2008 Buffalo Bulls Preview

At most universities, the beginning of football season is a time when hope and potential are in full blossom. At Buffalo, however, the flower patch usually emerges thick with dandelions. Not this time. Eighteen starters return from a team that finished 5–3 in the Mid-American Conference and won a share of the East Division championship. Among the returning starters are four All-MAC selections. There is talk of a league title and a bowl game.

Two Minute Drill

A Quick Look at the Bulls

It seems circumstances are pointed in Buffalo’s favor. Only three starters — senior defensive end Chris Callahan, junior tight end Jesse Rack and junior cornerback Kendric Hawkins — missed spring practice, and for the first time in recent memory, no one missed spring drills because of discipline or academic issues. There’s a sense of continuity among the coaching staff — only two new coaches have been added, Fred Reed (defensive backs) and Vantz Singletary (defensive tackles), the nephew of Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary. There’s also some talent on hand, especially on offense. Quarterback Drew Willy and tailback James Starks will operate behind a veteran offense line. Scoring points should not be a problem. There are some holes to fill on defense, but Turner Gill has recruited well in his short time in Buffalo. Finding some new leaders will be very important. Players like Jamey Richard (center), Trevor Scott (defensive end), Kareem Byrom (linebacker) and Larry Hutchinson (linebacker) will be missed. “It’s going to be hard to replace guys like Trevor and Jamey,” says sophomore safety Davonte Shannon. “Guys who have more experience and the guys coming in have to help keep the replacements afloat on offense and defense. We have to be leaders.”

But true to form, third-year coach Turner Gill isn’t going to allow himself to change his way of thinking. “We’ve had high expectations since we first got here,” Gill says. “I don’t think there’s going to be a big difference in how we coach and how we expect our players to perform. We’re going to push them to the max.”

Quarterbacks

By the time his career is complete, Drew Willy could be the best quarterback ever to wear a Buffalo uniform. The fourth-year starter set a record for completions in a season (258), had the highest pass efficiency rating in school history (135.7), the highest completion percentage (68.4 percent) in a single season and had 15 touchdowns with only six interceptions. But it is pivotal that Willy remains healthy, because there’s virtually no experienced depth at quarterback.

Running backs

Like Willy, junior tailback James Starks will be one of the best ever to play his position at Buffalo. Starks enjoyed a breakout season while rushing for a career-best 1,103 yards to become the first Buffalo running back in the Division I-A era to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Brandon Thermilus is listed as his backup. A different style of runner, junior Mario Henry proved to very effective in his first season since being converted from defensive back, rushing for 345 yards on 76 carries and a touchdown.

Receivers

This is by far the deepest position on the offense, led by junior Naaman Roosevelt, a third-team All-MAC selection. Senior Ernest Jackson is coming off the most productive season of his career, a 53-catch, 645-yard, six-touchdown campaign. Junior Brett Hamlin, fully recovered from a foot injury that sidelined him for most of 2006, added 38 catches for 415 yards.

Offensive linemen

Buffalo will benefit from returning four of five starters on the offensive line, although the anchor, center Jamey Richard, was lost to graduation. Each of the remaining four linemen started all 12 games last season, with three of them starting in 2006 as well. Jeff Niedermier, along with Richard, became the first Buffalo offensive linemen to earn All-MAC honors. Richard has started 30 consecutive games.

Defensive linemen

Buffalo returns some experience on the defensive line but also loses its anchor in all-league defensive end Trevor Scott. Tackle Ronald Hilaire is coming off the best season of his career — 45 tackles, four for a loss, and 1.5 sacks. Tackles Chris Callahan, a returning starter, and Mike Thompson have moved outside to end, while sophomore Anel Montanez is pencilled in as a starter alongside Hilaire. Gill needs to find depth from among an inexperienced group.

Linebackers

The Bulls have questions here after losing all-league players Kareem Byrom and Larry Hutchinson. Redshirt freshman John Syty and true freshman Obi Ezemma are atop the depth chart, as is sophomore Justin Winters. Fred Branch made two starts at outside linebacker as a true freshman, and Josh Copeland, originally a defensive back, moved to linebacker midway through the season. Both figure to be in the mix, although they missed the spring with injuries. David Hubbard is the group’s lone senior.

Defensive backs

This could very well be the deepest and best secondary in the MAC. As a true freshman, safety Davonte Shannon became Buffalo’s first All-MAC first-team selection. He had more tackles (123) than any freshman in the nation, and his 73 solo stops were also the most in the Division I-A era for Buffalo. Mike Newton returns for his third season as a starting safety, and he led the Bulls in interceptions for the second straight season with four. Kendric Hawkins, Domonic Cook and Josh Thomas will divvy up the cornerback duties.

Specialists

Kicker A.J. Principe was a pleasant surprise. He walked on to the team in the summer and by the end of training camp had earned a scholarship. He also earned the starting kicker job and went on to hit 15-of-20 field goals for the season. Gill must find a replacement for four-year punter Ben Woods.

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