Sports - The Spectrum

OPINION

It’s a long way to the top for UB Bulls

By Jordan Grossman | Oct. 1, 2015

Saturday’s matchup against Bowling Green (2-2) will be the team’s biggest test to date and it may be its biggest all season. The Falcons have appeared in the MAC Championship game the past two years, including a victory in 2013. They defeated perhaps the most talented team in Buffalo program history in what was essentially a MAC East Championship game to get it by the way.

Multiple UB students are cheering on Buffalo with a “True Blue” flag being waved from Saturday’s football game. Only an estimated 2,000 students were present at this game, compared to 5,000 from the opener against Albany.

SPORTS

UB student attendance for football drops off

By Jordan Grossman | Sep. 29, 2015

UB Athletics estimates just about 2,000 students attended the Bulls’ game against Nevada Saturday afternoon – far off from the roughly 5,000 students it estimates came to the season opener against Albany on Sept. 5.

Senior tight end Matt Weiser shreds off a Nevada defender from Saturday’s game. It took him four years, but Weiser finally got his chance to shine.

SPORTS

UB tight end Matt Weiser steps into spotlight

By QUENTIN HAYNES | Sep. 29, 2015

It’s not easy waiting for your moment. For years, senior tight end Matt Weiser waited for just that.

Coach Blair Brown Lipsitz holding a clipboard during last Thursday’s home opener against Akron. Lipsitz’s process may not have started out strong, but it has potential.

SPORTS

UB volleyball is trusting the process

By QUENTIN HAYNES | Sep. 29, 2015

Blair Brown Lipsitz’s main goal in her first-ever season as a head coach is simple: change the volleyball culture at UB. Coming from a powerhouse in Penn State, she wanted a challenge.

Senior midfielder Kassidy Kidd attempts to keep the ball away from a defender against Kent State on Sunday. The Bulls went 1-1 to start Mid-American Conference play this weekend.

SPORTS

UB Bulls quick hits: conference play begins, women’s tennis crowns two champions

By Jordan Grossman | Sep. 29, 2015

A breakdown of the weekend in UB Athletics.

Sophomore wide receiver Collin Lisa awaits a punt against Nevada. After transferring from UAB, Lisa has 12 catches and a touchdown in four games.

SPORTS

Call on Collin: UAB transfer Collin Lisa making an impact for UB Bulls

By QUENTIN HAYNES | Sep. 28, 2015

After being lost in the shuffle for the first few weeks, Lisa shined against Nevada as he finished a career-high four catches and a 5-yard touchdown reception – the first of his college career. His score came late in the fourth quarter and cut Nevada’s lead to just three with just 8:06 left to play.

OPINION

UB Bulls are down, but certainly not out

By Jordan Grossman | Sep. 27, 2015

A 3-1 start for the Bulls would have been a feel-good story for a historically losing program with a new inspiring head coach. But with an ill-fated throw – and tip – with less than two minutes remaining, it all simply dissolved into another .500 start for the Bulls (2-2).

Bulls senior quarterback Joe Licata gets hit by Nevada senior defensive end Lennie Jones.

SPORTS

Gridiron report card: UB Bulls fall to Nevada

By Romulo Romero | Sep. 26, 2015

Buffalo fell to Nevada 24-21 Saturday in the team's final game before Mid-American Conference play. Here's what the sports staff thought of the Bulls' performance.

SPORTS

Turnovers cost UB Bulls in loss to Nevada

By QUENTIN HAYNES | Sep. 26, 2015

The football team (2-2) fell to Nevada (2-2) 24-21 Saturday at UB Stadium in the Bulls' final game before Mid-American Conference play. Head coach Lance Leipold had one word to describe the loss. “Turnovers,” Leipold said. “Ultimately, turnovers and bad penalties put us into that position. We put ourselves into tough positions for us to overcome. Long drives on third and fourth down ... we had momentum swing back our way, but we couldn’t put it together.”

OPINION

UB Bulls should be beware of the unknown

By QUENTIN HAYNES | Sep. 25, 2015

The Bulls (2-1) looked good against Florida Atlantic. You could even say they looked great. Despite the offensive inconsistencies, the Bulls put together a solid defensive performance – one that got nearly every player into the mix. The Bulls won’t continue to play like that for the rest of the season, but it was good to see the defensive line hold the Owl run game and watch some touted, questionable and unheralded playmakers make plays.

SPORTS

Game preview: UB Bulls take on Nevada Wolf pack

By REUBEN WOLF | Sep. 25, 2015

On Saturday, the Bulls (2-1) return home to UB Stadium Saturday with a chance to move to 3-1 under new head coach Lance Leipold and to take on Nevada (1-2). It will be the last non-conference game of the season for the Bulls, as they move to MAC play.

