COLUMBUS, OHIO - Khalil Mack proved Saturday that he's not just one of the best players in the Mid-American Conference; he's one of the best in the nation.
It seems every year recently, the Bulls have repeated the same cycle. They start with high expectations before opening the season with a game against a BCS opponent.
Patrick Clarke The football team's special teams unit took the field with 23 seconds left and a scoreboard that read 24-24.
Joe Licata The camp competitions are over. The questions and debates are halted. The Bulls have decided on who will start under center and, as expected, it's the man who led Buffalo to victory in three of its final four games. Sophomore Joe Licata will be under center for what should be one of the most prolific offenses in recent memory at UB this football season. Following long winter workouts and spring ball, Licata emerged as the obvious choice for head coach Jeff Quinn for the 2013 season. With Licata at the helm, Buffalo scored at least 27 points in three of its final four games.
Najja Johnson There was an important name left off all of last season's All-Mid-American Conference teams.
Derek Brim Last season, junior safety Derek Brim filled in nicely for the final five games and he looks to carry his momentum into 2013.
Last week, Anthone Taylor received a harsh message from his former teammate and longtime friend Braxton Miller. "[Miller] thinks it's going to be a field day, but it's not going to be like that," Taylor said.
Buffalo football heads into the 2013 season with some of the highest expectations in program history.
Khalil Mack chose No. 46 for a reason. Before Mel Kiper ranked him No. 25 on his 2014 NFL Draft big board, before Mack was on pace to break two all-time NCAA records, before scouts flooded UB Stadium and fought for a sight of the hulking specimen dubbed "All-American" - before all of that, Khalil Mack chose his jersey number for a reason. No one wears 46, he told himself.
Jimmy Gordon Jimmy Gordon was the Bulls' most prolific receiving threat at tight end last season. He caught 17 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns - one season after the entire tight ends unit combined for only 11 receptions. Gordon has bulked up and gotten more physical in his quest to be one of the most versatile players on the offensive side of the ball. Specifically, he has addressed his route running and worked on timing with sophomore quarterback Joe Licata.
Lee Skinner Lee Skinner is one of those players who seems like he has been around forever - and he's still only a junior. After redshirting his freshman year in 2010, he started every game as a redshirt freshman and finished second on the team with 80 tackles.
Branden Oliver If you question the importance of depth, look no further than the Bulls' backfield last season.
Colby Way With stellar defensive end Steven Means having graduated, the Bulls need a new man to step up and anchor the defensive line.
Alex Neutz Imagine attending a typical UB football practice. Throwing, running, drills and scrimmaging - the two hours on the field are spent fluently while the players perfect their craft. So why would everyone at a Bulls practice suddenly stop and look around in confusion?
At head football coach Jeff Quinn's press conference on Tuesday, I noticed something very different in his demeanor from past seasons. After three seasons in which he has been unable to commit to a starting quarterback prior to the first snap of the season, he spoke openly and frankly with the media regarding not just who would be starting at Ohio State on Saturday, but injuries as well. It does help when there is only one player entering the season with a serious injury - freshman running back Jordan Johnson, who will most likely miss the entire year because of elbow surgery - but it's still a marked change from Quinn's close-to-the-chest mentality from the past three seasons.
With a new coach comes a new strategy. And a new strategy must be coupled with players who have the necessary skillset, and attitude, to achieve the desired goal. The new men's soccer head coach, Stu Riddle, didn't see the pieces he had hoped to inherit in the spring.
During offseason practices, women's soccer head coach Michael Thomas didn't want his team losing the competitive edge they play with during the season.
The volleyball team entered last season without a single senior on the roster. The year before that, the Bulls were the second youngest team in the nation. The squad has taken time to develop and posted a 10-18 record last year.
In 2005, men's head soccer coach Stu Riddle was playing professional soccer in Australia at 29 years old. Since he left his native New Zealand a decade earlier, he had lived all over the world.
Being a fan of a new team, or school, can be daunting. If you are looking for sports this fall, look no further.
Solutions by The State News
