ADVERSITY BUILDS CHARACTER
The UB football team and its fans have another character-building opportunity as the Bulls lose third in a row, this time to visiting Kent State
Image from ubbulls.com
I will promise you one thing, UB fans: I am never turning into this guy.
Look, we’re as disappointed as any fans by the University at Buffalo football team’s 30-27 overtime loss to Kent State at UB Stadium on Saturday. But if you’ve come here to read an angry broadside…sorry, man. I don’t know what to tell you. Adversity shows character and I’d like to think I’m not a dick.
So let’s sift through the wreckage together, everyone. We won’t turn a blind eye to the issues, but we’ll keep it respectful.
These Befuddling Bulls
Image from ubbulls.com
If you saw the game, you know what happened. If not, Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News summed it up pretty well:
But oops, they did it again, and the day ended with another breakdown by the Bulls (5-6, 4-3 Mid-American Conference), who were in position for a third time to win a sixth game and earn bowl eligibility.
Instead, the latest letdown came in the final nine minutes against Kent State, after Alex McNulty’s 33-yard field goal attempt caromed off the right upright. The Golden Flashes (5-7, 4-4) erased UB’s 14-point lead by scoring two fourth-quarter touchdowns: Ja’Shaun Poke’s 10-yard run with 5:56 left in regulation, and Marquez Cooper’s 2-yard run with one minute left, followed by Poke’s game-tying 2-point conversion catch.
The Bulls allowed Tommy Ulatowski, Kent State’s third-string quarterback, to open up the field. They made critical mistakes late in the game, including a pass interference call against Isaiah King on Kent State’s 2-point conversion attempt with a minute left that set up Poke’s conversion catch.
In overtime, they couldn’t find much fluidity in their offense, even with a newfound running armament in quarterback Matt Myers, and UB accrued only 12 yards on six plays in their only overtime possession.
McNulty’s field goal ended UB’s first possession of overtime and gave the Bulls a 27-24 lead, and Devontez Walker’s touchdown in overtime capped off UB’s third consecutive loss, and the second game in which it lost a double-digit lead in the second half. UB also lost a 17-point halftime lead in a 31-27 loss Nov. 9 at Central Michigan.
Three Troubling Questions from Week 11
1. Why did it take 11 games for Matt Myers to get into the lineup?
The former West Seneca West star’s never had monster numbers in his UB career, but he’s had moments.
Myers threw for 245 yards and a touchdown against Penn State back in 2019. He accounted for three touchdowns against Bowling Green (one of the more notorious meltdowns of the Maurice Linguist era) and was 16-for-23 for 162 yards and a touchdown in Buffalo’s overtime loss to eventual MAC champ Northern Illinois last season.
He’s not nothing. Considering the inconsistent nature of the Bulls offense—it did everything on Saturday but score enough points1—how is it possible that Myers was on the shelf for almost three full months?
Sure, the Red Grange offense isn't going to work every week, but Myers can actually throw the ball, too. Wouldn't that be a pretty sneaky weapon every now and again?
While we're on the subject of mysterious disappearances—even as impact players like wide receiver Jamari Gassett and Ron Cook miss time with injuries—where's Khamran Laborn? Boobie Curry? Jovany Ruiz? Tre Hines? Ali Fisher? Caron Robinson?
These players were either past contributors (Ruiz), touted transfers (Laborn, Curry, Hines), or three-star recruits with huge reputations in their home states (Fisher in Michigan, Robinson in New York).
None of the guys can contribute? Are they hurt? Are we saving them for 2025? What’s going on here?
Matt Pajuste was a one of the top offensive lineman in Philadelphia as a high schooler. He can't get any snaps? Same with fellow big bodies Janik Ogunlade and Artese Gregory—our depth is this thin?
2. What’s behind the defensive collapses?
Image from ubbulls.com
Linguist was very vocal about the fourth quarter shutouts his defense posted over five consecutive games—all wins. And that was great!
The flip side’s been ugly, unfortunately.
The Bulls gave up 16 points over the final 17:32 of a 37-31 loss to Holy Cross.
