Drew Willy and UB’s high-octane offense ran into a UConn team that was simply too fast and too good
A less-than-grand finale leaves Willy at a loss
TORONTO — When it was over, the University at Buffalo’s Drew Willy had a blank, faraway expression on his face, a mask of defeat and discouragement that I remember Jim Kelly wearing after the worst of the Super Bowls.
Winning quarterbacks take the final loss a little harder. It comes with the job description. In his heart, the QB believes he can lift his team above the most daunting circumstances. You can see it in his eyes. The personal disappointment cuts deeper.
It had to be especially tough for Willy, who had led a surreal string of comeback wins for the Bulls this season. If there was one thing he learned under Turner Gill, it was the power of belief. Right to the end Saturday, he believed UB would find a way.
But it wasn’t meant to be. Willy and UB’s high-octane offense ran into a UConn team that was simply too fast and too good. Willy’s final game at UB was one of his most difficult, as he struggled to sustain any kind of passing rhythm in a 38-20 loss in the International Bowl.
“It was a little frustrating today,” Willy said. “We left some plays on the table. I was a little frustrated with a few throws, and with some of our execution as an offense. It was a tough day out there. They did a lot of things that hurt us on offense.”
That’s an understatement. The Huskies smothered the normally potent UB attack, limiting the Bulls to 237 yards of total offense, nearly half of that on their final two possessions of the day. The Bulls didn’t run more than six plays or gain more than 22 yards on any of their first 13 possessions. It was an utter embarrassment for an offense that had been averaging 31.1 points in its first 13 games.
Willy, a 6-foot-3 senior from Randolph, N. J., completed 29 of 43 passes for 213 yards. The numbers don’t begin to reflect the futility of UB’s passing game. Willy’s first 20 completions went for a combined total of 96 yards. Ten, or fully half of them, went for no more than 2 yards.
Time after time, Willy couldn’t find a man open downfield and was forced to check down to James Starks or some other option in the short zones. Usually, UConn was there to swarm the receiver. It was reminiscent of the Bills’ passing game at its worst.
“When you’re getting in second-and-long,
third-and-long situations and they’re in the Cover-2 deep, it’s tough,” Willy said. “They were blanketing Naaman [Roosevelt]. I had to check the ball down to Starks a lot and they got to the ball very quickly. It was a frustrating day.”
Willy had one glorious chance early in the game. Roosevelt beat his man badly down deep, but Willy overthrew him by about a yard. If he hits him in stride, it’s a touchdown and maybe a different game. Overall, though, coach Turner Gill called an uncommonly careful offensive game.
Still, it can’t diminish what Willy accomplished in his four years at UB. Gill inherited him when he took over in 2006. Early on, there was a sense that Willy was keeping the job warm until Gill, who had been a star quarterback at Nebraska, recruited someone better.
But Gill challenged Willy to be a better player and leader. Willy had a reputation in his younger days for hanging his head, for letting mistakes get to him. Gill told him a QB couldn’t behave that way. Teammates were watching. He had to exude an air of confidence.
He listened, and he learned. Willy leaves as UB’s career leader in passing yards and touchdowns. There are many reasons for UB’s rise to Mid-American Conference champion. But its emergence wouldn’t have been possible if the guy at the most important position hadn’t become a leader and star.
“He’ll be very, very difficult to replace,” Gill said.
Willy’s college career is over. He graduated in 3z ye 1/2 r 1/3 , with a degree in communications. He’ll be heading home to New Jersey next week. Willy is seen as a possible late-round NFL draft choice.
“I’m ready to go prove myself,” Willy said. “Coming from a smaller school, playing on national TV has helped get my stock up. I’ll start training this Monday, actually.”
He has his certificate in public relations and advertising. But if pro ball doesn’t work out, Willy might like to try his hand as a coach. Gill showed him how much a coach can influence a kid’s life. Maybe he’s done passing, but there’s a lot he can pass on.
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