It was a chilly day on the field at Pedden Stadium in Athens, Ohio on Saturday, not only for the fans but also for the Buffalo football team. The Ohio Bobcats, celebrating their homecoming weekend, defeated Buffalo 42-7. The Bulls' struggles continued as they suffered their sixth loss in a row.
The Bobcats (5-3, 3-1 Mid-American Conference) had momentum heading into the game against Buffalo (1-6, 0-5 MAC) after a last second field goal against Illinois last Saturday.
The Bulls struggled on offense and defense in a game that was noted for the two head coaches calling the plays - Bulls' head coach Turner Gill was coached and mentored by the Bobcats' leading man Frank Solich.
Buffalo had trouble establishing its offense, including the run game, which only produced 39 total yards. The rushing attack was lead by sophomore quarterback Drew Willy, who totaled 22 yards, most of which came from scrambles after being pushed from the pocket. Freshmen James Starks was only able to record seven yards after coming off a career day against Miami (Ohio) the previous week.
"If we don't move the ball we're not going to score," said junior center Jamey Richard. "It doesn't matter where the ball is on the field. We have had troubles and we need to start looking at our shelves and figuring out what we are doing wrong."
The Bulls passing game, which has been a bright spot this season, also struggled against the Bobcats. Willy did not throw any interceptions but only recorded 132 yards in the air. Willy suffered some bumps and bruises, leaving the game for one series in the first quarter.
"They beat us; there's no secret," Gill said. "Their defensive line beat our offensive line."
The Bulls did show signs of life after halftime as Willy was able to organize a drive that resulted in a four-yard touchdown run from Starks. The drive went 62 yards and was setup by Ohio, who was penalized four times on the drive.
The Bulls continued to have troubles against the run as Ohio running back Kalvin McRae racked up 109 rushing yards and the Bulls gave up a total of 223 rushing yards to the Bobcats. McRae also racked up two touchdowns, and averaged nearly seven yards per carry.
"We need to contain our opponents, and we need to keep the confidence in our guys," Gill said.
The story line for the game though was the Bulls undisciplined penalties, which accumulated 102 yards for the Bobcats. The Bulls committed 13 penalties, including four personal fouls.
One of the personal fouls resulted in the ejection of Buffalo sophomore cornerback Andre Evans. Evans was accused of stomping on one of the Bobcats' heads. The scuffle occurred on the Ohio sideline and was followed by Ohio scoring on its next drive.
"I talked to him and he says he didn't do anything," Gill said. "We are going to have to look at the tape and figure it out. Unnecessary hitting and penalties isn't how we're going to do things here with the Buffalo Bulls."
Final score aside, the Bulls' punting game was impressive as junior Ben Woods averaged 41 yards per punt that included a booming 51-yarder in the first quarter from the Bulls' end zone.
The Bulls' defense was lead by senior Jeff Bublavi, who recorded 13 tackles, just one shy of his career-high. Bublavi took the leadership role on defense after senior Ramon Guzman fell in the first half because of a knee injury. Guzman was transported to the hospital but returned to the stadium before the end of the game.
"I look at it in terms of winning and losing, and it doesn't matter if I am having a good game or not. I am a team player," Bublavi said.
The Bulls - now alone at the bottom of the MAC East standings - travel to Boston College to face the 18th ranked Eagles this Saturday.
"We are going to keep competing and fighting," Bublavi said.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
