COACH AND PROGRAM
Jim Hofher’s first season as head coach at Buffalo was marked by several positives that would often go unnoticed with bigger, more established football programs.
But, because the Bulls have only been back in the Division I-A ranks since 1999, it’s important to note the strides made. So for the record, Buffalo’s 2001 season was a success because the Bulls because they ...
• Won three games for the first time since joining the Mid-American Conference.
• Ended an 18-game road-losing streak with a 37-20 win at Connecticut on Sept. 22.
• Broke a 16-game losing streak on artificial surfaces with a 26-19 win at Army.
• Recorded back-to-back wins for the first time since 1998.
• Defeated Ohio, a team that had beaten them by a combined score of 137-26 in their previous three meetings, 44-0, to earn their first MAC shutout.
All are signs of progress, but the Bulls still have a long way to go, and Hofher, who played quarterback for George Seifert at Cornell, is determined to lead them toward the top of the pack in the MAC.
"We want to win every game and we prepare that way," he said. "Football requires players to execute assignments, to work hard, to be disciplined and to work together. We are going to teach our players to do those things."
With just 14 seniors on their roster, the Bulls are young and have not had a chance to build a great deal of depth. Hofher will play the best players he has, regardless of age or experience, which means some hands-on learning will take place during games. Though it may cost Buffalo points, and maybe even some games, it will make the program better in the long run.
"Mentally, he has a very good grasp on what we are trying to do," Hofher said. "He’s definitely a work in progress. We know that and he knows that."
Secky’s solid size, arm strength and mobility will help him cope with his lack of game experience. He appeared in just four games last season, completing 15-of-35 passes for 153 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
"He’s a tall guy with good movement, a good arm, a non-complicated throwing motion and he’s going to get better," Hofher said.
P.J. Piskorik and Jeff Powell , a pair of red-shirt freshmen, were part of Hofher’s first recruiting class and will begin the season as Secky’s primary backups.
Piskorik (6-0, 205) is UB’s most athletic quarterback, having run for 1,343 yards and passed for 1,433 yards during his senior season at Wyoming Valley West High School in Pennsylvania. He is more of a runner than a thrower, but he has the ability to make plays despite his youth and inexperience.
Powell (6-3, 215), showed steady improvement throughout his first season on campus and capped it by throwing the only touchdown pass in the Bulls’ spring game.
RUNNING BACKS
Though diminutive, junior Marquis Dwarte possesses excellent strength and quickness and has led the Bulls in rushing each of the last two seasons. Dwarte (5-6, 170) ran for 546 yards and scored seven touchdowns in 2001 and could move into the top five on UB’s all-time rushing list with another strong season.
The Bulls lack experience behind Dwarte, but have some young talent in red-shirt freshmen Aaron Leeper and Dave Dawson. Leeper (5-10, 184) earned USA Today Player-of-the- Year honors in New York after running for 2,269 yards and 47 touchdowns for Jamestown High School in 2000. Dawson (5-8, 180) is similar to Dwarte in quickness and stature and looked good in the spring before suffering an elbow injury. He will be back at full speed when camp opens. Sophomore David Alabi (5-9, 205) is looking to earn time as well.
Junior Tom Shaughnessy (6-1, 236) didn’t have a carry all of last season but is a bruising blocker and capable receiver at fullback. Senior Jason Montanez (5-11, 224) will also see time in the backfield.
WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS
These two positions should definitely be strengths for the Bulls, who return their top six pass catchers (including Dwarte) from 2001.
Andre Forde , Maurice Bradford and Matt Knueven , UB’s top three wide receivers, all had surgery in the off-season and missed spring drills, which actually could turn out to be a blessing for a couple of reasons. First, all three are expected back at full speed in the summer. Second, it gave other players a chance to take reps and improve during drills.