The defense surrendered 17 points over the final 16:14 in a 38-26 loss to Coastal Carolina (a blocked UB punt also led to another CCU touchdown).
Buffalo was scorched for 14 fourth-quarter points in a 45-24 loss to Ohio, a one-score game heading into the final frame.
Quarterback Bert Emanuel, Jr. scored three touchdowns and produced 288 yards of second-half offense, leading Central Michigan back from a 24-7 halftime deficit to beat the Bulls, 31-27, on national television. Adjustments made: zero.
And then there was yesterday: two touchdowns in the final six minutes of the game, and then a third in overtime.
Brutal.
Everything is situational, of course. The offense clunks to a halt. Punts fizzle, special teams units allow monster returns. Refs make questionable calls. The defense has been put in bad spots all year long.
Here’s the bottom line: the Bulls could have at least three more wins—perhaps a MAC East title?—if the defense tightened the screws at the right moments.
Linebacker James Patterson offered fairly harsh criticism in The Buffalo News, calling out his teammates and his coaches:
There’s just situations we’ve really got to understand better, just as a whole organization. Not just players, but players and coaches. We have to understand that in the moment, it means the most. You really have to keep fighting in those positions, where we’re up 14 points. I think it's on me because I bet guys get a little too lax and have a little fun on the sideline. I think I'll put that on me. If I could go back, I’d really just tell guys, ‘finish, finish, finish.’
Is that it? Overconfidence? Taking their eye off the ball? Love you, James, but not sure it’s that simple.
Arguably the five most impactful players2 on the Buffalo defense—safeties Marcus Fuqua and Jahmin Muse, linebackers Patterson and Shaun Dolac (the new single-season solo tackling leader in Bulls’ history and the national leader in solo tackles), and hybrid Keyshawn Cobb—average 64 snaps per game, and over 700 on the season. That’s the core of the defense, right up the middle, who’ve taken the bulk of the action, game after game.
Defensive end Ibrahim Kante grades out as one of the worst tackling edge rushers in the nation (a cool 27.2 on a scale of 100, according to PFF.com) and has a missed tackle percentage of 33%—easily the highest on the team among the regulars. Fellow edge rushers Max Michel and Damian Jackson have miss percentages around 25%. Fuqua’s at roughly 23%. Cornerback Caleb Offord and defensive tackle Daymond Williams are at 20%. As a team, Buffalo is ranked as the 104th nationally in tackling. That’s in the bottom 20% of the FBS.
Individually, missing one tackle out of five won’t kill you. When you have five players among your snap leaders who miss one in five…you start to see some holes.
Here’s another problem: UB’s defense is 100th in the country in allowing explosive plays, smoking visibly from giving up 61 plays of 20+ yards. Is it fatigue? Is it poor tackling? Are these two things related? Regardless, getting burned that often clearly is not going to work.
3. Who’s running the show here?
Image from ubbulls.com
I’m not here to call for Coach Mo’s job, which is dumb. He’s in Season Two, the team—for all its struggles—is clearly improved over last season. An unbiased observer notes the Bulls still lack depth on defense (see those snap counts and missed tackle numbers above) and special teams (the 119th-ranked kick defense, the 122nd-ranked punt defense, and 127th net punting unit in the FBS). That’s not a recipe for consistent success.
Therein lies the rub, folks—as currently constructed, Buffalo’s not good enough to compete for the conference title.
I thought they were. The last three games have proven me wrong.
In the meantime, Coach Mo has to do Coach Mo stuff: keep the morale high, get donors to open their wallets, and recruit, recruit, recruit.
Real talk: the biggest issues are the coordinators. If you want to hold Linguist accountable for something, it’s the personnel he’s put in critical positions.
In two seasons under offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery, the Bulls have struggled to get the right pieces in the right place at the right time.
Once again, UB is incapable of hitting big plays—117th in the country (tied with Navy, a team that literally does not throw the ball) in plays of 20 yards or more.
