Paul Peck's Bull Session: Miami (OH)
9/26/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
Each week, Voice of Bulls Football Paul Peck will preview the upcoming game.
Buffalo (2-2) vs. Miami (0-4)
Duquesne was a gut check win. Army was a great atmosphere with a disappointing outcome. Baylor was an electric night at UB Stadium. Norfolk State went as expected. While the first four games had their moments, the real season starts now. As we learned last year, the Bulls 2014 season will be determined not by the first four games, but by what happens in the next eight. Back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 30 years? A MAC East division title? A MAC Championship? A bowl game? All are still possible. It starts Saturday with a good test from a much-improved Miami RedHawks team. Don't pay attention to the 20 game losing streak. With a new coach, this is a much better Miami team.
Bullseye on: Buffalo Offense
The win over Norfolk State was a textbook example of how the Bulls offense wants to succeed: Big plays in the passing game, solid running attack, no turnovers and a great protection. The defenses will get tougher, but there's no reason to believe that the Bulls can't follow that same blueprint every week….It helps when Joe Licata is the head architect. Licata continues to lead the MAC in passing and TD passes. His next TD pass will be the 44th of his career, tying Marty Barrett for second all-time. He's sixth in the country in TD passes… In his last 20 starts, Joe has thrown 42 TD and only 15 interceptions. He's just 32 yards away from 5,000 in his career… Devon Hughes is really growing into his role as a top receiver. His 120 yards receiving last week were a new career high. He's running precise routes, showing his speed and becoming the guy that defenses have to prepare for…Hughes and Ron Willoughby are tied for the MAC lead in TD passes…Now, the Bulls offense needs to get Marcus McGill going. He does not have a catch in the last two games…I was amazed by Anthone Taylor's stat line from last week. 28 carries, 116 yards with a long run of only 11 yards. That's a tribute to Taylor's hard-charging style, that seems to always gain five or six yards on every carry. Last year against Miami, Taylor ran for 154 yards in the second half after Branden Oliver totaled 150 in the first half….The Bulls will miss the emerging Jordan Johnson this week, but it's good to have Devin Campbell back. He is so quick and shifty, especially on draw plays… Robert Blodgett has taken back the right guard spot. He's expected to start his third straight game…The Bulls are first in the MAC in passing, fourth in fewest sacks allowed and fourth in converting third downs…The Miami defense has been solid, ranking seventh in the MAC in total defense. But the Red Hawks are first in the MAC in third down defense…The leader of the RedHawks is middle linebacker Kent Kern. He is their top tackler, and ranks 6th in the conference… But the best story on the Miami D is cornerback Quinten Rollins. He was a basketball player in Oxford, finishing second in school history in steals. Rollins hadn't played football since high school, but kept bugging new coach Chuck Martin for a chance. He got that in spring ball, and now he leads the MAC with four interceptions. Teamed up with 6-3 fellow cornerback Marshall Taylor, the Bulls will receivers will face two of the bigger and more athletic corners they'll see all year….The Red Hawks pass rush comes from defensive end Bryson Allbright, who's 3 sacks put him among the leaders in the conference.
Bullseye on: Buffalo Defense
UB fans have to hope that last week's performance against Norfolk State will jumpstart the Bulls back to the dominant defense they had last year. Three sacks, two takeaways and only three completions allowed were the numbers that back that up. LB Lee Skinner said that he feels like the defense is getting back to where they should be. The season stats are skewed by the games against Army and Baylor, but there are a few that look like they should. Skinner believes there is more talent and more depth on this defense than there was last year…The UB defense is 4th in the MAC on third down, and 5th in sacks…Boise Ross is getting better each week at cornerback. He played a lot against Norfolk State, his second game at the position. Ross had five tackles and two passes defended...Linebacker Jarrett Franklin has 17 tackles in the last 3 games. Defensive end Tedroy Lynch has 13 tackles in the last three games…Jeff Quinn says the key this week against Miami will be to stop the passing game, and that comes from being better when the ball is in the air. The Bulls are still looking for their first interception...New RedHawks QB Andrew Hendrix is a transfer from Notre Dame, where he was mostly a backup. Quinn knows him from his days at Cincinnati, where Hendrix was a star at that city's powerhouse Moeller High. Hendrix is averaging 38 passes per game, and against Eastern Kentucky he threw 52 times. He leads the MAC in passing yards at 276 per game. The fifth-year senior is a significant upgrade at the position, and a big reason why the RedHawks have been much more competitive this season… Hendrix has outstanding receivers in David Frazier and Dawan Scott. Frazier had 5 catches for 162 yard last week against UC, and that included a 74 yard score…Scott is the second leading receiver, but also the second leading rusher. He has carried the ball 25 times for 90 yards, mostly on jet sweeps but sometimes from the backfield… RedHawks running backs have combined for only 200 yards. Miami averages only 2.1 yards per rush…Quinn says the RedHawks will use their tight ends mostly in pass protection. He says that's a bit unusual, but he's confident it won't effect the UB defense….Two Miami starting offensive lineman left their last game with injuries. But center Marcus Matthews and guard Trevan Brown are both expected to start…New MU head coach Chuck Martin has an offensive background. He was the offensive coordinator at Notre Dame before changing jobs. Martin goes a long way back with Quinn. They were both assistants at Division II Grand Valley State in Michigan. Quinn's oldest son actually was a babysitter for Martin's kids.
Bullseye on: Mid-American Conference
This isn't a full week of MAC games, but it's a good chance to take a first-month look at the conference. Here's my conclusion: It's up for grabs. Way up for grabs - especially in the East Division. No one in the league is playing great, and only Northern Illiniois is 3-1. Some of that is the loss of all-time great players like Khalil Mack, Jordan Lynch, Dri Archer and Tyler Tettleton. Some of it is teams not living up to expectations. Preseason MAC favorite Bowling Green has lost their starting quarterback, is learning a new coach's system, and last year's #1 ranked defense currently ranks dead last. Ohio has struggled to replace Tettleton, Akron is still figuring out how to win. UMass, Kent State and Miami have yet to win. In the West Division, Western Michigan is much improved and Toledo is as talented as always. But Ball State has struggled, and Central Michigan has been inconsistent. What does all this mean right now? Not much. Non-conference play sometimes has no impact on a team's season. But seasons are set in motion in September. We know a few things about the MAC. In October & November, the team with the best quarterback play usually wins a lot of games. Right now, in my opinion, Joe Licata is the best QB in the conference. If the Bulls defense comes close to what they did last year, those two factors should equal a fun season for UB fans.
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 2:30pm. 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).
