The Bulls came out strong in their upset bid against Syracuse, but couldn't recover after Syracuse scored two quick touchdowns off special teams plays in the second quarter. The following is an analysis of how the Bulls' position players responded to the challenge of facing a first-class football program.
Offensive Line - C
Randall Secky was hurried all night, and P.J. Piskorik went down for two sacks. The running backs barely had a chance. Syracuse totally shut down the option for Buffalo. The Orange spent so much time in the UB backfield that they might as well have lined up there, because it wouldn't have made a difference.
Quarterbacks - C-
Secky and Piskorik, the quarterback platoon, combined for 16-32 for 122 yards, two interceptions, and no offensive touchdowns on the day. The one time the Bulls seemed poised for a touchdown, with Secky driving early in the fourth quarter, he threw an interception in the red zone. While Piskorik's individual stat-line-- 9-14 for 80 yards-- may look good on paper, most of that was done in garbage time, and he still didn't score a touchdown against what was mostly Syracuse's second-team defense.
Running Backs - C
It's hard to judge the running backs, because Syracuse's defense barely gave them a chance. On the option, the Orange was never fooled. They always had a defender right where UB was headed, and they swarmed the ball on every down. The four-headed monster of Dave Dawson, Chris McDuffie, Jared Patterson and Steven King combined for 102 yards on 34 carries, which is just over 3 yards per carry. With the passing game in disarray, the Bulls needed their running back committee to carry the load, and they just weren't able to do it.
Wide Receivers - C
Whenever the quarterbacks have a bad day, it's obvious that the receivers aren't going to make much of an impact. On a day where they were playing against a questionable secondary, Matt Kneuvan and Chris McDuffie led the team with 3 receptions each, but most of that was late in the game, when it was already out of reach. The only receivers to make catches on UB's lone offensive scoring drive were Gabriel McClover and Brian Miller.
Passing Defense - B+
A big key to the game for UB was to force Syracuse to beat them in the air rather than on the ground. The Orange knew that they would have to rely on their running backs and not their quarterbacks, but the Bulls' defense was ridiculous. The 'Cuse was unable to gain any momentum in their passing game, with their quarterbacks Perry Patterson and Joe Fields combining for 9-24 for 84 yards, an interception and no passing touchdowns. UB got two sacks on Syracuse passers, and didn't give up a pass longer than 20 yards.
Rushing Defense - B+
You might be thinking that B+ is a rather high mark for a defense that gave up 191 yards on the ground, but consider the fact that UB kept Walter Reyes out of the game. Reyes' 59 yards on 17 carries was a non-factor. The Bulls forced other players on Syracuse's offense to step up and carry the load-- players like Damien Rhodes, who ran 10 times for 85 yards, torching the defense and scoring a touchdown. Additionally, the UB defense forced a fumble on a rushing play by SU's Greg Hanoian, which safety J.J. Gibson picked up and ran in for a touchdown, giving UB it's first and only lead of the game.
Special Teams - F
They say football games are won and lost in the trenches. This one was not. UB lost this game on punts, kickoff coverage, and blown plays. The Bulls had two blocked punts; one resulted in amazing field position for the Orange, the other ended as a touchdown. Buffalo also had numerous low snaps, leaving punter Ben Woods with barely any chance to get a decent punt off his foot. Syracuse's average starting position was their 42 yard line. A short field like that puts pressure on the defense on every drive.
Calling Plays - F
The plays called for the Bulls were absolutely inane, as there were four runs on third and long, none of which got first downs. Additionally, when a defense is as fast as Syracuse's, the option doesn't work. The Orange beat the Bulls to where they had to be on every option play. Secky and Piskorik did not get the ball to their running backs with any amount of time to be able to make any kind of impact on the run, yet Hofher kept calling for the option, and it kept failing.
Efficiency - F
The Bulls were 3 of 18 on third downs. That really says it all, as most of the game it seemed like the Bulls were on a third and long play. Buffalo was also 1-3 in the red zone with an interception inside the 10 yard line.
Overall - D
You can't make the mistakes that Buffalo made and win games. It's just not possible. The Bulls looked promising a week ago against Eastern Michigan. They will hope to regain that lost momentum next week when they travel to Reno to face Nevada.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
