Every athlete knows the feeling of watching a teammate or opponent lay motionless on the ground. There is a silence, an air of fear and a sudden realization that there is a very serious side to sports. That feeling swept UB Stadium twice this past weekend as two Bulls fell to the turf and didn't get up. The first was senior guard Jasen Carlson.
When Nicolai Berry scored his first goal as a Buffalo soccer player, he ran around, stretching his arms to his side and imitating an airplane.
People seem to forget about 2011 Branden Oliver. Before Khalil Mack was a projected top-10 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, the running back known as 'BoDozer' was The Guy around UB Stadium. That year, Oliver set all-time school marks for rushing attempts (306), rushing yards (1,395), all-purpose yards (1,760) and 100-yard rushing games in a season (eight). He also had 13 touchdowns and 38 catches for 365 yards. He was a miserable team's saving grace. Opponents game planned for him, and they still couldn't slow Bo.
The football team defeated UMass, 32-3, for its fifth straight victory.
The football team had dominated in its past three games. The Bulls' starters hadn't played in the fourth quarter, as they had blown out opponents 116-26. On Saturday, it took a bit longer to bury Massachusetts. The Bulls entered the game as 21-point favorites - the largest margin in school history.
The Bulls have won their past three games, against lesser opponents, by an average of 30 points. This week, they'll face another underdog: the UMass Minutemen. Offensive player to watch Tajae Sharpe, sophomore, wide receiver Sharpe has emerged in his second season as the Minutemen's primary offensive threat.
The football team faces Massachusetts on Saturday under similar conditions to when the teams faced off last year - the Bulls are hot, bearing a win streak.
Lacey Middlebrooks and her brother, Will, raced to the morning newspaper to see who had thrown the most strikeouts and had a better ERA in their pitching performances the night before. It was a common event in the traditional athletic, competitive household - two siblings battling each other.
When Buffalo volleyball assistant coach James Goodridge was the head coach at Division II Lees-McRae, he took his team to Zeros - a restaurant the squad traditionally visited following games with rival King College. One trip was different from most - it followed a loss, something Lees-McRae rarely experienced.
Senior defensive end Colby Way was named the Mid-American Conference East Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the football team's 33-0 victory over Western Michigan this past weekend. Way had four tackles and three sacks, tying him for the team lead with senior linebacker Khalil Mack; they both have five sacks this season. Way's three sacks also moved him into ninth place all-time on the school's career sack list with 15 sacks in his career.
The Bulls' defense had valid reason to be discouraged after Week Three. In consecutive weeks, they had surrendered 70 points to Baylor (I don't care who you're playing - giving up 70 points is embarrassing) and allowed FCS team Stony Brook to matriculate down the field in a touchdown drive that sent the game to overtime. It was a tough, if not embarrassing, two weeks. Buffalo is now 4-2 (2-0 Mid-American Conference) after defeating Western Michigan, 33-0, Saturday.
After the football team recorded nine turnovers over a three-game homestand, some were unsure if Buffalo would be able to duplicate its dominance on the road.
The Spectrum's sports staff grades the Bulls after their 33-0 win over Western Michigan Saturday. Passing game: B The Good: Sophomore quarterback Joe Licata matched a career-high in touchdowns and all three of his TDs were pinpoint passes - allowing only the receivers to make plays on the ball. The Bad: The Bulls' run game was a menace all afternoon but the squad couldn't get much going through the air early in the game.
After a weekend of many firsts - in which the football team improved to 3-2 for the first time in the modern Division IA era, defeating Eastern Michigan for the first time in school history - the Bulls will look for another first this weekend: a victory on the road against a Mid-American Conference West opponent. The Bulls (3-2, 1-0 Mid-American Conference) will leave UB Stadium for the first time since Week Two when they travel to Western Michigan (0-6, 0-2 MAC) Saturday.
The Bulls have advanced to a 3-2 record for the first time in their
Tahleia Bishop had scheduled recruiting visits to West Virginia, Mississippi and Michigan to play college volleyball.
Senior running back Branden Oliver had his best game of the season Saturday during the Bulls' 42-14 win over Eastern Michigan.
I saw a grown man with tears in his eyes last week. He was John Pope, twice a winner of the Pulitzer Prize - the highest award given out in journalism.
On the football team's first offensive drive of its game against Eastern Michigan on Saturday, senior running back Branden Oliver took a handoff on third and four from the Bulls' 40-yard line. He bounced outside and took off down the right sideline for a 60-yard touchdown - the first score of the game. He essentially ran away with the game. "That cut that he made was unbelievable," said sophomore quarterback Joe Licata.
Passing game: A- The Good: Sophomore quarterback Joe Licata was flawless. He let the game develop for him and completed 68 percent of his passes. The Bad: Licata had senior wide receiver Alex Neutz running wide open down the sideline during the Bulls' last-minute drive in the second quarter.
Solutions by The State News
