Paul Peck's Bull Session: Ohio
11/4/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Each week, Voice of Bulls Football Paul Peck will preview the upcoming game.
Buffalo (3-5, 1-3) vs. Ohio (4-5, 2-3)
"We will never quit." Bulls Interim Head Coach Alex Wood didn't yell that, but did say it in as sharp a tone as the cool and collected coaching veteran could find. The strong statement came at his weekly media luncheon, as was prompted by a question about how he's motivating the Bulls for the final four games. If UB wins out, they will finish 7-5 and be eligible for a bowl game. Their remaining schedule is not daunting, with the opponents holding an 11-23 overall record (pending Tuesday's games). So despite the disappointing record and the coaching change, the season is not lost. That's what Wood wants his team and Bulls fans to know. He also knows his team will have to play better, and that starts Wednesday night against rival Ohio in a place that has never been a kind host to the Blue & White.
Bullseye on: Buffalo Offense
It was surprising to see Anthone Taylor struggle, even though he was facing the MAC's top defense in Central Michigan. The MAC's fourth leading rusher was held to just 25 yards because the Chippewas were slanting their outstanding defensive tackles and bringing a safety to fill the cutback lanes. Look to Ohio to do the same, and their run defense has been their strength. The Bobcats run defense ranks fourth in the conference, holding teams to 147 yards a game. But they have let four runners top 100 yards, and in their last game let Western Michigan star freshman Jarvion Franklin go for 156 yards...If teams are going to move a safety close to the line, then the Bulls passing offense has to take advantage....Joe Licata is in a bit of a slump, having thrown 4 interceptions in the last two games. Wood says he knows his junior QB sometimes presses when the offense struggles. That leads to the bad throws. Wood has not lost any faith in Licata, and wants Joe to keep it simple. "Here's the key to the car, just get us from point A to point B." Joe's teammate, roommate and leading receiver Ron Willoughby says he also tries to make sure Licata knows that it's not about one player, but about the whole offense....Licata can hit some milestones on Wednesday. He's just one TD pass from tying Drew Willy for the school record of 52. Joe is also just six yards shy of 6,000 for his career, a mark only Willy, Cliff Scott and Marty Barrett have achieved. He needs just two completions for 600 career...The Bulls offense continues to shine in time of possession, and their 33:22 mark ranks 9th in the country...Ohio has two excellent veteran cornerbacks that will test the Buffalo receivers. Devin Bass and Ian Wells have combined for 64 starts...The pleasant surprise for the Ohio defense has been redshirt freshman linebacker Quentin Poling. He leads the team in tackles and interceptions...Fellow linebacker Jovon Johnson is #2 in tackle and leads in tackles for loss...The team leader is sacks is defensive end Terell Basham. After an outstanding freshman season of 7.5 sacks, he has 4 this year...Overall, the Bobcats defense ranks 8th in the MAC. They are ranked lower against the pass and on third down.
Bullseye on: Buffalo Defense
It's strange to see an Ohio offense that does not have Tyler Tettleton calling the signals. The outstanding Bobcat quarterback has graduated, leaving the position in flux at Athens. Darrius Vick started the first four games before hurting his knee. Sophomore J.D. Sprague took over, and started the next five games. Then he got hurt in Ohio's last game, and was replaced by Vick. It is Vick who will start against UB after throwing for 246 yards. Both QB's like to run, and they have combined for 450 yards this season. Ohio will run the read option, which has given the Bulls defense trouble all season long...The running back spot is also in flux for OU. Freshman A.J. Ouellette had taken the starting spot, but he missed their last game with an ankle injury. His status for Wednesday will be a game time decision. Daz' Patterson is the Bobcat's second-leading rusher, and would start if Ouellette can't go. Bulls fans remember Patterson from the 100 yard kickoff return he scored on the last time UB played in Athens in 2012...The Bobcats use a lot of receivers, and they have six pass catchers with at least 15 receptions. The most dangerous is wideout Chase Cochran. He had a 66 yard score against Western Michigan, giving him 16 career catches of 40 yards or more. He has the Bobcats' only 100 yard receiving game of the season...Overall, the Bobcats are the MAC's ninth ranked offense in yards. But they score just 19 points per game, ranking 11th in the conference and 111th in the NCAA....The UB defense got a boost from the return of cornerback Marqus Baker. Slated to be a starter at the beginning of the year, an illness forced the junior to miss the first seven games. He saw some action on the dime defense against Central Michigan, and will continue to see more snaps. He adds to the depth at corner behind starters Cortney Lester and Boise Ross...The changes on the defensive line may continue again this week. Kristjan Sokoli was moved to defensive end, and was very active against the Chippewas. Max Perisse replaced him at nose tackle, and according to Wood "held up well." The moves allowed Brandon Crawford to focus on being more of a pass rush specialist....Lee Skinner had a career-high 16 tackles against Central Michigan, adding 2.5 tackles for loss and a half-sack. With 316 career stops, the senior LB is just 12 tackles from passing Khalil Mack for seventh in UB history...Witney Sherry also notched a career-high with 15 tackles, while also adding his second career interception...The Bulls defense has just two picks this season, a shockingly low number that's tied for the worst in the country.
Bullseye on: Adam Redden
The Bulls senior safety has been the bright spot of the 2014 season. Nothing was brighter than Redden's performance against Central Michigan. It almost seemed like the Amherst native was going to single-handedly get the Buffalo defense moving in the right direction. Against the Chippewas, Redden had 10 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. One play in particular stood out and showed Redden's hustle and determination. With UB down 14-0, Redden rushed off the edge, sacked CMU QB Cooper Rush and knocked the ball out of his hand. Not one of the other 21 players on the field made an effort to grab the ball. But Redden kept running and picked up the football. That allowed the Bulls to gain the turnover when it was ruled a fumble and not an incomplete pass. That would not have happened if Redden had not made a clear recovery. It led to a Buffalo touchdown and got the Bulls back in the game. This season, Redden leads the Bulls in sacks, tackles for losses and forced fumbles. He's second to Lee Skinner in tackles. Redden leads the MAC in TFL, and ranks fourth in sacks. With plenty of NFL eyes on UB, he figures to be the Next Bull In professional football.
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).