Forde (6-0, 208), a two-year starter, is Buffalo’s most experienced wideout. The senior finished fourth on the team with 23 catches last year even though his season ended after he suffered a broken collarbone in the seventh week. He already ranks 10th in school history with 77 career receptions. Bradford (5-10, 172), also a senior, made the switch from tailback to receiver after transferring from Morrisville Junior College and finished tied for second on the team with 35 catches for 498 yards. The speedster is coming off of a knee injury. Knueven (6-1, 200) was one of only two freshmen to play last season and is coming off of shoulder surgery. A precise route-runner with good hands, he made 35 catches for 443 yards and scored twice.
Additional depth will come from seniors Dan Lindsay (5-10, 190), Adam Johnson (6-5, 210) and Bam McDonald (5-9, 182) and red-shirt freshmen Tim Dance (5-11, 185) and Gabe McClover (6-2, 210). Lindsay caught 17 passes last season while Johnson worked at quarterback and McDonald at tailback.
The Bulls are also expecting excellence from senior Chad Bartoszek , who they are touting as a candidate for the John Mackey Award given to the nation’s top tight end. Bartoszek (6-6, 255), an honorable mention All-MAC selection in 2001, led the Bulls with 42 receptions and gained 441 yards and scored four touchdowns last season.
OFFENSIVE LINE
It’s no secret that Buffalo played better in the second half of last season because the offensive line played better. The Bulls averaged just 70.6 yards rushing in their first five games, but more than doubled their output to 149.5 in games six through 11 and a big reason was the men up front. Still, there is plenty of room to improve.
Buffalo loses Tim Hedges, a two-year starter, but returns virtually everybody else and then some. Left tackle Andy Avery (6-7, 262), center Eric Weber (6-5, 301), right guard Erik Zeppuhar (6-4, 270) and right tackle Jeff Mills (6-5, 288) started all 11 games together last season and junior Matt Baniewicz (6-1, 260), a 10-game starter in 2000, has returned to the team after taking a voluntary leave of absence last season.
"The good news is that the guys returning have played a lot," Hofher said. "The bad news is that they are all still young."
He’s not kidding. Avery, a District I Academic All-American, and Mills are juniors and Weber and Zeppuhar are sophomores.
Sophomore Dan Minocchi (6-2, 270) and red-shirt freshmen Mike Schifano (6-5, 270) and Ted Howard (6-4, 275) are contending for the starting job at left guard. Depth, something that has been scarce since the Bulls joined the MAC in 1999, will come from juniors Kevin Dunn (6-2, 264) and Alex Alvarez (6-4, 290), sophomore Will Paris (6-2, 320) and red-shirt freshman Zachary Love (6-4, 285).
DEFENSIVE LINE
The Bulls will need to find some answers fast after graduating all four starters on a defense that allowed opponents to run for more than 177 yards per game.
Buffalo will be lighter and quicker after losing tackles Bob Dzvonick (6-1, 284), a four-year starter, and Omari Jordan (6-6, 299). Junior Marcus Clarett (6-1, 280) started the final three games in 2001 after Dzvonick went down with an injury and will be in the mix this fall. Junior Terrance Dawson (6-3, 275) and sophomore Craig Johnson (6-1, 290) logged some game time last season and red-shirt freshmen Bill Meholif (6-2, 250) and Rob Schroeder (6-4, 250), a converted tight end, and junior college transfer Rashad Clark (6-4, 240), a former Marine, will also compete for time inside.
Buffalo switched to a 4-3 scheme before last season and looks for its ends to provide speed and quickness off the edge. Anthony Andriano (6-3, 237) showed enough as a freshman to earn some time last season and should play his way into a starting spot this season. Andriano made 25 tackles, including six for losses, and a sack in his first season and starred in his only start with 12 tackles at Army.
LINEBACKERS
The reconstruction continues at linebacker where junior Lamar Wilcher (6-2, 230) is the only returning starter. Wilcher, a bruising hitter in the middle, finished fourth on the team with 70 tackles, including 36 solos, despite missing two games due to injury last season.
Sophomore Rodney Morris , Wilcher’s backup in 2001, earned a starting spot outside with a strong spring. Quickness is a strong attribute for Morris (5-11, 220), who made most of his noise on special teams last season, finishing with 14 tackles.
