Buffalo will travel the farthest distance in the team's history in search of their first victory of the 2004 season this weekend. The Bulls will square off at MacKay Stadium against the University of Nevada Wolf Pack Saturday, hoping to bounce back from last week's disappointing loss to Syracuse.
In the loss, the Bulls made numerous mistakes that handed the game over to the Orange. Two consecutive block punts washed away all chances of a UB upset. Head coach Jim Hofher is aware that the Bulls can't afford to have a repeat performance this Saturday against Nevada.
"We made a great emphasis to improve on special teams this week during practice," said Hofher. "But we need to see continued improvement all around to get where we need to be."
Improvement is especially needed on the offensive side of the ball. After a solid showing against Eastern Michigan in the season opener, the offense and quarterback Randall Secky had a bad game.
The Bulls could only amass 231 total yards of offense against Syracuse and couldn't find the end zone. The offense was actually outscored by the UB defense, which scored two touchdowns.
Secky managed only 42 yards on seven completions and threw two interceptions. Back-up P.J. Piskorik saw some action against Syracuse and played fairly well, completing on nine of fourteen passes for 80 yards in limited game action.
With Nevada coming into the game with a scoring average of 40 points per game, Buffalo will need to find a way to light up the scoreboard.
According to Hofher, the Bulls defense has proved to be a solid area this season.
"I am seeing great improvement in our defense," said Hofher. "I was very proud of their performance against Syracuse and the fact we have scored three times on defense in the first two games."
Defensive end Phil Jacques, defensive back J.J. Gibson, and linebacker Ollice Ervin each have fumble recoveries for a touchdown. The Bulls will have to continue causing turnovers against the high-powered Wolf Pack.
Nevada is coming off a 59-7 trouncing of Sacramento State, which saw the return of the Wolf Pack's star running back, Chance Kretschmer. Kretschmer returned to the field after being sidelined with an injury and went on to energize the Nevada offense.
Kretschmer holds the school record for most rushing yards in a single season with 1,732 and has been named a nominee for the Doak Walker Award, an award given to the premier college running back in the nation.
"Their running back (Kretschmer) is a proven back and has run for way over 1,000 yards more than once," said Hofher. "If he has a good day they are going to put points on the board."
UB will focus on containing Kretschmer but must be wary of short play action passes. Quarterback Jeff Rowe and wide outs Nichiren Flowers and Caleb Spencer combine to form the Wolf Pack air attack.
Flowers is tops on the team with fifteen catches for 181 yards while Caleb Spencer is right behind him with 14 catches for 120 yards. Rowe is an accurate passer who has thrown for four touchdowns and 415 yards.
Defensively, Nevada will try to confuse UB with an array of zone blitzes. The Nevada defense is centered on defensive tackle Chris Barry. Barry has recorded 10 tackles, three sacks, four tackles for losses, and a forced fumble in just two games.
UB will leave for Reno on Friday. Kick-off at Nevada's Mackay Stadium is scheduled for 6 p.m. PST on Saturday.
