Another disappointing season will come to an end for the Bulls (1-10, 1-6 Mid-American Conference) on Saturday when they travel to Dix Field to take on the Kent State Golden Flashes. If the Bulls can win the game though, they will be able to head into the off season with the knowledge that they are steadily improving.
Buffalo also hopes to bounce back from the 40-9 trouncing at the hands of Top 25-ranked Northern Illinois two weeks ago. Coming off a bye week, head coach Jim Hofher's Bulls will have had two weeks to prepare for this weekend's season finale.
Kent State (4-7, 3-4 MAC) will try to regroup after suffering a 42-33 shootout loss last weekend to MAC West co-leader Bowling Green. KSU head coach Dean Pees' team has scored 30 or more points in its last five contests and has a 2-3 home record thus far this season.
Offense
If KSU is going to win, quarterback Josh Cribbs is the guy that is going to lead them. The Golden Flashes got another outstanding performance by Cribbs last weekend, when he amassed 435 total yards in Kent State's loss to Bowling Green.
The junior quarterback was just as dangerous on the ground as he was through the air, posting 196 rushing yards to go along with 239 passing yards. Cribbs is questionable for the game, however, and could be a game time decision.
Cribbs has yet to miss a game this season, but if he cannot go on Saturday, Kent St. will be missing both its leading rusher and passer. On the ground, Cribbs has totaled 540 yards on 149 attempts with 12 touchdowns. Through the air, he has passed for 2,213 yards and 13 touchdowns. Cribbs is completing passes at a low 49.7 percent clip (162 of 326), but has been picked off only nine times.
If necessary, Pees will replace the centerpiece of his offense with Antwan Smith or Darryl Polk. Combined, the two backups have only thrown a total of 33 passes (completing 14), with two touchdowns and one interception.
Supporting Cribbs in the backfield are freshmen running backs Kevin Beverly and Elijah Brooks. Beverly is coming off his best performance of his career as he carried for 83 yards against Bowling Green. On the season, Beverly has 259 yards and five touchdowns on 73 carries. Brooks has carried the ball 93 times for 339 yards.
Defense
Defensively, Kent State relies on forcing timely turnovers. The ball can be moved quite easily on the Golden Flashes' 3-4 set, but the offense must be careful and take care of the ball. KSU is second to last, only to UB, in the MAC for points allowed per game with 33.8 points and third in yards allowed with 464.4 yards per game. However, Kent State's defense also has forced 27 turnovers. While picking off only nine passes and recording 11 sacks, this hard-hitting defense has forced 18 fumbles.
The center of the defensive unit is linebacker Eric Mahl. Mahl has a nose for the football, as he has the team lead with 113 tackles, eight tackles for losses, and four fumble recoveries so far this season. Mahl is aided by fellow linebacker Anthony Henriquez who has recorded 103 tackles and a sack.
Surrounding the linebacking core is a secondary that plays with a philosophy of physical pressure rather than skill. The Kent State secondary makes up for its inability to stop the pass by punishing the receivers after they catch the ball. KSU is second to last in the MAC in pass defense, giving up 268.5 yards per game, but when a receiver brings a ball in he better have it secured tightly. Defensive backs Shannon Davis and Vashawn Patrick have forced three fumbles each to complement their 90 and 79 tackles respectively.
Overall
This game could see a lot of scoring if Buffalo gets back to its pre-Northern Illinois form. Hofher has had two weeks to plan for KSU and the Bulls have been showing recent improvement. If the UB defense can stop Cribbs, or if Cribbs is out, UB has a shot to take that next step - becoming a two-win football team.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
