UB seeks to make statement vs. Pitt
Bulls are ready for Big East foe
The University at Buffalo flirted with postseason play and won a share of a league championship last season. The Bulls can add legitimacy to that revival and reach another milestone Saturday when they travel to play Pittsburgh.
UB’s players and coaches have talked all week about the significance of the game, and how it would boost the Bulls’ standing in the Mid-American Conference and nationally. If they needed a reminder, all they have to do is think back to last Saturday when the MAC’s Bowling Green knocked off the then 25th ranked Panthers.
Several of the Bulls watched the game together last Saturday in which the Falcons defeated the Panthers, 27-17, and Bowling Green caused quite a stir.
“We got excited,” said senior left tackle Ray Norell. “Any time that a MAC school goes in and beats a Big [East] team, it’s huge. We’re hoping we can go in there and play as hard as we can and we can come out with a win, too.”
The Bulls had two reactions to the Bowling Green upset: They should be able to match up against the Panthers and the Falcons are better than they thought.
“Bowling Green is a team we’ve always had trouble with, so we have to pay attention to them,” said junior defensive tackle Dane Robinson.
Considering Bowling Green has been down this path before — the Falcons defeated Minnesota in the 2007 season opener — the upset wasn’t surprising to the Bulls.
“Bowling Green is a very good football team and they’ve been good over the years so it’s not a total shock as far as them having an opportunity to beat Pittsburgh,” said UB coach Turner Gill. “They caused turnovers and that was the difference in the ball game.”
But the Bulls don’t have to worry about Bowling Green until Nov. 21 — perhaps with the MAC East Division title on the line — and their focus is squarely on Pitt. UB players and coaches expect enough of their fans to make the nearly four-hour drive to Pittsburgh and create at least a smidgen of the UB Stadium electricity. The Panthers dropped out of the national ranking after their season-opening loss to the Falcons, but that doesn’t matter to the Bulls. Pitt is still from the Big East.
UB’s players feel as though they need a breakthrough victory to truly make a claim to a place among the MAC’s elite.
“Right now, our confidence is high,” Robinson said. “Coach Gill tells us, ‘You have a right to be confident,’ not cocky because it’s only one game and there are 11 more and we have to do it consistently. Pittsburgh has some questions that need to be answered and that may be something that plays into our favor.”
Still, Gill cautioned his team about losing focus.
“You’re going to have to play better every single week, no matter what the opponent has done the previous week,” Gill told his team. “We have established ourselves as a pretty good football team and once you get to that situation, you’re going to have to play at a higher level every single week.”
At least there won’t be any star gazing. Past trips to Auburn, Boston College, Wisconsin and Penn State have prepared UB for what’s to come on Saturday.
“I remember the first game at Auburn, everyone was a little wide-eyed,” Norell said. “Now that we’re experienced, it’s just another field, another place. Their field is the same size as ours. Sometimes you have more people watching than in other games, but it’s a fun experience to play in, it’s exciting but I don’t think it changes a lot of us more experienced guys.”
