2011 Buffalo Bulls Football Preview

Buffalo football has had its share of down times, making one aberrational season stick out like that much more of a sore thumb in Western New York.

Just once – in a magical 2008 carpet ride that carried the Bulls to a bowl game – has this team played in a postseason contest. Turner Gill, the swashbuckling quarterback for Nebraska’s legendary teams of the early 1980s, made a name for himself in the coaching profession by squeezing every last ounce of talent and performance from an overachieving squad that frankly lacked blinding athletic talent but was supremely well schooled in all phases of the sport. Buffalo’s 2008 defense came up with timely turnovers. Its quarterback lacked a rifle arm, but he threw to the right spot at the right time. Running backs weren’t explosive, but they were smart enough and agile enough to wait for blocks and hit holes when they emerged. Everything came together for a team that, with equal parts pluck and luck, won the MAC East Division title and then shocked 12-0 Ball State in the MAC Championship Game. Buffalo did lose to Connecticut in the International Bowl a few weeks later, but the program – which could have played in the 1958 Tangerine Bowl but refused because a black player was denied the right to play by the bowl game – finally stepped onto a field in a bowl. Members of the 1958 team were brought to Toronto, Canada, for a very special celebration. Buffalo’s humble program had come so far and so fast, doing multiple things that had never been done before.

Now, though, that 2008 season is very much a thing of the past. Gill is struggling markedly as the second-year head coach at Kansas. Buffalo cratered last year, sinking to 2-10 overall and just 1-7 in the MAC. It’s an urgent situation near the Canadian border. The Bulls need to be able to compete at a credible level once again; they slipped back to the bottom far too quickly after reaching such pronounced heights.

In head coach Jeff Quinn’s second year as Buffalo’s head coach he returns a squad with a plethora of offensive starters. Nine, to be exact, led by wide receiver Marcus Rivers. Quarterback Alex Zordich will become the full-time starter and he will need to improve on his shaky play from 2010. The anemic Bulls offense scored just 14 points per game, good enough for dead last in all of FBS. The Bulls scored 10 points or fewer in five games last season. The offense will need to find some sort of rhythm to garner some momentum.

Just three starters return on the defensive side of the ball. Khalil Mack leads the group with 40 tacks and 4.5 sacks last season. Buffalo will face three BCS opponents in 2011. Trips to Pittsburgh and Tennessee will test the Bulls during the first half of the season. Buffalo gets a home date with Connecticut. The MAC schedule gives the Bulls both Ohio and Northern Illinois at home. Buffalo must travel to both Temple and Miami.

> Buy Buffalo clothing & apparel and find a great selection of college Fathead helmets online through College Sports Fans!