Paul Peck's Bull Session: Akron
11/10/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Each week, Voice of Bulls Football Paul Peck will preview the upcoming game.
Buffalo (3-6, 1-4) vs. Akron (4-5, 2-3)
Last week, it was a possible bowl bid. This week, it's just pride. The Bulls loss at Ohio eliminated them from reaching the seven wins needed to qualify for a bowl. So the final three games, including Tuesday against Akron, will be played for self satisfaction, momentum for next year, and a lasting impression for the new head coach. Interim Head Coach Alex Wood added another motivator.
"Respect for what you do, we'll play for the respect that we deserve and the work that we put in. We want to finish this thing on an up note. What would you rather be, 3-9 or 6-6? 6-6 sounds better to me," said Wood.
Akron has plenty to play for, because they are still alive to finish 6-6 and make a bowl game for the first time since 2005. But the Zips, after a hot 4-2 start including a win over Pitt, have lost three in a row.
Bullseye on: Buffalo Offense
At times, it was shocking to see a Buffalo offense struggle as much as they did against Ohio. Partly due to the Bobcats defense, and partly due to the Bulls ineffectiveness, UB finished with just seven first downs, just 134 total yards and only 2/13 on third down. In the last two games, the once potent UB offense has been held to an average of just 202 yards per game. Up until then, the Bulls had not been held under 300 total yards in any game. Turnovers (six in last two games) have played a role, so has a red zone offense that has dropped to 11th in the MAC and 116th in the NCAA. Of 42 trips inside the 20, the Bulls have scored only 30 times with 24 touchdowns. The Zips have given up just 14 red zone scores on defense...Joe Licata's recent struggles have been just as surprising. He has thrown five interceptions in the last two games, and he's averaging just 153 yards in the last two games. But Joe can bring the good feelings back to UB Stadium if he throws a TD pass. The next one will be the 53rd of his career, passing Drew Willy for a new school record. Licata remains second in the MAC in TD passes, and fourth in passing yards. His 21 TD passes rank 19th in the country...Ron Willoughby has seven of those TD catches, good for 2nd in the MAC... The passing game and overall offense will improve once the Bulls get the running game going. Anthone Taylor has been shut down, with only 62 yards in the last two games. Taylor has not scored in the last three games. Opposing teams are finding it too easy to move a safety into the box to shut down the running game, especially Taylor's cutback lanes. That should allow the Bulls receivers to beat one-on-one coverage and let Joe throw...Moving the ball won't be easy against a Zips defense that ranks second in the MAC. Led by veteran defensive coordinator and former NC State head coach Chuck Amato, Akron is holding teams to just 21 points per game. That leads the conference. Akron also tops the MAC in third down defense and sacks...The key to the Zips defense is their linebackers. Jatavis Brown, C.J. Mizell and Justin March have combined for 65 starts. Brown is the team's leading tackler, and his 10 tackles for loss trail only three players in the MAC rankings...The sacks have been spread around, with eight different players getting to the QB. Reserve LB Jerome Lane has five, including three in their last game against Bowling Green....Defensive end Nordly Capi leads the front line in tackles and sacks, while defensive tackle Cody Grice has 33 career starts and also plays some fullback...The Akron secondary is young, and a lot of players will see time at corner and safety.
Bullseye on: Buffalo Defense
It's hard to blame the Buffalo defense for much against Ohio, when they faced four drive starts inside the 22 yard line. But their habit of giving up big plays continued, with five more of 20+ yards allowed. On the first Bobcats drive, they shut down Ohio except allowed a 47 yard sideline pass that set up a field goal. The 61 big plays allowed account for more than half of the total yards allowed all season...Buffalo's defense does have seven sacks in the last two games...One of them came from defensive end Kendall Roberson, the first of his career...Linebacker Kyril Threats is second with three sacks, and he made his first UB start at Ohio...With 13 tackles against OU, Lee Skinner has 29 tackles in the last two games. He has 329 in his career, good for seventh in UB history, as he passed Khalil Mack...Safety Whitney Sherry has 26 tackles the last two games....Despite playing a season and a half as a receiver, Boise Ross' 75 yard fumble return was the first touchdown of his career...The hottest Bulls defender is safety Okezie Alozie. He's got 3.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in his last two games...Akron's offense is mostly based on the pass, as 68% of their yards have come through the air. Quarterback Kyle Pohl is back after missing two games. He returned to start against Bowling Green, but threw three interceptions and was sacked twice while throwing for 304 yards. In that game, he set Akron records by throwing 62 times and completing 31...Pohl has started seven times this year, and he's the MAC's sixth ranked passer...He has plenty of targets, as eight Zips receivers have at least 10 catches. Topping that list is Zach D'Orazio, who's the MAC's 9th leading receiver. He has 45 catches and a team-leading 486 yards...The hottest Akron wideout is Andrew Pratt, with 12 catches in the last three games...The Zips will use two running backs, Jawon Chisholm and Connor Hundley. But they will also use a defensive lineman to run the ball. Nose guard Cody Grice has 13 carries for 25 yards and 3 TD....The Zips have been struggling with turnovers. They had five in their last game, played in a rain storm against Bowling Green. That's now 10 turnovers in the last two games...Another problem for the Akron offense (and defense) is penalties. They are the MAC's most penalized team with an average of nine flags per game....Much like UB, the Zips have struggled in the red zone. They are last in the MAC, with just 17 TD in 34 trips inside the 20.
Bullseye on: Tyler Grassman
It's not often we focus on the punter, but Tyler Grassman deserves it. This week, he was named to the Capital One Academic All-District team. In the classroom, the junior has a 3.80 GPA in business administration. On the field, his 40.6 punting average is a new career high. He's had 16 punts downed inside the 20, and the Bulls have allowed only 32 return yards on Grassman's 45 kicks. UB's punt coverage team, allowing only 3.6 yards per return, is 12th in the NCAA and their longest return of 26 yards was given up in the season opener.
"With effort comes results, and I put a lot of time in on academics. But both academics and football mean so much to me. I want to succeed highly in both, and this is such an honor," said Grassman.
He joked that before every game, his teammates say they hope they don't need him. But if they do, they can count on Grassman to get the job done.
Please join me, color analyst Ed O'Neil, sideline reporter Scott Wilson, game host Brad Riter and postgame host Kevin Sylvester for the broadcast on the Bulls Football Network. Our pregame show starts at 7:00pm. You can hear it in Buffalo on ESPN 1520 (www.espn1520.com), in Rochester on Sports 1280 WHTK (www.whtk.com), in Albany on 104.5 The Team (www.1045theteam.com) & in New York City on 570 WMCA (www.wmca.com).
