CNNSI.com - 2000 College Football Preview - CNNSI.com's Buffalo preview

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Buffalo Bulls

Nowhere to go but up

College Football: The New Century

'99: 0-11, 0-8 MAC

Coach

Craig Cirbus (sixth season, 17-38)

Key offensive players

Joe Freedy, QB, Jr.
Completed 151-of-299 passes for 1,775 yards and eight touchdowns in 1999.

David Pruce, OT, Sr.
Three-year starter returns to left tackle after two years at guard.

Key defensive players

Chris Shelly, LB, Jr.
Led the team in tackles last year with 89, including five for a loss.

Ivan Maisel's Player of the Century: Gerry Philbin, DE, 1961-63
Two-time All-American later played for Joe Namath's Super Bowl Jets.

Brightest Moment: The 1958 Lambert Cup winning team (recognizing Eastern supremacy) went 8-1 with wins over traditional Ivy League powers Harvard and Columbia. Captains received the trophy on the Ed Sullivan Show that year.

Lowest Moment: The decision in January 1971 to drop football nine years after UB was recognized as a major by the NCAA. It would take Buffalo another 29 years before it would return to major-college football.

Chris Rohlfs, FS, Jr.
Led the team with 51 solo tackles and tied for MAC lead with five interceptions.

Key newcomer

Albert Grundy, FB, Jr.
The signee from Valley Forge (Pa.) Military Academy is expected to start after scoring 12 touchdowns last year at Valley Forge.

Throwback player

Offensive lineman Josh Stello has played both nose guard and offensive guard during his career. He spent the summer working on a garbage truck. When asked what three people he would have dinner with on a questionnaire he answered Joe Greene, Jack Lambert and Dick Butkus.

21st century player

Outside linebacker Duane runs a 4.6 40-yard dash. He transferred from Vermilion Junior College in Minnesota where he played both basketball and football.

Fast fact

Buffalo has blocked 21 kicks since 1995.

Outlook

The Bulls still have a long way to go in order to compete with the top teams in the MAC. Three wins would be about the most to hope for this season. But the Bulls have improved, and could surprise someone this fall. This team allowed only 12 sacks last year, but it is yet to be seen if the new defensive alignment can stop other teams. The future looks bright after the 2000 season.

--Stan Crawley