Since the semester’s start three weeks ago, a lot has happened in UB Athletics – on and off the floor. The football team has had several big moments but the men’s basketball team, women’s soccer team, women’s tennis and wrestling team all make appearances on the list.
Here are the top-10 moments that have occurred since the start of school.
10. Anthone Taylor earns tenth career 100-yard rushing game
Opening the season, the Bulls needed a big performance from their offense. Senior running back Anthone Taylor led the charge in the running game as he rushed for 104 of the Bulls’ 212 rushing yards in a victory against Albany.
Taylor’s 104 rushing yards marked his 10th career 100-yard rushing game, tying him for fourth all-time with former Bulls running back Alan Bell. Bell was a running back from 1990-1994 and currently holds the Bulls record for most rushing yards in a game with 266 rushing yards against Duquesne in 1991.
9. Laura Holterbosch wins two titles at Cornell Fall Invite
A strong fall season only builds momentum for the spring regular season. For junior Laura Holterbosch, she’s looking to build off of a sophomore campaign that ranked her third on the women’s tennis team in singles victories.
At the Cornell Fall Invite, Holterbosch won two titles, winning the ‘D’ flight singles crown and being a part of the Second Doubles Flight championship duo with sophomore Tanja Stojanovska. The Bulls and Holterbosch defeated No. 1 seed Army and host school and No. 3 seed Cornell to make it to the championship round. Holterbosch went 8-0 at the invite.
8. Nate Rose performs at Wrestling World Championships
The Bulls brought in an impressive freshman class this offseason but one recruit started making waves before landing on campus.
Freshman Nate Rose went to the Wrestling World Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada and represented his home country of Trinidad and Tobago. Rose finished with a 1-1 record in his only two matchups during the event. That experience could help him as he looks to start his Bulls career with success.
7. Justin Moss expelled from school, dismissed from men’s basketball team
Mid-American Conference Player of the Year Justin Moss was removed from the men’s basketball roster and expelled from UB a week before the semester started.
This was Moss’ second offense, as he previously was charged with stealing and as a result, was placed on probation. Moss, senior forward Raheem Johnson and sophomore guard Mory Diane were caught stealing $650 from a dorm room during the summer, Moss’ career as a Bull was done, while Johnson and Diane were suspended.
6. Joe Licata moves to third all-time in career passing yards
Joe Licata, perhaps the most decorated quarterback in the history of Bulls’ program, moved up the ranks for yet another offensive record.
Against Albany, Licata completed a pass across the middle to senior tight end Matt Weiser. That pass moved him up to third all-time in career passing yards, surpassing former UB quarterback Marty Barrett. With another solid season, Licata could finish his career as the Bulls’ all-time leading passer.
5. Sokoli, Schum make 53-man roster for Seahawks, Bucs
The Bulls’ prep-to-pro pipeline doesn’t stop at Khalil Mack, Branden Oliver and James Starks. This past week, two more Bulls made NFL rosters out of training camp. Former defensive tackle Kristjan Sokoli made the NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks as an offensive lineman.
Former Bulls punter Jake Schum made the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after competing for the starting punter job in training camp.
4. Nate Oats lands two new recruits for men’s basketball
Despite losing his star player, head coach Nate Oats continues to make ground on the recruiting trail. So far, Oats has added junior college players and players who can come in right away and compete. International recruit Nikola Rakicevic fits that description and gives the Bulls another guard to compete for a spot in the rotation.
On Monday, Oats brought in a prized recruit for the 2016 class.
Power forward Quate McKenzie committed to Buffalo and gave Oats his third and possibly his best recruit for the 2016 class. The 6-foot-8 power forward is a three-star recruit and the 39th-ranked power forward in the nation, according to ESPN.
3. Women’s soccer defeats Syracuse in double overtime
It took two additional periods of play, but the women’s soccer team earned another signature victory in the Shawn Burke era.
The Bulls defeated Syracuse 1-0 in double overtime thriller on Sept. 6. For more than 100 minutes, it was a defensive battle. Sophomore goalkeeper Laura Dougall did a good job of keeping the Bulls in it by stopping eight shots on goal from Syracuse. In the 107th minute, junior midfielder Dana Lytle scored on a goal to give the Bulls their third victory of the 2015-16 season.
2. Football team falls to Penn State 27-14
Avoiding mistakes and catching breaks, the Bulls entered the fourth quarter against Penn State Saturday down seven points and driving. Then, the wheels fell off. The Bulls allowed two touchdowns in the first seven minutes of the fourth, allowing Penn State to take a 27-7 lead and the victory.
Even in a loss, Buffalo had much to be proud of. Buffalo held the Nittany Lions scoreless for the first 23 minutes of the game. A win wasn’t expected but the nationally televised game showed fans around the country that Buffalo means business.
1. Bulls defeat Albany 51-14 in Lance Leipold’s debut.
Amid a crowd of 20,872, the Bulls opened the Lance Leipold era with a 51-14 drubbing of Football Championship Subdivision team Albany.
The Bulls totaled 467 total yards of offense, including 212 total rushing yards. Licata started off his final season as the Bulls completing 20 of 26 passes, throwing two touchdown passes and getting pulled from the game mid-way through the third quarter. The Bulls scored 38 straight points after Albany got the first touchdown and improved Leipold’s record to 110-7 for the time being.
Quentin Haynes is the co-Senior Sports Editor and can be reached at @sports@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Paul Hokanson/UB Athletics