Montgomery is also the quarterbacks coach; seeing Snyder struggle to progress while Kyle Vantrease, the starter from 2019 to 2021, transfer to Georgia Southern and become one of the most exciting QBs in the country isn’t exactly a mark in Coach Shane’s favor. Matt Myers sat on the bench for the entire season.
The offensive line hasn’t improved. PFF.com has the unit ranked 112th in run blocking and 89th in pass blocking. O-line coach Matt Stansfield, in his second season, inherited a handful of starters in 2021—the new bunch has not lived up to the standards of years past.
Wide receivers Justin Marshall and Quian Williams remain underutilized. The shuffling of the running backs has been befuddling. The tight ends, while likely the best blockers on the team, are barely involved in the attack.
Twenty-three games into his stint as the brains behind the offense and we somehow have an up-tempo attack that grinds the ball into the ground. Great.
Montgomery consistently asks Snyder, an inexperienced college quarterback with a developing arm, make snap RPO decisions or drop back to go deep behind a highly suspect line. Is it any surprise this stopped working? Is it any surprise Snyder looks like he just got murdered every time he’s sacked? Or that his turnovers have increased? The most important asset on the team is being abused.
Defensively, Brandon Bailey—or is it Coach Mo?—has a unit that gets gashed by big plays, can’t put heat on opposing quarterbacks (opposing quarterbacks literally run wild), and squander leads.
Yes, he’s a first-year coordinator. Yes, the talent level needs to keep going up. Seeing the same problems resurface over and over—to experience an actual regression over the last few weeks—and to watch the slow development of younger players who just don’t get on the field is frustrating, gang. It’s frustrating.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Image from ubbulls.com
Well, a win would be nice. Buffalo faces Akron on Friday at 1 p.m. (ESPN+) at UB Stadium in the season finale. A victory may or may not get the Bulls into a bowl game. While that magic win number six makes a team bowl-eligible, there’s no guarantee UB gets an offer.
The Zips (2-9, 1-6) are bad—but they did whip up on Northern Illinois, 44-12, on Saturday. That’s a big deal for a team that won three games in the past three years. A victory at UB would mean something to Coach Joe Moorhead’s squad.
The crowd will likely be sparse. The weather’s going to be gray and cold. It’s going to feel grim.
But forget that narrative.
It’s James Patterson’s (pictured above) last game—that is cause for joy and appreciation, a celebration of a great career. Let’s say it again: put a statue of James Patterson in front of UB Stadium.
It’s probably the last time we’ll see Quian Williams and Justin Marshall.
Will Ron Cook be back? Gabe Wallace? Matt Myers? Those guys have been through a lot with this team.
Appreciate Keyshawn Cobb and Jahmin Muse one more time. Appreciate Elijah Blades, who I believe will be in the National Football League sometime soon. Appreciate all of these guys in Blue and White, because with the transfer portal, you never know who you’ll see for the last time.
Adversity shows character. If you’re reading this newsletter (and reading this far), then you’re one of the hardcore. We’re the hardcore. We can show that we’re cynics and give up on this team, this season—or we can keep on believing, and reap the rewards when the time comes.
Let’s have some fun, and get this win.
Horns up, everyone. Better days will come.
The Bulls held onto the ball for over 38 minutes; ran 83 plays; rushed for 181 yards; scored on four of five red zone appearances; converted four of four fourth downs; and converted only six of 18 third down opportunities, but that was still one more than Kent State. Here’s how they lost: UB only picked up 346 total yards, suffered from abysmal special teams (I know, it was windy), lost a sure first-quarter touchdown when KSU cornerback Montre Miller had a nice break-up (perhaps actually forced a fumble?) on a Cole Snyder pass that hit Justin Marshall in stride down the sideline, saw RB Al-Jay Henderson leave the game with an injury, and allowed a 3rd-and-6 sack on Snyder with an eight-point lead and 2:55 left in the game when a first down would’ve gone a long way towards sealing the deal. It didn’t help that the defense then allowed a third-string QB to march 76 yards in the next 1:24 to collect the game-tying touchdown and two-point conversion. Damn.
I’d add DT Daymond Williams in here, as well, but he’s taken significantly fewer snaps.