and college game at Ralph Wilson Stadium. He played for Williamsville South against Sweet Home HS in 2010…Joe has not forgotten last year's start against Bowling Green. He struggled, going 13 for 30 and was sacked seven times. He has a picture of one of those sacks as the background on his cell phone.
Bullseye on: College Football at Ralph Wilson Stadium
This will be just the third college football game ever played at Ralph Wilson Stadium, and the first since 1979. That year, while the Carrier Dome was being built, Syracuse University played their "home" games at three different sites. Then Rich Stadium hosted two. On September 29th, the Orangemen beat Washington State 52-25. The quarterback was WNY native Billy Hurley. Future NY Giants star Joe Morris scored twice. Future Hall of Famer Art Monk was on that team, and so was kicker Gary Anderson. Super Bowl winning coach Tom Coughlin was an assistant.
The last of the two Syracuse game had some serious foreshadowing for Buffalo fans. The Orangemen beat Miami (FL) 25-15 on October 27th. Hurley had two touchdown runs, but in the second half, a Hurricanes freshman quarterback named Jim Kelly came in the game. He threw his first career TD pass, the first of many he'd throw in that stadium. The next week, Kelly made his first start at Penn State and beat the ranked Nittany Lions. The Machine Gun Kelly legend was born…in the last college game played at the Stadium.
Please join me, color analyst Jim Kubiak, sideline reporter Scott Wilson and host Brad Riter for the broadcast on the Bulls Football Network. Our pregame show starts at 12:30pm. You can hear it in Buffalo on Sportsradio 1270 The Fan (www.sportsradio1270.com), in Rochester on Sports 1280 WHTK (www.whtk.com) or on the I Heart Radio app.
