Coming off their most impressive and dominating victory of the season over Kent State, the Bulls will look for back-to-back wins for only the second time since joining Division 1-A.
The Bulls (2-7, 1-5 Mid-American Conference) will take on the Akron Zips (4-5, 2-3 MAC) this Thursday at 6 p.m. in Akron, Ohio. A victory would give the Bulls their first winning streak since the 2001 season.
Buffalo will attempt to earn retribution for a close home loss to the Zips last season. Akron defeated Buffalo, 13-7, in a game the Bulls led through the first three quarters. However, Akron scored three unanswered times in the fourth quarter to take the victory.
Sophomore quarterback Drew Willy will be sidelined for the second consecutive week with an injury to his right thumb, and senior quarterback Tony Paoli will start in his place. Paoli was impressive in his first career start against Kent State, as he threw for 193 yards and one touchdown.
"Tony came in and managed the football team well," said Bulls' head coach Turner Gill. "He had a great demeanor in the huddle and on the football field. He played extremely well."
Despite Paoli's lack of experience, he knows he has the talent to make the most of his opportunity.
"The coaching staff has had me ready to go since the first game of the season," Paoli said. "I was very comfortable with the offense and the system and what I need to do to manage the game."
In addition to Paoli's success, Buffalo's running game led the Bulls in the second half. The team finished with a season-high 176 total rushing yards, leading to a school record 38 points in one half.
The rushing attack was led by freshman tailback James Starks. The native of Niagara Falls, N.Y. set career highs in rushing attempts (24), rushing yards (162) and touchdowns (3). As a result of his career day, Starks was named MAC East Offensive Player of the Week.
"James has a lot of energy," Gill said. "He brings it all out there on the field. He's one of those backs that wants the ball in his hands every single time and we like that about him."
In addition to the Bulls' offense having a great game, the defense responded with an equal effort. The Bulls did not allow any second half points to the Golden Flashes and caused five turnovers in crucial situations. Freshman safety Mike Newton had a career game, finishing with eight tackles and two interceptions. As a result of his performance, Newton was named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week.
While the victory against Kent State showed the Bulls could contend with the better teams in the MAC, they know how tough every opponent in the MAC can be. The Zips are the defending MAC Champions, and are coming off an appearance in the Motor City Bowl last season in which they fell 38-31 to Conference-USA's Memphis Tigers.
This season, senior quarterback Luke Getsy, who is currently second in the conference in passing, leads Akron. Getsy is on pace to break all the school records for passing that were set by Charlie Frye just two years ago.
Akron is coming off a 35-28 victory over Bowling Green this past week and boasts one of the best wins of the season by any MAC team. On Sept. 9 the Zips went on the road and defeated North Carolina State of the Atlantic Coast Conference, 20-17.
However, since that point the Zips have fallen to 2-3 in conference play and need help from other teams to get back to the MAC Championship game. Akron finds itself two games behind Ohio with only three games remaining in the season.
The Bulls hope to welcome back team captain and senior linebacker Ramon Guzman this week. Guzman is listed as probable after sitting out the last two weeks due to a knee injury. Guzman's absence forced starting safety junior Kareem Byrom into the linebacker position. Byrom has recorded 17 tackles and one and a half sacks in just two weeks.
The game will be televised on ESPNU this Thursday night. This marks the first of two appearances the Bulls will have on the network this season. The next game will appear on Saturday, Nov. 18, when Buffalo travels to play the nationally 16th-ranked Wisconsin Badgers.
Photo: Courtesy of SUNY
