Rushing Game
The running game was one of the few bright spots for the Bulls. Although UB seemed committed to the run, they didn't have enough chances to keep the ball on the ground as they played from behind much of the game. The offensive line played well, more so in the second half after some adjustments were made, and gave Marquis Dwarte and Aaron Leeper some decent holes to run through.
Grade: B+
Passing Game
A huge disappointment for the Bulls. Randall Secky had an unsuccessful opening game at quarterback, and consistently under-threw his receivers. Secky sealed the game with his first interception, which was returned for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. The lack of involvement of tight end Chad Bartoszek was baffling; he had only four passes thrown his way and no catches. The receivers played well, when the ball was delivered in stride, that is. Secky's poor completion percentage had a huge effect on the running game, as the Bulls weren't able to run enough plays on offense (61 to Lehigh's 87) to keep the chains moving.
Grade: D
Rushing Defense
Average for most of the game, the defensive line did a good job stringing out the sweeps and pitches, but had trouble holding the line when Lehigh powered it up the middle. Linebackers did a relatively good job finishing off plays, though they missed too many tackles. Lehigh rushed 45 times for 174 yards, much of which came in the fourth quarter when the Bulls defense had been worn down.
Grade: C+
Passing Defense
The Buffalo cornerbacks had a strong game, as Lehigh did not complete many passes at the sidelines. There were, however, big problems in the middle, where Mountain Hawk receivers looked to have about a five-yard cushion. Lehigh was 10-18 on third downs, many of which were long-yardage situations where receivers found holes in the defense. Opposing QB's Chad Schwenk and Matt Shiels shredded the secondary for 334 yards on 23-42 passing. Linebackers were poor in coverage, giving up a couple of touchdowns. Free safety Mark Graham played well, with two picks that helped salvage this grade.
Grade: D
Special Teams
A strong point in the game. Good punt and kick coverage, with the exception of the 50-yard kick return that set up a third quarter Lehigh touchdown. One poor punt by McMahan set up another Lehigh touchdown in the second quarter. Pelz was perfect on the day, connecting on both PATs and both field goal attempts. Andre Ford was dangerous fielding punts and kickoffs, with his 83 yard return for a touchdown in first quarter the second longest punt return in UB history.
Grade: A-
Coaching
It looked as if there were pretty solid schemes in place for the defensive and offensive line. The D-line needs to apply more pressure with their front four. Halftime adjustments in the O-line made a huge difference in the second half. Defensively, there were not enough adjustments made to slow up the Lehigh offense. The coverages run by the secondary were atrocious. Offensive game plan had to adjust to coming from behind, but still became too predictable as the game wore on. The interception return for a touchdown by Lehigh corner Lawrence Williams was read by the defense the whole way.
Grade: C
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
