Buffalo radio color commentator Steve Christie made the claim that can now be construed as a jinx.
It occurred last year during Buffalo's home game against Western Michigan. Junior running back Brandon Thermilus had just scored a running touchdown, giving the Bulls a comfortable 28-14 lead over Western Michigan with 5:14 left in the contest.
To Christie, the advantage seemed comfortable enough to give Buffalo its third victory of the season, but at the same time unknowingly foreshadowed the ending of the game.
'This should put the game away, although crazier things have happened,' Christie said.
Twenty-straight Western Michigan points and an overtime loss later, the Bulls stumbled, heads hanging down, into the UB Stadium locker room. As Christie warned, crazy things did occur.
But it's a whole new year and a whole new scenario. Buffalo (3-4, 1-2 Mid-American Conference) looks to return the favor and move to .500 when it travels to Kalamazoo, Mich. to take on the Broncos (3-4, 2-2 MAC) during WMU's homecoming weekend.
For junior defensive end Bruno LaPointe, last year's game comes to mind while prepping for this weekend's matchup. According to LaPointe, the defense began to let up when last year's game seemed set in stone.
'I think they showed us what they were made of [last year],' LaPointe said. 'I think we're going to go hard throughout the whole game this time around. We know we can shut them down, the key thing is to be consistent and finish.'
LaPointe and the defensive unit will look to contain an explosive Western Michigan offense that has scored more than 40 points twice this season. Led by four-year starting quarterback Tim Hiller and the MAC's leading rusher Brandon West, the Broncos have averaged 26.5 points a game.
But Gill has seen his defense make drastic improvements. The Bulls have given up a total of 40 points in their last three games, and Gill attributes the progression to two factors.
'I think the biggest thing is probably experience,' Gill said. 'I also think Fred Reed and the whole defensive staff has done a tremendous job of putting our guys in the right place, simplifying things and teaching great technique.'
Still, Gill knows the Broncos' Western Michigan will provide a challenge for Buffalo, which comes into this weekend's contest on a two-game winning streak.
'[Hiller] understands their offense tremendously,' Gill said. 'They have very good weapons as far as their talent at running back and receiver … We have to play an excellent football game to slow them down. They're going to make some yards and going to make some plays, we just don't want them to make a whole bunch of them.'
On offense, the Bulls may run onto the Waldo Stadium field without the services of either junior running backs Ike Nudka or Brandon Thermilus. Both are listed as questionable after injuries knocked both players out during the Akron game last weekend.
In the case that neither junior can go, senior running back Mario Henry will hold the starting spot with freshman running back Jeffvon Gill entering as the back-up.
Even with a depleted backfield, Gill doesn't believe the outcome of Saturday's game will rest on the health or lack thereof of his running backs.
'[Injuries are] a part of life, part of football,' Gill said. 'If so be it that Jeffvon Gill is the next guy in line, it's an opportunity for another guy to produce. We feel good about our running backs … but we have a whole football team. It's not the only phase we have to be successful in to win the game.'
Recently, the Bulls have performed admirably in each phase, leading to the team's current winning streak. After a four-game losing streak that quickly sent the Bulls to the bottom of the MAC East standings, the two-game streak has Gill's players assured that if they work hard, they can win each remaining game on the schedule.
'I love the attitude of our players,' Gill said. 'They're ready to go to work, and that's what you need to do whether you win or lose … each week you have to come ready to work and I think our guys are ready to do that.'
At the same time, Gill tells his players to take it game-by-game.
'We're not going to look at the big picture, we're going to look at the small picture here and that's Western Michigan,' Gill said. 'This ballgame is a good ballgame for us. We feel very good about where we're at, I'm sure they feel somewhat good about where they're at, and what they need to get done. We got to play our best game.'
Kickoff is slated for 2:00 p.m. at Waldo Stadium.
E-mail: sports@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