SPORTS

UB Bulls vs. Nevada: Who has the edge?

By QUENTIN HAYNES | Sep. 24, 2015

The football team (2-1) recovered after a loss to Penn State (2-1) to defeat Florida Atlantic (0-3) 33-15, with 23 points coming off of defensive scores. Now, the Bulls head back home to face Nevada (1-2) from the Mountain West Conference after two weeks of away games. Can the Bulls pull out the victory at home and move to 3-1 before heading into Mid-American Conference play?

Steven King (middle) poses with Andrew Lynch (left) and Evan Pantofel (right) while donning East Meadow lettermen jackets.

SPORTS

Saturday’s Bulls game against Nevada will reunite former UB running back Steven King with his former players

By Jordan Grossman | Sep. 24, 2015

There are three Nevada coaches that will make a return to UB this weekend, but none of them probably expect a grand welcome at UB Stadium. Nevada head coach Brian Polian, assistant coach Jim Hofher and graduate assistant Steven King all either coached or played for the Buffalo football team during the early to mid-2000’s, but they’ve never coached this current group of Bulls players.

Corbin Grassman (left) and his cousin, Tyler Grassman (right), form a one-two punch as the long snapper and punter for the football team.

SPORTS

UB Bulls long snapper Corbin Grassman’s outrageous trick snaps go viral

By QUENTIN HAYNES | Sep. 23, 2015

Videos of Grassman’s trick snaps made their way across the Internet this summer after the junior spent the past two years snapping to his cousin, senior punter Tyler Grassman, without much glory or recognition. Grassman has always loved doing trick snaps but it wasn’t until this summer that he unveiled his skills.

OPINION

Creating more turnovers could propel UB football to a very successful season

By QUENTIN HAYNES | Sep. 22, 2015

For the Buffalo football team, I was interested in one area of regression: the turnover margin. The Bulls had just two interceptions all of last season – which seemed unfathomable to me. There are teams in both pro and college that pass the ball more than 50 percent of the time. There were six quarterbacks in college football who threw more than 500 passes last season and 41 threw more than 400 times.

Defenseman Sean Dungan glides through the ice with the puck secured by the stick. The UB hockey team got off to a fast start this season, holding a 2-0 record so far.

SPORTS

The icemen: UB men's ice hockey team starts season 2-0

By QUENTIN HAYNES | Sep. 22, 2015

The UB men’s ice hockey team, fresh off its first American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Tournament appearance in a decade, is back for the 2015-16 regular season with new players but the same goals.

Members of the Buffalo water polo team huddle near the end of the pool in Alumni Arena. The club team is currently in its first season as a part of the Collegiate Water Polo Association.

SPORTS

UB's Water Polo Club treads way into Collegiate Water Polo Association

By Tomas Olivier | Sep. 22, 2015

The UB Water Polo club hosted its first tournament as a member of the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) on Saturday and Sunday. The team went 1-3 in matches against Colgate, Syracuse, Cornell and Hamilton in the deep end of Alumni Arena’s Olympic-sized pool. This was the first of many matches the club will compete in as the season extends into the winter.

Members of the football team raise their helmets at the conclusion of the first day of spring practice. Senior Punter Tyler Grassman won Mid-American Conference Special Teams Player of the Week.

SPORTS

UB Bulls punter Tyler Grassman wins MAC Special Teams Player of the Week

By QUENTIN HAYNES | Sep. 21, 2015

Senior punter Tyler Grassman won the Mid-American Conference Special Teams Player of the Week Award for the East division on Monday. Against Florida Atlantic, Grassman finished with nine punts for a total of 349 yards, an average of 38.8 yards per punt, a touchback and one punt that fell inside of the 20-yard line.

Junior defender Daniel Cramarossa attempts to split two defenders. The Bulls tied with Niagara 2-2 on Sunday, pushing their winless streak to six games.

SPORTS

UB Bulls quick hits: volleyball picks up first win, women's soccer loses to No. 7 West Virginia

By Sports Desk | Sep. 20, 2015

Here's the breakdown of this weekend in UB Athletics.

Sophomore goalkeeper Joseph Kuta blocks a Niagara penalty kick to help the Bulls win the penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw in double overtime.

SPORTS

UB men’s soccer ties Niagara 2-2, winless streak moves to six games

By Romulo Romero | Sep. 20, 2015

The Bulls (3-4-2) couldn’t get it done. They settled for a tie with Niagara (1-6-1), 2-2, in double overtime at UB Stadium. The Bulls allowed two goals in the second half and both teams failed to score a goal in either overtime period. Buffalo did defeat Niagara in penalty kicks after the match.