Paul Peck's Bull Session: UMass
11/27/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Each week, Voice of Bulls Football Paul Peck will preview the upcoming game.
Buffalo (4-6, 2-4) vs. Massachusetts (3-8, 3-4)
Finally, it's back to football. After an unexpected and unwelcome week off, the Bulls can channel their disappointment and frustration away from a wayward equipment truck driver...to MAC East rival UMass. While nothing will replace a missed game, and a missed final home game, this contest is a chance for the Bulls to end the season with two straight wins. They have momentum, coming off the 55-24 win over Akron. They have their confidence back. They have the extra motivation of showing the MAC that they deserved to play a scheduled game, whether it had bowl implications or not.
They will also catch a big break, as it looks like UMass QB Blake Frohnapfel will not play. The MAC's leading passer has a leg injury, and he missed their last game. The Minutemen are better than last year, and they've been very competitive in the MAC. UMass is one of only 2 FBS teams that played four Power 5 teams in their non-conference games (Boston College, Colorado, Vanderbilt, Penn State). Losing by just 3 to the Buffaloes and Commodores was a sign that the Minutemen were moving forward in their second-to-last year in the MAC. But without their star QB, the Bulls may not see that high-powered, pass happy team.
Bullseye on: Buffalo Offense
It will be curious to see if the Bulls continue their two-quarterback system. There is no more surprise element of Tony Daniel running the read option, but that shouldn't matter. As well as Daniel executes, and the read option's ability to keep a defense off balance, it should stay as some part of the Bulls offense. If nothing else, it has forced UMass to spend time preparing for it. They haven't been strong stopping the run, giving up 4.5 yards per carry...Joe Licata may find open targets against the MAC's 9th ranked passing defense. Give credit to Joe for accepting the new QB system, and then using that to his advantage. Joe remains the only MAC QB to throw a TD pass in every game, and his 25 scoring tosses lead the conference. Joe has thrown 10 touchdowns in the last four games...Joe's next TD pass will give him the school record for a single season. He's currently tied with Drew Willy's 2008 mark....Anthone Taylor has a chance for some milestones. He's 24 yards away from passing O.D. Underwood for the 4th best single season rushing total. A big game of 168 yards will get him past James Starks for third best, trailing only Branden Oliver's 2011 & 2013 seasons....The Bulls made big strides against Akron in an area that they have struggled. UB was 4/4 scoring touchdowns in the red zone. Yet their red zone scoring stats still rank near the bottom of the conference....Overall, the UMass defense has given up a lot of yards and points. Now remember, their high powered offense has been the story of their season and they've outscored a lot of opponents. But the Minutemen rank 10th in the MAC in both points and yards allowed. They've given up 30 or more points in eight games, all losses....The keys to their 3-4 defense are their inside linebackers. Jovan Santos-Knox leads the team with 129 tackles. That's second in the MAC. Stanley Andre has started 34 straight games and he totals 111 tackles....UMass has solid cornerbacks in Trey Dudley-Giles and Randall Jette. Dudley-Giles spent some time playing safety, but he's been back at corner for the last 3 games. Jette, who had pick against the Bulls in 2012, is third in the MAC with 4 interceptions...UMass doesn't get much pass rush, with only 14 sacks in 11 games. Outside linebacker Kassan Messiah leads with 2.5....Four opposing running backs have topped 100 yards this season against UMass, while two opposing quarterbacks have thrown for over 400 yards against the Minutemen defense.
Bullseye on: Buffalo Defense
If Frohnapfel was playing I'd be telling you all about his breakout season and how the Bulls defense will have their hands full stopping premier targets Tajae Sharpe and Jean Sifrin. But backup quarterback Austin Whipple, in his one start, struggled to get the ball to those playmakers and struggled to maintain a consistent offense in his one start against Akron. The same Akron defense that gave up 55 points to UB held the Whipple-led attack to six points. I feel like that had more to do with a young, inexperienced quarterback than it did to the Akron defense. Whipple is the son of UMass head coach Mark Whipple. He walked on at Penn State last year, but did not play. His start in the last game was the first passes he'd thrown since prep school in 2012. Whipple threw 3 interceptions against Akron, and I would expect that the practice week was spent getting him to cut down on the mistakes. Whipple was only able to get the ball to his big targets a total of 7 times...That's big dropoff for Sharpe, who's 81 catches lead the MAC in receptions. The six-foot-four junior had two games this season when he caught 13 passes. Sharpe's 1245 yards are the most in the conference, and he totaled 239 yards against Ball State....Look for Sharpe to see plenty of Bulls CB Cortney Lester. The UB senior has matched up, and followed, the opponent's best receiver all year long....UB's defense hasn't seen a tight end who looks or plays like Sifrin. The 27 year old transfer is six-foot-seven and 250 pounds. He's caught 40 passes for 621 yards and 6 scores. Sifrin was a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award, given to the nation's best tight end. His 185 yards receiving against Toledo are the most by an NCAA tight end this season. As a junior, he's already getting some NFL buzz...There's a good chance he'll see plenty of Bulls safety Adam Redden, who's fast enough and strong enough to stay with the Commonwealth's college version of Rob Gronkowski....In Whipple's first start, the Minutemen tried to take the pressure off by running the ball. But Akron was prepared, and held UMass leading rusher Shadrach Abrokwah to only 50 yards. Abrokwah is a tough runner, who's topped 100 yards twice. He and backup Lorenzo Woodley have combined to score 12 times on the ground...Despite the cancelled game against Kent State, Redden still leads the MAC with 14 tackles for loss. His six sacks rank 3rd...The Bulls defense has 8 sacks in the last 3 games.
Bullseye on: Senior Class
While this year's senior class may not have the star power and record-breakers of last year, the 23 Bulls playing their final game have made their mark with determination, hard work and results. It has been a blue-collar group, and that attitude is marked by players like Lee Skinner, Jake Stockman and Trevor Sales. The intensity of the senior class is best displayed by players like Redden and Kristjan Sokoli. Andre Davis and Boomer Brock are seniors who fought back from injuries, while Jake Silas and Devon Hughes are guys who patiently waited before getting their turn. The future direction of the Bulls program will be due to how these players set the standards for hard work and leadership. While they may be disappointed about being denied a final home game, this final season game is their chance to leave on a good note. I wish all of them good luck.
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 12:00pm. 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).
