#117 Buffalo Bulls Preview

  #117 – Buffalo Bulls 1-10 SU; 5-5-1 ATS   

 Fargo’s Take  The Turner Gill era begins in Buffalo this season and it looks like it’s going to be a very rough beginning. The Bulls had only one victory in 2005 and there simply is not enough talent to turn this team around in a short time frame. Buffalo had one of the most anemic offenses in the nation last year, averaging only 10 ppg and 279.5 ypg, 118th and 114th in the country respectively. The start to the season was one of the worst ever as the Bulls managed three points in its first three games combined before “exploding” for 21 points against Western Michigan. The cupboard isn’t bare but it certainly isn’t stocked and if the Bulls want to improve on that one victory, more points on the scoreboard is priority one. Gill, unlike former coach Jim Hofher, is offensive minded and should be able to make improvements right away. Defensively, the Bulls were respectable, finishing 60th in total defense but good efforts went unnoticed due to the offensive inefficiencies. Expect more of the same in 2006.

 Returning Starters on Offense – 8  The offense returns a majority of the starters from 2005 but that isn’t something the Bulls faithful should be getting excited about. Buffalo is sure to be better on that side of the ball with Gill in the mix but he will certainly have his work cut out for him. The offense got into the redzone only 26 times last season and making matters even worse, it managed to score points in only 14 of those drives. Sophomore Drew Willy took over at quarterback last season after the first three games when the team averaged only one ppg so there is experience behind center. The running game will be decent but the offensive line is the concern as three long time starters are gone.

 Returning Starters on Defense – 5  The unit performed well at times but it was a sitting duck a lot of the time. The horrendous offense and poor special teams put the defense is a hole most of the time, allowing a lot of points and a horrendous 90.9% redzone success rate. The Bulls will have a new look this season, going for the traditional 4-3 alignment which will certainly put the pressure on the defensive line that does not return one starter from last season. The linebackers and safeties will be the core of the group. An extremely misleading stat from last season is that Buffalo finished the season 10th in the country in passing defense but that was because it was always behind and teams simply didn’t have the need to throw.

 Schedule  A MAC schedule can be good or bad depending on the draw and Buffalo’s is not good. The Bulls face three of the four powerhouse teams, missing only Toledo, with two of those games coming on the road. Unlike most early season schedules, Buffalo starts out with three straight conference games so a lot will be known right away on how much offseason progress the Bulls have made. Non-conference games at Auburn, at Boston College and at Wisconsin promises a 0-3 record but they are spread out enough that they aren’t going to do much damage to the confidence as each is followed by a conference home game which are all winnable to a point.

 You can bet on…  Similar to its opening opponent Temple, game one of the Gill era is a huge one for Buffalo. A win at home would put the team in first place in the MAC for a couple weeks at least and would provide some great momentum heading out on the road. A loss could be detrimental since Temple doesn’t beat anyone and if the Bulls are a victim, it could be lights out early. Buffalo covered half of its games last season and went 3-2 against the number when getting more than three touchdowns including a 2-0 mark at home. We will certainly see some big numbers again this season and with an offense that has the ability to be better, the Bulls could get over the hump and become a profitable team.

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