UB notebook
Kent State coach: MAC title game will be great
Kent State is one of five teams who have played both the University at Buffalo and Ball State this season, and Golden Flashes coach Doug Martin said it should be a good contest next week when the Bulls and Cardinals play for the Mid-American Conference Championship in Detroit.
Kent State defeated UB, 24-21, on Friday at UB Stadium, but lost to Ball State, 41-20, on Sept. 27 with quarterback Nate Davis completing 23 of 35 passes for 265 yards and a touchdown.
“I’ll tell you, it will be a great football game,” Martin said. “Ball State has a tremendous quarterback and so does Buffalo. Both defenses are really similar. Ball State pressures you and plays the 3-3 style and Buffalo pressures you a lot, so it should be an interesting game.”
Kent State quarterback Julian Edelman made it known who he’s routing for. “I want the Buffalo Bulls to win,” he said. “They represent our side.”
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Lost in UB’s disappointing setback was the fact that James Starks and Naaman Roosevelt established record-setting numbers.
Starks (Niagara Falls) had 24 carries for 136 yards and a touchdown to become the school’s single- season leader in rushing, breaking O. D. Underwood’s 1986 mark of 1,189 yards. Starks, who missed 2z 3/4 1/2 me 1/3 because of injuries, now has 1,226 yards and could put the mark out of reach for a while with two games remaining. Roosevelt (St. Joseph’s) became the single-season leader in both receptions and receiving yards in the game, breaking the records of Drew Haddad, who was in attendance for Friday’s game.
Roosevelt finished with eight receptions for 124 yards, his fourth consecutive game over 100 yards receiving. For the season, he now has 86 receptions for 1,196 yards, which eclipsed Haddad’s marks of 85 in 1999 and 1,158 yards in 1997. Roosevelt broke the single-season mark for receptions on a spectacular 23-yard touchdown catch from Drew Willy in which he dragged his defender the final three yards for the score.
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Looking back, UB’s 2005 recruiting class, the last signed by former coach Jim Hofher, has proven to be quite impressive.
Of the 27 players signed that year, six players are currently starting for the Bulls, including record- setting performers Willy and Starks, who redshirted as a true freshman. Others who made an impact include receivers Brett Hamlin, Ernest Jackson and Gary Rice, cornerback Kendric Hawkins, safety Mike Newton, tailback Mario Henry, left tackle Ray Norell, tight end Jesse Rack and defensive tackle Dane Robinson. Starks, Henry, Hamlin, Hawkins, Newton, Rack and Robinson all return next season as fifth-year seniors.
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Sophomore middle linebacker Tom Drewes returned to the lineup against Kent State after missing the last four games with a severe medial collateral ligament sprain in his knee. Drewes started and made three tackles. Henry suffered a similar injury Oct. 18 against Army and Gill listed him as doubtful for next week against Ball State.
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The 55-yard run by Starks in the first quarter was his fifth 50-plus yard gain this season and the team’s seventh play of more than 50 yards on the season, which ranks among the Top 10 in the country.
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