Buffalo Bulls

Head Coach

Turner Gill	3rd year
07-08	5-7
MAC	5-3
FCR	87

Previous Season Wins

Head Coach - Entering his 3rd season Turner Gill clearly has the program in the right direction, in his second season he led them to five victories , a number which matched the teams win total for the three previous seasons combined. Eighteen starters return so expectations will be set higher than ever in Buffalo, the conference as a whole will be greatly improved so it won’t be easy.

Quarterback - In senior quarterback Drew Wiley the Bulls have a four year starter who has improved from year to year. He completed 68 % of his passes last year, he has a solid arm but his real value is decision making and leadership. He looked good in spring ball and the goal is to get Buffalo a bowl bid, it’s not out of the question.

Running Backs - At running back junior James Starks returns, he rushed for 1,103 yards and had 12 TD’s last year. He also showed the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield hauling in 41 passes fro 311 yards; he’ll be in the running for ALL-MAC honors. The fullback will be senior Chris Scharon, he strictly a blocker but as Starks will attest he’s good.

Receivers - All three receivers return led by junior Naaman Roosevelt who had 63 catches for 766 with 4 TD’s. Senior Ernest Jackson had 53 receptions for 645 yards and will also start on the outside, junior Brett Hamlin had 38 for 415 yards and will contribute when the Bulls go three wide. At tight end junior Jesse Rack returns, he could see an increased role this year as Buffalo will seek more balance in this year to take advantage of their experience and talents.

Offensive Line - Four starters return upfront led by ALL-MAC right guard senior Jeff Niedermier, the Bulls will follow his lead in the running game. At the other guard will be sophomore Peter Bittner and the tackles will be junior Jordan Jerrold on the right side and on the left is senior Ray Norell. At center senior Chris Lauzze will be asked to replace ALL-MAC Jamey Richard, he looked solid in the spring.

Defensive Line - Two senior starters return upfront in defensive end Chris Callahan and tackle Ronald Hilaire. Callahan has been solid but will need to improve his pass rushing; Hilaire is a rock against the run. Sophomore Anel Montanez will be the other tackle, he a spark plug with a motor, on the outside senior Mike Thompson will get the call.

Linebackers - Lots of question here, the Bulls will have three new starters led by true freshman Obi Ezemma in the middle. On the outside redshirt freshman John Syty and sophomore Justin Winters will get the call. Extremely small, inexperienced and will seek to compensate with quickness and speed. Will struggle against running teams but will hope to use their speed to cause turnovers.

Defensive Backs - All four starters return and there’s not a senior in the group. The safeties are the strength of the defense led by strong safety sophomore Davonte Shannon who led the team with 123 tackles; he’s a playmaker and a sure ALL-MAC player. At free safety junior Mike Newton returns, he has excellent speed and led the team with 4 interceptions and also had 86 tackles. The corners will be a pair of sophomores in Josh Thomas and Domonic Cook; both good athletes with good upside who should only get better.

Special Teams - The place-kicker will be sophomore A.J. Principle who was solid 15 of 20, but lacks much leg strength. Redshirt freshman Peter Fardon appears to be the frontrunner at punter. Handling the returns will be Naaman Roosevelt and junior Terrell Jackson.

Schedule - Typical MAC schedule, they do get six homes matchups but games at Pitt and Missouri are much too much for the Bulls. Headed in the right direction but they’ll will still be growing pains, look for Buffalo to fight hard to get to the .500 mark, but they'll get only 5 wins this season.