The Buffalo Bulls have been slow starters under Turner Gill, opening each of the past two seasons 2-4 before rallying to share the best record in the Mid-American Conference East division in 2007, then winning the MAC championship and going to the International Bowl in 2008.
So naturally, they’re still confident despite being two games below .500 midway through 2009.
“It does kind of remind you of last year,” star receiver Naaman Roosevelt said of UB being 2-4 heading into today’s home game against Akron.
“We’ve got to go out and focus, knowing we got all MAC games, and it’s now or never if we want to win another championship.”
Unlike the past two years, UB doesn’t control its own destiny in the MAC. They’re already 2 1/2 games behind Temple in the East standings, and since the Owls beat the Bulls in Philadelphia on Sept. 26 and play a favorable schedule the rest of the way, UB could conceivably run the table, get to eight wins for the first time in its Division I history, and still not make it to Detroit for the MAC title game.
If the Bulls won six straight and got to 8-4, they’d be almost assured another bowl berth. They’ve got a good shot at extending their season if they go 7-5, too.
The hardest game on the schedule is next Saturday’s road game at Western Michigan, one of the stronger teams in the West division.
But first the Bulls have to take care of business in their final Saturday home game of the year, and prove that last week’s 40-3 win over Gardner-Webb had more to do with the Bulls in-season improvement, and less to do with their visitors’ Division I-AA status.
Akron, which is also 0-2 in the MAC and hasn’t yet beaten a Division I team this year, is down to its third-string quarterback, Patrick Nicely.
UB’s magical run last year included a four-overtime, 43-40 win at Akron’s Rubber Bowl.
“There is a belief when you’ve done something one time that you’ll be able to do it again,” Gill said. “We know what happened last year, it’s a new year, we need to be focused on ourselves and execute well and we will have a very good chance of coming away with a win.”
GAME DAY
UB (2-4, 0-2 MAC) vs. Akron (1-4, 0-2)
• WHEN: 3:30 p.m.
• WHERE: UB Stadium
• RADIO: WECK 1230-AM
• TV: Time Warner Cable Sportsnet
• NOTES: Naaman Roosevelt (St. Joe’s) is two receptions and 207 yards shy of Drew Haddad’s school records. ... Mike Newton needs one more tackle to join J.J. Gibson as the only Bulls to reach the 300 milestone in the Division I-A era. ... Ike Nduka has rushed for 303 yards in his first two starts. ... After turning the ball over 10 times in the first four games, UB has just two giveaways in its last two outings.
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