Paul Peck's Bull Session: Ohio
10/23/2015 12:00:00β―AM | Football
Each week, Voice of Bulls Football Paul Peck will preview the upcoming game.
Buffalo (2-4, 0-2) vs. Ohio (5-2, 2-1)
I always get excited when Ohio comes up on the Bulls schedule. It's always a special game, and there are a lot of reasons why. It's the Bulls longest MAC rivalry, as the two teams played in 1997 even before UB was an FBS school. Ohio and Buffalo have played each other every year since 1999. Lately, that's favored the home team. Since the MAC series begin, the Bulls are 5-2 at UB Stadium when hosting the Bobcats. In 2013, it was a memorable 30-3 home win which featured Branden Oliver's FBS-record 249 yards rushing and the phantom safety call at the five yard line. Ohio has won three in a row at Peden Stadium. So the home fans always get their money's worth when UB & OU match up. Another reason for the spirited rivalry? The Bobcats are always good. They have the most wins by a MAC East team since 2006, and before last season they've gone to five straight bowl games. So if you want to be good in the MAC East, you've got to go through the Bobcats.
This year, the rivalry has another interesting connection. Bobcats head coach Frank Solich hired Bulls head coach Lance Leipold as his administrative and recruiting assistant at Nebraska in 2001. The two men worked together for three years, and Leipold considers Solich one of his mentors and a big influence in his coaching career. "If it wasn't for Coach Solich, I probably wouldn't be in this position," Leipold said earlier this week.
Bullseye on: Buffalo Offense
Bulls starting running back Anthone Taylor's status will be a game-time decision, as he battles back from an ankle injury suffered against the Chippewas. If the Bulls don't have the MAC's fifth leading rusher, then Jordan Johnson will make his first career start. The junior tailback leads the team in touchdowns, and has a career average of 4.7 yards per carry. If the coaches continue their normal rotation, then freshman Johnathan Hawkins will get his most extensive action. Hawkins has 52 yards rushing, after getting carries against Albany and Central Michigan. Hawkins was a highly-touted recruit who as a top 20 player in Georgia, and had offers to play defense at ACC & SEC schools.
You may not have noticed a subtle shift the coaches made on their offensive line against Central Michigan. The guards shifted sides, with Brandon Manosalvas moving to left guard and Dillon Guy moving to right guard. Joe Licata will make his fourth appearance, and third start against Ohio. He's had mixed results, with three TDs, 2 interceptions and one win, but just a 51% completion percentage. Joe's 68 career TD passes are tied for 14th in MAC history with NIU's Chandler Harnish. He is 109 yards away from 8,000 in his UB career.
Matt Weiser's 29 catches are as many as he had in the first three years of his career. Weiser is second on the team, just three catches behind leader Ron Willoughby.
The Bulls continue to struggle on third down. After a 3-for-13 performance at CMU, the Bulls rank 10th in the MAC converting just 35 percent. The Bobcats are banged up in their linebacker corp. Starting middle linebacker and second-leading tackler Quentin Poling is not expected to play. Fellow starting LB's Jovon Johnson and Blair Brown are also hurt and listed as questionable. The injuries at the position are so bad there was an unconfirmed report in Athens that running back A.J. Ouellette was taking practice snaps at middle linebacker and could see action there Saturday.
The secondary is a strong suit of the OU defense. Cornerbacks Ian Wells, Brett Layton and Devin Bass are seniors and very good coverage players. Defensive ends Tarell Basham and Kurt Laseak lead the defensive line. They've combined for six sacks.
The Bobcats are second in the MAC in points allowed, giving up only 20.4 points per game….They are fourth in the MAC against the pass, and second in stopping third down. But when the Bobcats really shine is taking the ball away. They have forced six fumbles and nine interceptions. Four different players have at least two interceptions. Their 15 takeaways are 11th in the country.
Bullseye on: Buffalo Defense
Brandon Berry continues to be a shining star on the Buffalo defense. His 54 tackles lead the team. He's had at least ten tackles in the last four games, and 52 tackles in the last five games. Berry had 11 tackles last week against Central Michigan. Fellow LB Nick Gilbo is right behind Berry, with 52 tackles on the season.
With another pass knockdown against the Chippewas, Boise Ross is up to 14 passes defended. That's second in the country. Ross is only 2 PD's away from UB season record held by Dave Short and Najja Johnson. Defensive end Brandon Crawford has sacks in his last two games. Andrews Dadeboe and Brandon Stanback have split time starting at safety, each with three starts. Dadeboe made the most of his start against Central Michigan, getting his first interception and returning it for a touchdown.
With four defensive scores this season, the Bulls are tied with Alabama for the NCAA lead. Ohio's offense has been living on the big plays. They have 41 plays of 20 yards or more. That includes two 60 yard plays and five 50 yard plays. But a player responsible for nine of those big plays is out of this game. RB Papi White is third in rushing and fourth in receiving, but he is injured. QB Derrius Vick has been very good and very efficient this year. He's not running much due to a nagging ankle injury, but he's completing 64 percent of his passes with 9 TD and just 3 INT. He is fifth in the MAC in passing efficiency.
Bulls fans remember Ouellette running for a career-high 155 yards against UB last year. But with the Bobcats using a running back by committee approach, Ouellette has just 10 carries in the last three games. Daz Patterson is the Bobcats leading rusher with 307 yards and 6 TD. Bulls fans remember him from 2012, when he returned a kickoff 100 yards in an Ohio win at Athens.
Vick spreads the ball around among his top three receivers. Sebastian Smith has 31 catches and 5 TD, Jordan Reid 24 catches and Brendan Cope 17 receptions. Tight end Keith Heitzman is a fifth year transfer from Michigan. He has two touchdowns catches this season.
Bullseye on: Fast Starts
The numbers are startling for Ohio. They have outscored their opponents in the first quarter 56-6. The Bobcats have not allowed a first quarter touchdown in their seven games. So they know how to get off to a good start. The Bobcats have scored on their first drive in four of their seven games. The Bulls defense has allowed a first drive opponent score in three of their six games. Overall, UB is being outscored 44-24 in the opening stanza, with just one first drive score. First quarters don't determine games, but they do establish momentum. That could be a key to Saturday's game. So get to your seats on time.
Please join me, color analyst Jim Kubiak, sideline reporter Scott Wilson, game host Brad Riter and postgame host Bob Gaughan 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.foxsports1280.com) & in New York City on 570 WMCA (www.wmca.com).
