Zipping past the D'

Going into Thursday's game against Akron, the Bulls football team looked to accomplish two feats that it has never accomplished before. After they beat Kent State on Saturday, the Bulls had the opportunity to win two consecutive Mid-American Conference games since joining the MAC in 2000 and to defeat the Zips for the first time in school history.

Neither of these things happened, however, as Buffalo fell to Akron, 31-16.

Playing a nationally televised game on ESPNU for the first time this season, the Bulls stumbled out of the gate when freshman running back James Starks fumbled on the second play of the game. Akron quickly capitalized on this opportunity when senior quarterback Luke Getsy threw the first of his four touchdowns on the night. Along with his four touchdowns, Getsy passed for 271 yards.

Zips freshman wide receiver David Harvey had another spectacular game as he caught six passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Entering the game, Harvey led all freshmen in receiving yards with 731 yards. With his two touchdowns against the Bulls, Harvey now has 10 touchdowns on the season.

"You can try to slow them down, you can try to prevent them, but their going to end up making plays," said head coach Turner Gill.

Undeterred, the Bulls answered right back with a 25-yard field goal from senior kicker Adam Tanalski.

After another two touchdown passes by Getsy, Bulls senior fullback Steven King scored one of his two touchdowns on the game to make the score 21-10. King finished the game with three carries for five yards and two touchdowns.

The Zips added a last second field goal at the end of the first half to make the score 24-10. Against Kent State on Saturday, the Bulls went into halftime down 14-3 before they scored 38 unanswered points in the second half to win 42-14. This week however, the Bulls could not come up with the same magic, as they were held to only seven points in the second half.

Coming off a career-high 164 yards rushing yards and three touchdowns in last week's game, the Zips held Starks in check. After he rushed for 48 yards on 11 carries in the first quarter, Starks was limited to just 29 yards on 12 carries the rest of the game. The Bulls as a whole managed only 87 yards in the second half.

"They had guys who were better then we were at this particular time," Gill said. "Their defensive line beat our offensive line. Sometimes that happens."

Senior quarterback Tony Paoli, who started his second game in place of injured sophomore quarterback Drew Willy, completed 15 of 24 passes for 150 yards and had one interception. Paoli averaged only 6.3 yards per pass attempt.

"I felt like I didn't make smart decisions with the defense," Paoli said. "It was different than the defense that I'm normally used to."

Akron's special teams were able to hold freshman wide receiver and kick returner Naaman Roosevelt in check. With great kickoffs that went deep into the end zone, Roosevelt was forced to down many of the Zips kickoffs for touchbacks. Roosevelt managed only 42 return yards in the game. He was the team's leading receiver as he hauled in seven passes for 53 yards.

The battle at the line of scrimmage was a major point in the game, as the Zips dominated all aspects on both the offensive and defensive lines. The Bulls were unable to establish any pass rush, while the Zips rushed for 143 yards, and sacked Paoli three times.

"In the first half they won the battle," Gill said. "Most times if you win the battle up front, you win the game, and they did that."

The Bulls will next travel to face the 16th-nationally ranked Wisconsin Badgers on Saturday, Nov. 18. The game will kickoff at Noon.