Senior Deonne McClelland (6-1, 220), a converted safety, fills the other outside spot. McClelland transferred to UB from Scottsdale (Ariz.) Junior College and made 14 tackles and an interception last season.
Seniors Ryan Buttles (6-1, 218) and Jason Coley (6-1, 210) are experienced backups.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Three starters return to make this one of the deepest and most experienced positions on the team, in spite of the Bulls’ youth.
Senior Mike Lambert , junior Mark Graham and sophomore J.J. Gibson started all 11 games together last season and will anchor the defense. Lambert (5-10, 185) is a big hitter who ranked second on the team with three interceptions. He also made 47 tackles and broke up nine passes. Graham (6-1, 190) shifts from corner to free safety this spring, replacing four-year starter Craig Rohlfs. Graham made 55 tackles and led the Bulls with 10 pass breakups. Gibson (5-9, 178), another fierce hitter, made an immediate impact in his first season as a starter, setting a school record for freshmen with 108 tackles.
Senior Dahnel Singfield (6-0, 182) returns after a season away from the team and could compete for the other corner spot with sophomore Darren Hicks (5-8, 164). Red-shirt freshmen Kevin Concepcion (5-11, 180) and Gemara Williams (5-8, 170) could also factor in along with the five defensive backs included in this year’s recruiting class.
RECRUITING CLASS
The foundation of any good program is its talent, and Hofher is doing the best he can to make the necessary upgrades at Buffalo. The Bulls have done a good job of keeping some of the better players in western New York at home, but are also willing to tap into the strong talent bases in Pennsylvania and Ohio to expedite the process.
Hofher is bringing in two junior college players, Clark and linebacker Chris Clifton (6-3, 237), to plug into a defense that was devastated by graduation.
Hofher added a pair of recruits in April, Ananias Boyd of Bethel High School in Hampton, Va. and Rickey Bethel of Santaluces High in Lantana, Fla.
Boyd (5-9, 210) excelled as both a running back and defensive back at Bethel High, the alma mater of Allen Iverson, earning four letters and serving as captain as a senior. An All-District selection his final three seasons, he scored 23 touchdowns in his career, including 15 as a senior.
Bethel (5-11, 180) earned first-team All-Florida honors as an "athlete" while playing quarterback and defensive back at the highest level of football in the state.
He also was voted as MVP of the prestigious Outback Steakhouse Senior Game after making two interceptions. At quaterback, Bethel compiled more than 2,000 all-purpose yards and scored 15 touchdowns his senior season. He projects to be a defensive back with the Bulls.
BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
Buffalo milked everything it could out of its defense last season and the results showed up on the scoreboard as it recorded three wins for the first time since rejoining the Division I-A ranks in 1999.
The Bulls showed marked improvement while limiting opponents to 26 points per game, after giving up an average of 41 during the 2000 season. With an inexperienced quarterback and seven new starters on defense, things could be much more difficult this season.
The offensive line returns four starters and will need to be solid as Secky takes control at quarterback. Bartoszek should be among the best in the conference at tight end, and there are some potential playmakers at wide receiver. Dwarte has already led the Bulls in rushing for two seasons, but is a bit undersized. The key will be minimizing game-breaking mistakes and giving Secky some time to grow. In fact, he’ll need to come along fast and put some points on the board to give Buffalo a chance most weeks.
The defense lost a lot of size—and all four starters—up front and will need to find able replacements early in order to avoid being pushed around. The linebacking corps also took a hit to graduation, but the Bulls have some young players with speed who should fit into their 4-3 scheme well. The secondary should be strong with three returning starters, including Gibson, who made 108 tackles as a freshman. This unit will be young and make some mistakes. Limiting the number of big plays allowed is crucial.
The Bulls have adequate personnel at punter and kicker, but need to play better on their return and coverage units to give them favorable field position on a more consistent basis.
Buffalo hired a proven winner in Hofher and the program should continue to grow as the talent base improves. The Bulls are still a couple of years away from challenging the league’s better programs.
