Bulls Return Home to Host Ohio on Saturday
10/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
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Buffalo (2-4, 0-2 MAC) vs. Ohio (5-2, 2-1 MAC)
October 24, 2015
UB Stadium - 3:30 pm
Radio
Radio in Buffalo - 1520-AM WWKB
Radio in Rochester - 1280-AM WHTK
Radio in New York City - 570-AM WMCA
Television
American Sports Network/WNYO (in Buffalo)Live Video
ESPN3
Storylines
• Ohio leads the all-time series, 13-8.
• The Bulls have won five of the last seven meetings against Ohio at UB Stadium.
• From 2001-03, UB head coach Lance Leipold was an administrative and recruiting assistant under Ohio head coach Frank Solich when Solich was the head coach at Nebraska.
• Brandon Berry has had 52 tackles over the last five games, including double-digit tackles in four straight games.
• Joe Licata is two touchdown passes shy of tying Bowling Green's Tyler Sheehan for 12th in MAC history.
• Ron Willoughby's next touchdown catch will be his 13th and will move him into 10th in school history in career touchdown catches.
• The Bulls have forced eight turnovers in their two wins this season and only one in their four losses.
• UB's defense is allowing an average of 255 yards of total offense in the first half, compared to just 156 yards of total offense in the second half.
• Boise Ross ranks second the nation in passes defended, averaging 2.3 per game. He has two interceptions and 12 pass breakups. Ross already ranks fourth in school history for passes defended in a single season and is only two shy of the single-season school record.
• Anthone Taylor's next 100-yard game will tie him with James Starks for third in school history in career 100-yard rushing games (12).
• Joe Licata is 109 yards shy of becoming just the second quarterback in school history to throw for 8,000 yards in a career.
• Devin Campbell is 36 kick return yards shy of the school record of 1,620 career kick return yards held by Terrell Jackson (1,620)
Bulls Return Home to Host Ohio
In a series recently dominated by the home team, the University at Buffalo football team will host Ohio on Saturday afternoon at UB Stadium. The home team has won each of the last five meetings.
The Bulls are 2-4 overall, 0-2 in the MAC and are coming off a 51-14 loss at Central Michigan last Saturday. Joe Licata threw for 133 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown to Ron Willoughby.
Ohio is 5-2 overall, 2-1 in the MAC and is coming off a 49-14 loss to Western Michigan last Saturday. The Bobcats are led by quarterback Derrius Vick who has thrown for 1,331 yards and nine touchdowns on the year.
Ohio leads the all-time series, 13-8. The Bobcats won the last meeting, 37-14, at Peden Stadium last season.
Berry Good Linebacker
Brandon Berry began his career at UB as a safety. Due to injuries he has been moved to linebacker in 2015 and that move has paid dividends. The junior Detroit native leads the Bulls and ranks sixth in the MAC with 54 tackles. He has had double-digit tackles in each of the last four games, putting him in elite company. Only former Bulls Lee Skinner (2014), Davonte Shannon (2007) and J.J. Gibson (2001 & 2004) have strung together four straight games with 10 or more tackles. Gibson did it five times in 2001.
Another Pick 6
Andrews Dadeboe made his first career interception at Central Michigan and returned it 17 yards for a touchdown. It was UB's second pick six of the season. Boise Ross had one at Florida Atlantic on Sept. 19. The last time the Bulls had two pick sixes in a season was 2013 when they actually had three. Khalil Mack had one against Ohio State and Massachusetts and Najja Johnson had one against Connecticut.
None the Weiser
Matt Weiser has been named to the John Mackey Award Midseason Watch List. Given annually to the most outstanding collegiate tight end, the award recipient is selected by vote of the John Mackey Award Selection Committee.
Weiser is having a breakout season for the Bulls. The Womelsdorf, PA native has 25 catches for 266 yards and a touchdown on the year. He had 29 catches over his first three seasons combined. Weiser had the best game by a tight end in school history against Nevada on September 26 with a career-high 10 catches for 131 yards and a touchdown. It was the most receptions and receiving yards by a tight end in school history. He was named the John Mackey Award Tight End of the Week following the game.
Weiser is the just the second UB tight end ever named to the John Mackey Award Watch List. Chad Bartoszek was named to the watch list in 2002.
Eight is Enough
Matt Weiser, Marcus McGill and Ron Willoughby each had eight catches against Bowling Green on Oct. 3. It was the first time in school history three different UB players had eight receptions in a game. Weiser had eight catches for 90 yards; McGill had a career-best eight catches for 88 yards and Willoughby had eight catches for 73 yards and a touchdown.
Linebackers Lead the Defensive Attack
The Bulls defense has been led by a trio of linebackers this season. Brandon Berry, Nick Gilbo, and Okezie Alozie are UB's top tacklers on the year and all three have been very consistent. Berry has a team-high 54 tackles, Gilbo has 52 and Alozie has 38. All three players set career highs against Nevada as Berry had 13, and Alozie and Gilbo had 12 apiece. Berry has been especially strong lately. After having just two tackles in the opener against Albany, the junior Detroit native has had 52 tackles over the last five games.
Like a Ross
Boise Ross started the 2014 campaign at wide receiver. He has since made the move to cornerback and it has paid dividends. In his first full season at corner, Ross has two interceptions and 12 pass breakups. He had a 39-yard pick six against Florida Atlantic on September 19. The junior from Bethlehem, PA currently ranks second in the nation in passes defended, averaging 2.3 per game .
Through six games, he already ranks fourth in school history in single-season passes defended and is only two shy of the single-season record of 16 held by Dave Short (1990) and Najja Johnson (2011).
