While the UB men's basketball team enjoyed a breakout season in 2003-04, the football team seemed to be stuck in idle for the second year in a row. The Bulls finished the season with a 1-11 record, the same record they finished the 2002 season with.
Given the limited success of the football team, few would think there would be optimistic talk about the 2004 season this early. However, with the annual Blue and White scrimmage scheduled for today at 1 p.m. at the Buffalo Bills Ralph Wilson Field House, the team is gearing up for the scrimmage and what they think will be a marked improvement in season.
UB head coach Jim Hofher likened the position the football program is in now to the position the basketball team was in prior to this season.
"Our record hasn't been respectable, but our development is more than respectable," said Hofher. "Nobody knows it yet, but we do. There was a team at the end of the basketball season that everybody did not want to face and that was our men's basketball team, because nobody wants to play a team that was playing so good. But a month previous, there's not a team that wouldn't want to."
If Buffalo is going to earn that respect next season, there is a good chance that their running backs will be leading the way.
"There was a significant improvement in running the ball since '02 and '03," said Hofher. "The record didn't change but we ran the football better."
Running back just may be the Bulls' strongest position, with 99.1 percent of last years total rushing production returning. Though sophomore Aaron Leeper secured MAC Freshman of the Year after his performance in the 2002 season, he split time in the backfield with Dave Dawson this past season.
The duo combined for an even 1200 yards in rushing, together averaging 100 yards a game. Dawson averaged 5.3 yards per carry, and Leeper took a respectable 4.3 yards per carry. Hofher feels that the depth UB has in the backfield will allow them to put up even better numbers than last season.
"I'm very excited about the group that we have," said Hofher. "No one leaves the team from the group that carried and we had last year. I'd like to think we're a year wiser, better both physically and mentally, and obviously more experienced."
While having stud running backs is something any coach would want, a solid offensive line is just as important to the running game. Last season, UB's offensive line was unable to push the pile to get the backs into the end zone, as Dawson and Leeper combined for only three touchdowns.
Though the line was unable to control the line of scrimmage last season, 2003 gave them time to mature and gain experience on the field. Four starters from the group return this fall, including Erik Zeppuhar, UB's most experienced player with 32 career starts, and Zack Love, an All-MAC candidate who has started all 24 games of his career. Chad Upshaw and Brian Miller, two tight ends who found themselves in every game last season, also return.
"When you look at the offensive line and the fellas that are returning that have played and should play significantly, it's a pretty experienced group," said Hofher. "We played two brand new tight ends last year, Chad Upshaw and Brian Miller. We don't have two brand new tight ends this year, we have the same guys."
Even though an entire season has passed, it's deja vu all over again when it comes to who will be lining up under center this season.
Last year, the quarterback controversy was brewing with the incumbent Randall Secky possibly losing his starting position to P.J. Piskorik. After Secky started the first three games, Piskorik came in and took over the starting quarterback position for the next six games, including UB's win over the Ohio Bobcats.
While the game against the Bobcats was a huge boost to the team's morale, it was devastating for Piskorik, as he suffered a bruised shoulder. Piskorik was absent from the starting lineup for the rest of the season and his absence left everyone wondering what kind of momentum he could have brought to the team.
Piskorik, who made his way to the number four slot on last year's rushing charts, says last season's injury won't alter what he brings to the Bulls' offense.
"I'm not going to change my style or the way I play," said Piskorik. "I'm not going to try and run with the ball as soon as I can, but I am going to do what I have to."
Despite losing his starting job to Piskorik, Secky, who started the last three games of the season after Piskorik's injury, remains a team player and is prepared to do whatever the team needs to get a few wins.
"We both started six games last year and the whole team only won one," said Secky. "We have to do what's best for the team. Whoever is better for the team should be out there."
While Hofher refrains from naming who his 2004 starter will be, he does agree with Secky when it comes to how to go about the decision.
"Now for the first time we have guys competing for the right to play, not just playing by default," said Hofher. "It's not two guys against each other. It's two guys against themselves, trying to play the game as well as they can. Whoever is doing that the best needs to play because that helps our team."
Piskorik agrees and sees the competition against Secky as a motivator.
"The competition just makes you work harder," said Piskorik. "If you slack off, there's another kid who can take your job."
Another job that is up for grabs is the spot vacated by second-team All-MAC Mark Graham's graduation. Graham was the defensive leader for UB and his graduation has left an opportunity for a number of other Bulls to step up and take charge of the defense.
So, while Graham may have departed, many other key defensive contributors remain. Strong safety Gemara Williams, defensive tackle Rob Schroeder, and linebacker Bryan Cummings, all of whom have plenty of experience, will have to lead a number of players with little to no experience. Hofher doesn't let this worry him too much.
"Defensively, as you look at the returnees, we have experience in a lot more places than we don't have experience," said Hofher. "We still won't resemble the most experienced teams in our league yet, but we'll be more mature as a football team than we have been."
The least experienced portion of the team lies in special teams. Buffalo lost crucial parts of their kicking game with the graduation of place-kicker Dallas Pelz, punter Dominic Milano, and long snapper Adam Johnson. UB has little depth when it comes to replacing these three.
While the team has yet to have much success in Division I, Hofher, Piskorik, and Secky feel that not only can UB compete at the Division I level, but also that success like their basketball counterparts saw this season isn't too far off.
"Once our program finally arrives, I think it's going to create a great atmosphere like what the basketball team did this year for the school," said Secky. "When they went on a roll, there was so much excitement. Students, faculty, the whole city I think was pretty excited. I think once our football program can do that, get the kind of excitement like the basketball team did, I think it would be really good for the school."
In Secky's eyes, 2004 will be the year of the Bull.
"I think next year is going to be the year we turn everything around."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
