Gill welcomes expectations for Buffalo football
UB looks to take next step forward
By Rodney McKissic -- News Sports Reporter
Updated: 06/20/08 8:14 AM
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- UB football coach Turner Gill is pleased with his team’s work ethic in the offseason.
Times have certainly changed for the University at Buffalo football program. Not long ago, Bulls coach Turner Gill was spreading the gospel that good times were approaching for the team. Now is not the time to let up on those expectations.
“No way — we have to keep the pressure on, if you want to use that word ‘pressure,’ ” Gill said. “It’s about keeping the intensity going, keeping the confidence going, keeping the excitement going, keeping the energy going and keeping the competitiveness going.”
Several players remained on campus to work out and attend summer school, and some true freshmen are planning to attend the school’s second summer session. The rest of the newcomers arrive July 31 with veterans reporting Aug. 1. Training camp begins at 2:45 p. m. Aug. 2.
“There’s confidence, and I’m glad to see that,” Gill said. “We have to keep that going; you’re going to always have ups and downs in football but you have to keep that body language with confidence going and we have to help them with that. But our players have to have that demeanor, too.”
And it’s not just the players. UB fans are eager to see if the program can continue the resurgence it began last season with a 5-7 season and a share of the Mid- American Conference East Division title.
Fans have been gobbling up season tickets at a brisk pace. UB has 500 new season-ticket requests — a 23 percent increase from a year ago — and an average of 100 season tickets have sold each week over the last three weeks. The school sold 8,896 season tickets in 2007 and hopes to eclipse the record of 11,000 sold in 2006. Click here for UB's schedule
“There’s a lot of tough times going, not just here in Buffalo, but all around the country, and I don’t take that lightly,” Gill said. “We want to give people a release from their everyday walk of life, have an opportunity for some entertainment and feel good about their community and feel good about the university within the community.”
The 2008 home season begins Aug. 28 against Texas-El Paso and will also include matchups against Temple (Sept. 13), Western Michigan (Oct. 11), Miami, Ohio (Nov. 4), and Kent State (Nov. 28).
Meanwhile, the preseason annual magazines have done their part in hyping expectations for UB. Several Bulls have made preseason All-MAC lists.
Senior quarterback Drew Willy is a candidate for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, presented annually to the nation’s top senior quarterback, and is one of the top 10 NFL prospects by Lindy’s Magazine. Sophomore safety Davonte Shannon, who became the first UB player to be named All-MAC first team since Buffalo’s entrance into the league in 1999, is a first-team All-MAC selection in Lindy’s, Athlon and Phil Steele.
Junior tailback James Starks (Niagara Falls) is a first-team All-MAC pick in Athlon and a second-team pick by Lindy’s and Phil Steele. Senior right guard Jeff Niedermier is a first-team pick by Lindy’s and Phil Steele and a second-team pick by Athlon.
While the Bulls are receiving more individual accolades, not everyone is convinced the team is prepared to turn the corner. Athlon picked the Bulls to finish third in the MAC East, Phil Steele fourth and Lindy’s dead last. Of course, no one expected the Bulls to do much last season, either.
“We still have to prove ourselves and the players understand that,” Gill said. “It’s not about where you start, it’s about where you finish.”
