They wouldn't want it any other way.
After a football season that has caused much of Western New York to visit their cardiologists, the Buffalo Bulls have finally made it to the Mid-American Conference Championship. There, they will take on the West Division Champion Ball State Cardinals, the 12th-ranked team in the country.
"It's great for us to be playing this game," said head coach Turner Gill. "It's an honor to be representing the MAC East."
Buffalo's first trip to Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. wasn't easy. After dominating UTEP in their home opener, the Bulls lost four of their next five, with two games against West Division opponents decided by six points or less.
The chip on their shoulder was all they needed to make history.
Buffalo then won their next five games, clinching the MAC East Division and defeating teams they never dreamt of beating in their first seven seasons in Division I-A. They only won a measly 10 games in that span.
After a somewhat meaningless loss to Kent State in the final game of the regular season, they are yet to face their biggest challenge. The nationally ranked Cardinals have won all 12 of their regular season games, gaining national attention and a high ranking in the national polls.
"They are an outstanding football team," Gill said. "They are right at the top in a lot of areas. We will have our hands full, but our guys are ready to play. They're excited."
The Bulls, who are 14-point underdogs in the championship game, need to control the play of Cardinals quarterback Nate Davis. Davis has been a powerhouse on the field, completing 218 of 324 passes with 25 touchdowns and only six interceptions.
"He's one of the best quarterbacks we've seen all year," said senior quarterback Drew Willy. "He's got a very strong arm. I've been really impressed with his running ability as well. He's like a good team leader for them, and he's a total package of a great quarterback."
Gill concurs, looking at past play in order to gain a true understanding of Davis' ability on the field.
"He's a guy who's really a catalyst in their offense and for their whole football team," Gill said. "He plays well year after year, game after game."
For Davis, Friday's game could keep his team undefeated but it will rely on hard work.
"Everybody dreams about going undefeated," Davis said. "We just got to go out there and prepare for Buffalo and keep on working hard."
Bulls senior right guard Jeff Niedermier feels that while the Cardinals' record shows that they have not lost a game this season, it really doesn't matter come game time.
"They're just like any team in college football," Niedermier said. "Any given day, someone can beat them."
Ball State head coach Brady Hoke believes that while his team is very good on the field, getting to the championship depended on many things.
"I don't know if we ever said we were going to do it in 'this year' or build to 'this year,' " Hoke said. "There are a lot of variables. You have to be lucky to some degree. The ball has to bounce the right way, you have to stay healthy, work together."
Buffalo will depend on the play of their offensive core, involving Willy, junior running back James Starks and junior wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt. The trio is destroying the record books at the university while making an impact nationally. Currently, Willy has become the leader in Buffalo history in attempts, completions, passing yardage, passing touchdowns and completion percentage. Roosevelt is first in the MAC in receiving yards per game with 99 yards, which places him ninth in the nation. Starks is sixth in the country in yards per game with an average of 122.60 yards per game.
"I'm not letting little things like [personal achievements] get to me," Starks said.
"At the end of the day, who wins the game gets noticed."
Buffalo isn't the only team on the field with an impact rusher. Ball State junior running back MiQuale Lewis has been a monster in his own right, leading the Cardinals in scoring while being tied for third in the nation in that category. He is also 49 yards away from setting Ball State's single season rushing record.
Because of Davis, Lewis and the rest of Ball State's weapons on both sides of the ball, Gill believes that fans will see a great game.
"You never know how things are going to respond," Gill said. "I know the defenses are going to be good, but the offenses make things happen. It will be a great game to watch no matter who you are or where you're at."
As kickoff looms near, both sides are excited for the opportunity to change history. Buffalo could win their first MAC Championship ever while Ball State could be 13-0 for the first time in their history. For Bulls junior free safety Mike Newton, history begins with a clean slate.
"Tomorrow night, the record's don't mean anything. It's only about this one game," Newton said.
Kickoff at Ford Field is at 8 p.m on Friday.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
