Every kid goes through the experience of learning how to ride a bike. As soon as the training wheels come off, it is a near certainty that all kids will receive a face-full of pavement. But they are taught to pick themselves up, hop back on and continue to ride.
The football team is doing just that.
After hitting a bump in the road last Saturday against Pittsburgh, the Bulls are picking themselves up off the ground and getting back on their bike for a road trip to the Sunshine State.
As Buffalo (1-1), travels to Orlando, Fla. this weekend for a matchup with Conference USA opponent Central Florida (1-1), head coach Turner Gill and company hope to get back on track and come home with a win.
Coming off a season opening win at UTEP, the Bulls received a bit of a wakeup call when Pittsburgh came into town. While expectations were high, Buffalo fell behind 14-0 early in the game. The Bulls battled back all afternoon but ultimately fell to the Panthers, 54-27. After the game, Gill recognized his team's ability to bounce back from the early deficit.
'Our guys responded after the way that the game started out,' Gill said. 'We came back and made it competitive and had a chance to possibly win the football game. Our players showed they had heart, they showed that they can play together. The loss hurts, but the biggest thing now is how we are going to respond.'
Heading into Central Florida, the Bulls are hoping to respond to the loss with continued production from the offense.
With the early season spotlight on sophomore quarterback Zach Maynard, the second-year quarterback has impressed. Despite the loss to Pittsburgh, Maynard and the Bulls offense shone. He set the school record for the best single-game performance in Buffalo Division I-FBS history, throwing for 400 yards and four touchdowns, and was named the MAC East Offensive Player of the Week. Thus far, the youngster has thrown for 559 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception.
After Maynard's first collegiate loss, senior wide receiver Brett Hamlin is confident in his quarterback's ability to regroup against the Knights.
'I know Zach will make all the throws he did on Saturday,' Hamlin said. 'I'm looking forward to more of the games we're going to play together. He's really comfortable on the offense right now. We know that he's still in the learning process but you're going to see a lot more come out of him.'
While the passing game is in full flight, the running game has yet to take off. Junior tailback Brandon Thermilus and senior tailback Mario Henry have shared duties with James Starks out for the season.
Both backs struggled mightily against Pittsburgh. Thermilus rushed for just 49 yards in the loss and Henry fumbled the ball on two occasions. Gill anticipates his backfield to get back to the basics and be productive come Saturday.
'Our technique has got to be a little better,' Gill said. 'We have to make sure our backs are going to be [disciplined in] hitting their paths and where their in-points are at. They've got to read their blocks. But it's a combination of all the above. Not just the backs, but receivers and tight ends. Everybody within the run game has to do what they've got to do.'
On the other side of the ball, inconsistency and a lack of takeaways has hurt the Bulls defense. After holding UTEP to 17 points in week one, Buffalo surrendered 54 to the Panthers, the most allowed since giving up 55 to Central Michigan in 2006. Despite leading the nation in turnover ratio a year ago, the defense has failed to create a takeaway in either game of the season. Although things have not gone as expected, Gill likes where his defense stands entering Saturday
'We've had two ball games thus far, so it's early in the year,' Gill said. 'You're going to have some ups and downs, but I feel good about where we're at and about adjustments we've made. We aren't making any wholesale changes concerning our schemes or personnel. We just need to go out and play well for four quarters.'
This weekend's matchup against Central Florida will be a true test for the Bulls in the young season. After the disappointing loss to Pittsburgh, Buffalo has aimed to correct its mistakes and improve on its weaknesses, in preparation for Saturday.
'Our main concern is what we need to get done,' Gill said. 'We're going to do what we need to do to get better on defense, offense and special teams. If we get better on those three phases, we've got a great chance to be successful.'
E-mail: spectrum-sports@buffalo.edu
