As a good Jewish boy, I have learned the dangers of the kanuhura. That is why I am proceeding with care from here on out.
With the Bulls halfway through their 2007 schedule, it is time to figure out who this team is. Are they the team that squashed Temple and Ohio, or are they the team that crumbled against Ball State and Baylor? I still don't definitively have an answer to this question, so let's break it down together. Here are four keys a team needs in order to be considered a legitimate dark horse.
Hence the dark colored horse.
The Bulls have been the MAC whipping boy since joining the conference in 2000, and since 2002 have never won more than two games in any season. In fact the Bulls had never won two division games since joining the conference, until yesterday... More on this later.
Last season the Bulls defense gave up over 35 points per game, finishing last in the MAC, while scoring under 20 points for the eighth consecutive season. In 2005 the Bulls offense bottomed out, scoring a mere 10 points per game. This is not the type of team that is expected to make a leap into the MAC elite.
The Bulls definitely have that going for them, which is good. While Willy may never be the quarterback who throws for 400 yards and 4 touchdowns, the Bulls don't need him to be. Buffalo scored 31 points on Saturday against Ohio with Willy completing only 11 passes for 146 yards. His best number was zero, as in zero interceptions. The Bulls can win games, but not when they are fighting uphill battles. The Bulls cannot afford to give up offensive opportunities if they plan on fulfilling their goal of winning the MAC East.
The strength of the Bulls squad is in its backfield, where they have two competent starters in Mario Henry and James Starks. For this team to succeed, Willy, a team captain, needs to be a leader on the offense and make just enough plays with his arms so that the opposing defense doesn't stack the box against the run. This system has worked well in the two Bulls wins where the rushing attack has out-gained the passing game. Not coincidentally, the Bulls have scored 73 points in these two wins and 62 points in the four losses.
The Bulls have three homerun threats on the offensive side of the ball in Naaman Roosevelt, Starks and Henry. Roosevelt is an all-around player the defense always needs to be worried about. He is always a threat to take the ball for a touchdown on a kick or punt return and is the Bulls' best receiver. He is also the team's backup quarterback. Roosevelt has great hands and blazing speed, the perfect combination for a deep threat receiver.
Going into the game against Ohio, Starks averaged a mere 2.5 yards per carry through the first five games. But after a 183-yard performance, Starks seems to be back to last year's form, which saw him run for 700 yards and named to the second-team all MAC squad. Though Starks got off to a slow start in the yardage department, he has nine touchdowns this season, and has had at least two touchdowns in each of his last three games. Two of Starks' touchdowns this season have been for at least 72 yards.
Henry, the third of the group of playmakers, has been slowed in recent weeks due to an injury. Henry averaged 7.4 yards per carry against Temple, Buffalo's first win of the season, as he ran for 126 yards and a touchdown. For the season Henry has averaged over 5 yards per carry.
The Bulls have two wins this year, and both have been in blowout fashion. The 42-7 victory showed that the team has improved since last season, and that they would at least be competitive most weeks. The win against Ohio put the Bulls into a whole different level. Coming off of an embarrassing 49-14 loss to Ball State, the Bulls could have thrown in the towel, and said 'wait until next year' when the team is more experienced. With the defending MAC champs coming to town, the Bulls would have had every excuse in the world to do so, however the Bulls scored first against the Bobcats and never looked back, earning two divisional victories for the first time since joining the MAC.
The Bulls may not win the MAC, but they definitely fit all of the requirements for a dark horse, and they have a head start on the rest of the MAC with their two division wins. So to answer the question posed in the beginning of the article, yes the Bulls can be called the dark-horse contender in the Mid-American Conference.
Knock on wood, poo poo poo.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