The Kids Are Alright
Coach Leipold has given his young players a chance to play this season. So far this year, seven true freshmen and eight redshirt-freshmen have played in a game. Freshman Brandon Stanback has started three games at safety, Cameron Lewis (CB), Charles Harris (DE), Justin Brandon (DT), Duke Hwang (DT), Brandon Smiley (WR) and Johnathan Hawkins (RB) have also seen action as .
Willoughbeast
Ron Willoughby is coming off a breakout season for the Bulls. After registering only three catches as a sophomore in 2013, the senior wide receiver had 50 catches for 771 yards and nine touchdowns last season. For his efforts, the Ohio native earned third-team All-MAC accolades in 2014.
This season, Willoughby leads the team in receiving with 32 catches for 395 yards and three touchdowns. He had eight catches for 80 yards and a score at Penn State; a career-best 10 catches for 122 yards against Nevada and eight catches for 73 yards against Bowling Green.
Not Your Average Joe
Senior quarterback Joe Licata has picked up where he left off to start the season. He has thrown four touchdown passes on the season. He is completing 62 percent of his passes, including a career-high 77 percent completion percentage in the opener against Albany.
Licata enters his final season as the Bulls' signal caller. The local product already holds the school record for career touchdown passes with 68. He also ranks second in career passing yardage with 7,891. He is 857 yards shy of the school record of 8,748 yards held by Drew Willy (2005-08).
Licata has entered the top 20 in MAC history in career touchdown passes.
Popular Targets
For the first time in school history, the Bulls had two different players record 10 catches in a game. Senior tight end Matt Weiser had 10 catches for 131 yards - both career highs. Senior wide receiver Ron Willoughby had 10 receptions for 122 yards against Nevada on September 26.
Historic Day for Defense
The UB defense had an historic day at Florida Atlantic on Sept. 19. For the first time ever, the defense scored three touchdowns. With the Bulls trailing 9-0 late in the first half, linebacker Travis Pitzonka scooped up a fumble and dashed 60 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 9-7 and changed the complexion of the game. Boise Ross added a 39-yard pick six and Brandon Crawford scored an 11-yard touchdown on a fumble recovery. Nick Gilbo added a safety in the game. The Bulls forced five turnovers in the game (3 FF, 2 INTs).
It was the second time in school history a UB team returned two different fumbles for touchdowns. The first was against Ball State in the 2008 MAC Championship game. Since 1992, UB is the only team in the nation to have returned two fumbles for touchdowns in the same game on two different occasions.
I'll Take That
The UB defense had two interceptions and nearly a third against Albany in the opener. Nick Gilbo had the first interception, late in the first half. Boise Ross had an interception early in the third quarter that the Bulls were able to turn into a touchdown just three plays later.
Against Florida Atlantic, Ross added another interception as did sophomore safety Ryan Williamson.
The team's five interceptions are three more than the Bulls had all of last season.
Martinez Ends Punt Return Drought
Jacob Martinez did something against Albany a UB punt return hadn't done since George W. Bush's first term, return a punt for a touchdown. Martinez returned a punt 86 yards to paydirt - the first punt returned for a touchdown since Andre Forde had an 83-yard punt return touchdown against Lehigh on Aug. 29, 2002. It was a span of 154 games and ended the longest drought in the FBS. Martinez was seven years old when Forde returned the last punt for a TD.
For his accomplishment, Martinez was named the Mid-American Conference East Division Special Teams Player of the Week.
Taylor Made
Anthone Taylor is coming off a season in which he rushed for 1,403 yards. It was the second-best single season effort in school history and he became just the third running back in UB's FBS era (since 1999) to go over 1,000 yards in a season. He joined Branden Oliver (now with the San Diego Chargers) and James Starks (now with the Green Bay Packers) as the other UB running backs to accomplish the feat. Against Penn State, Taylor eclipsed the 2,000-yard plateau for his career. He joined Oliver (4,049) and Starks (3,140) as just the third UB running back in the FBS era to rush for 2,000 yards in a career.
Last season, Taylor became the first running back in school history to post three 200-yard rushing games in a single season as he rushed for 222 yards against Miami (OH), 219 yards against Bowling Green and 237 yards against UMass.
This season, he ranks fifth in the MAC in rushing, averaging 87.7 yards per game.
Tyler Grassman Named a Semifinalist for the 2015 Campbell Trophy
Senior punter Tyler Grassman has been named a semifinalist for the 2015 William V. Campbell Trophy. Considered by many to be the "Academic Heisman," the Campbell Trophy recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.
A business administration major with a 3.80 grade point average, Grassman is a two-time Academic All-MAC selection and was a 2014 Capital One Academic All-District Football Team selection.
Bulls Get a Pair of Blazers That Fit
The UB football team gained a pair of new players from the University of Alabama Birmingham after the Blazers dropped the program following the 2014 season. Sophomore Collin Lisa is a wide receiver who played in two games as a true freshman at UAB. Redshirt-freshman Jordan Collier is a safety who redshirted as a freshman last season for the Blazers.
All You Need is Lovejoy
Lovejoy, GA is a town of 6,300 and Lovejoy High School had a graduating class of 406 in 2014. Now three members of that same high school class play on the UB defense. Cornerback Brandon Williams, defensive end Randy Anyanwu and safety Jordan Collier were all teammates on the same Lovejoy team before coming to UB.
The Name Game
UB defensive back Boise Ross' full name is DuBois Ross - named for W.E.B. Du Bois, founder of the NAACP. He has two brothers, Duke Ellington Ross, named for the legendary jazz musician and Langston Ross, named after a poet and social activist.
