Bulls stampede home

The last time the Bulls stood on the turf of UB Stadium, they were surrounded by hundreds of students and Buffalo was undefeated for the first time since 1997.

Head coach Turner Gill now leads the team back to its home field after three consecutive road losses, including a 38-7 loss to No. 2 Auburn two weeks ago.

Buffalo was idle last weekend, and will play host to Ball State this Saturday at 1 p.m. for the first time since 2000.

"It's been a great week for us," Gill said. "We've gotten the opportunity to get some guys healed up, but more importantly to get guys focused on these next eight games in a row that we're going to hit. And it's outstanding to be here at home, and for the next two weeks to play in front of our crowd and fans here in this area of Buffalo. They've seen in the first four games that our guys have been very, very competitive and that we've got a lot to be proud of, but we've still got a long way to go."

While the Bulls (1-3, 0-2 MAC) have had a much-publicized problem stopping the run, the defense's biggest concern this weekend will be stopping a dangerous Ball State passing attack. The Cardinals (1-4, 1-1 MAC) play two quarterbacks ranked in the top 15 in the nation in passing efficiency.

Freshman quarterback Nate Davis, who will start this weekend, ranks sixth in the nation and fifth-year senior quarterback Joey Lynch stands at 11th. The duo has completed over 64 percent of their passes for a combined 1,502 yards and 15 touchdowns. The number of scores is second only to Texas Tech for tops in the country.

That could be a problem for a Buffalo defense that has allowed its opponents to complete 71.4 percent of their passes. The secondary has yet to be tested extensively, as opponents have often chosen to focus on the running attack. Teams have attempted only 84 passes against the Bulls, lowest in the Mid-American Conference.

The Bulls are attempting to shore up their defense by moving freshman linebacker Tom Drewes into the starting lineup. Drewes will start in place of junior Ollice Ervin at middle linebacker, in between seniors Jeff Bublavi and captain Ramon Guzman. Guzman leads the Bulls in tackles and currently ranks 11th in the country with 10.5 tackles per game.

"In practice he's done very, very well," Gill said. "He's a guy that is a little bit more of a physical player, and he's showed his presence has a good grasp of our defense. Bringing along freshman, we want to make sure they have an opportunity to be successful when we do play them. Right now's the right time for him to get an opportunity to start at mike linebacker. Ollice (Ervin) is still going to play in the game, but Tom (Drewes) has done a fantastic job and he deserves an opportunity to start."

The game could turn out to be a shootout as Buffalo's offense looks to take advantage of a Ball State defense that is allowing a MAC-worst 497.2 yards per game.

Sophomore quarterback Drew Willy and the Buffalo passing game could have a chance at breaking their season-high of 250 yards passing established against Northern Illinois. The Ball State secondary allows over 310 yards-a-game through the air, another MAC worst.

Willy has thrown only two touchdown passes this season, but is the only passer in the ranks of Division 1-A that has not thrown an interception. Buffalo has only lost two fumbles this year, resulting in a turnover margin of +3, good for third in the MAC.

In order to win, Buffalo will have to continue to not turn the ball over and continue to refrain from taking bad penalties. The Bulls are averaging only 36.8 penalty yards per game, best in the MAC and 14th in the nation.

Buffalo will also need a big effort from freshman running back James Starks. Starting for the second consecutive game, Starks gained 66 yards on a career-high 20 carries against Auburn. The freshman leads the Bulls with 227 yards rushing on the season, and is attempting to become the first freshman to lead the team in rushing since Aaron Leeper did it in 2002. Leeper went on to win MAC Freshman of the Year.

A potential X factor for the game could be Buffalo's freshman wide receiver/kick returner Naaman Roosevelt. Roosevelt currently ranks eighth in the nation in returns at 16.5 yards a game. Ball State will look to counter with a kicking game that features punter Chris Miller, who boasts a MAC-high 45.4 yards per punt average.

This is the annual homecoming game for Buffalo, and ceremonies will be carried out at halftime.

"First of all, I'm just real excited to play home, at homecoming," Bublavi said. "I have a lot of family and friends there, and I'm just real excited to play at home and just going to try and get that win."