Venturing into the hostile territory of Peden Stadium on Saturday afternoon, the Buffalo Bulls will look to play the role of spoiler on Mid-American Conference East Ohio University's homecoming weekend and gain their first conference win of the season.
Despite the team's single victory this season coming against the lowly Temple Owls, head coach Turner Gill is optimistic.
"Our guys are competing from the first play to the last play every game now," Gill said. "They feel like they can play with anybody."
The Bulls (1-5, 0-4) will need that attitude and mentality, coming into a game where the Bobcats (4-3, 2-1) will be fired up in front of their home fans.
Pacing Ohio will be running back Kalvin McRae. McRae will be going for his third 100-plus yard game in a row against the Bulls' shaky run defense, which to date has allowed an egregious 1366 yards and 19 touchdowns in only six games.
Complementing their running threat will be quarterback Austen Everson and his leading receiver Scott Mayle. The Bobcats also boast a tandem of tight ends with four touchdown receptions between them in Rudy Sylvan and Thomas Christy.
The Bulls' offense and quarterback Drew Willy look to bounce back after an uncharacteristic performance that included four turnovers against Miami of Ohio.
Leading the Bulls is a duo of Western New York standouts, tailback James Starks, a redshirt freshman from Niagara Falls and wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt, a freshman from St. Josephs Collegiate Institute in Buffalo. The two combined for 75 percent of Buffalo's total yardage last week and look to contribute in a big way again against the Bobcats.
On the defensive side of the ball, senior linebacker and team captain Ramon Guzman will try to continue his recent performances. Guzman averages 10 tackles per game, which leads the team, ranks second in the MAC and is 16th nationally. The defense that he leads will be geared up for the game after a change in practice philosophy this past week.
"We used to come out flat and slowly build up the intensity towards the end of practice. That would show in our games when we would play our best at the end," Guzman said. "But now were coming out and starting off fast and quick. If we practice that way, you should see that on the field come game day."
The Bulls and Bobcats boast a similarity on the kicking teams, each showcasing a senior field goal kicker who bided their time and is now performing at a high level. Ohio will run out Matt Lasher for its field goal attempts. The Bulls made the switch to senior Adam Tanalski over from freshmen Taylor Packwood, who had converted only 50 percent of his attempts this season. Tanalski is a perfect two of two on field goal tries and six of six for point after attempts.
"The kicking game has been a bright spot for us, going 100 percent the last two weeks." Gill said.
Special teams will be in the lime light during the game as both teams also boast being ranked in the top 25 of the nation in both kickoff and punt return coverage. Roosevelt, the 10th ranked return man in the nation, will have his work cut out for him against a stingy Bobcat kickoff squad.
The game is also a meeting for parts of the Nebraska Cornhusker's football legacy. Gill was a quarterback and Hesiman Trophy finalist during his playing days in Lincoln. He will coach against Frank Solich, a former Nebraska player and coach that led the team to six consecutive bowl appearances in his tenure.
The game will be a battle of strategy with each coach being quite familiar with the other's style and game mentality. Gill will be looking for his second head coaching victory, as Solich will be attempting to solidify Ohio's best start in six years.
The annual meeting will take place in Athens, Ohio at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Ohio currently leads the all-time series 8-4.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
