For a team that has supposedly set its sights on improvement, UB seemed to be up to its old habits Saturday at Syracuse University's Carrier Dome, sitting on the losing side of a 31-0 shutout.
"I think in many ways we did some things better, but we didn't improve on offense ... we did not win at the line of scrimmage even remotely," said head coach Jim Hofher in a press release.
UB's opening drive served as a signal for the disappointment that would shadow any improvement.
The Bulls (0-2) lined up first-and-ten from their own 20-yard line as 34,442 fans shook the Carrier Dome to its core. Center Jamey Richard snapped the ball to junior quarterback Stewart Sampsel, who handed it off to junior tailback Steven King for an up-the-middle run for a gain of one.
Second and nine, King rushed up the middle for two yards.
Third down and seven, Sampsel looked to pass to James Wyche but the pass was batted down at the line of scrimmage.
In just three plays, the Bulls gained only three yards and took only 90 seconds off the clock. Ben Woods, sophomore punter for the Bulls, entered the playing field for the first of 11 attempts on the day.
Amassing a paltry 123 total yards on just six first downs, Buffalo barely moved the ball in comparison to the 487 yards the Orange offense generated.
Sampsel averaged 4.75 yards per pass, completing four of 18 pass attempts. Sampsel then fumbled the ball twice and was sacked four times.
Senior Anthony Smith, a crucial part in the Orange's win over the Bulls last year, helped his team again, intercepting two Sampsel passes in consecutive drives, late in the second quarter. Syracuse scored on each of the following drives, resulting in 10 points.
Freshman quarterback Drew Willy saw his first time under center, completing five of nine for 54 yards in the fourth quarter.
Senior tailback Damien Rhodes gained a career-best 236 yards for Syracuse (1-1) and entered the end zone four times, scoring each of Syracuse's touchdowns. Rhodes averaged 31 yards on each of his four scores.
Going into the half, Syracuse led 24-0 on the legs of their star back and continued its domination through the final ticks of the clock.
The dim bright spot for Bulls' fans was the improvement special teams showed compared to last season and last week.
"We were hoping to see improvement from week one and week two, and I think we saw improvement in terms of our special teams," Hofher said in the press release.
Bulls senior defensive tackle Rob Schroeder recorded his career eighth blocked field goal, currently leading active Bulls players.
"I really don't know," Schroeder said, after being asked why he is so good at blocking kicks. "It's just a knack that I have, of just getting up to the ball, watching the ball being snapped, staying low and getting ready when the ball is kicked. I really can't explain why I get so many blocks."
While the team he leads has been shut out 69-0 in the past two games, Hofher still feels his team is resolute and will solve the lackluster production of recent.
"I'm certain our players will not back down. We will not go away," Hofher said in a press release. "We will keep on working to find a way to be much more productive (on offense), because we have to become much more productive to have a chance for victory. We've faced good teams so far and we're going to face good teams in our conference."
After 16 straight failed attempts on the road, the Bulls return to UB Stadium on Saturday, the site of the team's last victory. Buffalo will look to post its first points of the season at 8 p.m. versus Rutgers (1-1). The game will be broadcast on the YES Network.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
