The Bulls now sit at 5-1 on the season and are on the verge of bowl eligibility. With a win this weekend, the Bulls will almost guarantee a bowl appearance this season.
Football head coach Lance Leipold met with the media on Tuesday to discuss the upcoming Saturday’s Akron matchup.
Leipold was very pleased with the way his team treated the week leading up to Central Michigan and how it bounced back after losing to Army.
“This team has goals other than getting to six wins,” Leipold said. “They’ve been able to work in a fashion where it is a daily process and want to get better. They’ve embraced the part that you have to go out each day of the week to do what you need to do to get better and prepare to win on Saturday.”
Akron (2-2, 0-1 Mid-American Conference) has the second-best run defense in the MAC this season. Freshman running backs Jaret Patterson and Kevin Marks both had over 100 yards last weekend, but might struggle to find holes against the Zips who only give up 125.5 yards per game.
With senior wide receiver Anthony Johnson’s status unknown, junior quarterback Tyree Jackson and the rest of his supporting cast will have to step up.
Redshirt-freshman cornerback Aapri Washington was praised for his ability to step up as injuries piled up in the secondary. With senior corner Cameron Lewis and senior corner Tatum Slack both missing time, Washington has recorded 10 tackles and an interception the past two weeks.
The Akron game is UB’s homecoming for the season. Leipold hopes for another great crowd after the fifth-largest crowd in school history took to the stands in UB’s matchup against Army.
“I know our fans were disappointed. We worked hard to get that opportunity we did,” Leipold said. “The fans are the ones that came out and keep supporting this group of guys. I think they'll enjoy watching them play and it will be a different style game then the last one. Our alums, whether it be local or from afar, can bring that home crowd advantage and atmosphere to UB Stadium.”
The Bulls will kickoff at 12:00 on Saturday and the game will be nationally broadcasted on CBS Sports Network.
Sports Desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com
