Football (0-0, 0-0 Mid-American Conference)
The first UB football game of the season is this Saturday against the Delaware State Hornets (0-0) at home. Expect junior quarterback Tyree Jackson and senior wide receiver Anthony Johnson to lead the offense coming off the Bulls 6-6 season last year. Both were given preseason award watch list selections by multiple sources this past season. The offense will look to pick up where it left off, having averaged 36.3 points in the Bulls final three games last season. The Bulls will look to have its first winning record since 2013. The team was bowl eligible last season but was one of three teams not selected of the 82 eligible teams. The game starts at 6 p.m.
Soccer (1-1, 0-0 MAC)
Buffalo has a road trip this weekend with away games on Friday and Sunday. The Bulls will take on the Cornell Big Red (1-0, 0-0) first, followed by a game against the University at Albany Great Danes (2-2, 0-0). This season, Buffalo coaching staff is hoping to give its strikers more opportunities to get the team scoring early, as opposed to the team’s last game against Cornell. The Bulls have a chance to have a big game against Albany if the Great Danes show up like they did in their last two losses. Head coach Shawn Burke said in the off-season that starting with a tough road schedule was his plan to have the Bulls grow in tough situations. The Cornell game starts at 7 p.m. on Friday at the Charles S. Berman Field and the UAlbany game set to start at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Varsity Field.
Volleyball (3-0, 0-0 MAC)
The volleyball team is only two weeks into its season and already replicated its success from last year. The Bulls have yet to let up more than two sets in a game this season and have already put up strong numbers from its strikers. The team will have to play its best to stay undefeated with a three-game road trip this weekend. Last season, head coach Blair Brown Lipsitz said that picking up wins over recognized Division-I teams helped to improve team’s confidence. The volleyball team will take on the Big Red (0-0, 0-0) on Friday at 7 p.m. Buffalo will then play a double header on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. against the St. John’s Red Storm (4-0, 0-0), then a 5 p.m. game against the Siena Huskies (0-3, 0-0).
Cross Country
The cross-country team gets its season started this weekend with the Toledo Rockets Invite. The Rockets will be the only MAC team that the Bulls will attend an invite for this season. Look for the Bulls to focus on individual performances to ready athletes for the MAC Championship on Oct. 27. This is the first of five regular season events the Bulls will compete in this year.
The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com
