Buffalo Bulls: Odds Stacked Against Inexperienced Roster
By Paul Taylor
If you’re looking for the Buffalo Bulls to build on a promising 2015 campaign, the chances are you’re going to be extremely disappointed.
The Buffalo Bulls enjoyed an interesting first season under Lance Leipold. At one point, they were sitting proudly at 5-4, before closing out the 2015 campaign with three consecutive losses.
Unfortunately for Bulls fans, if they’re expecting the team to continue to progress this year, they will likely be left disappointed. For a start, it is generally accepted they have an extremely difficult schedule to contend with. (This is made even worse, by the fact their bye will come in week two.)
However, of more significance, is the lack of continuity on the roster. This season, the Bulls will have seven new starters on offense, along with four more on the defensive side.
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Just to accentuate the youth on the roster, only two of the second-teamers have ever started a game. In total, the Bulls have 42 newcomers on their 105-man roster, up from 29 this time last year.
Bulls head coach Lance Leipold discussed his roster with The Buffalo News‘ Mark Gaughan and the rest of the local media on Tuesday: “Forty-two new players in this camp is a lot of players who have to learn what our expectations are just in the daily routine.
“If you look at the roster, there’s a lot of guys who’ve never been through a fall camp here. We’ve got to rely on our older players and the coaching staff to get them acclimated as quick as possible.”
Just in case anyone thinks Leipold is overplaying the youth factor, consider that college football analyst Phil Steele ranks the Bulls as the fourth most inexperienced roster in the nation. Steele used factors such as seniors, letter winners, returning tacklers and offensive line returnees to produce his rankings.
The four-time AFCA Division III Coach of the Year admits the roster inexperience belies the fact it’s Year Two under his leadership: “We’re almost more new this fall than what we were a year ago – that’s part of what Year Two challenges can be sometimes in the transition.”
One of the biggest questions surrounding the Bulls, is who will be their starting quarterback, when the team takes to the field for the season-opener against Albany? Grant Rohach and Tryee Jackson are still taking equal snaps and although Leipold has expressed confidence in both, someone needs to step up and seize the opportunity.
Save for the talk of both quarterbacks playing this season, whoever get the nod will have a lot to live up to in replacing Joe Licata, who left Buffalo as the career leader in passing yards and touchdown throws. Highlights of his career included taking the school to their second ever bowl appearance in 2013 and setting a single-season record with 29 passing touchdowns during the 2014 campaign.
Although there will be four new starters on defense, there is still more continuity on this side of the ball. Of the top 22 defenders, 19 are entering their second year in defensive coordinator Brian Borland’s scheme.
Leipold brough Borland with him, when he left the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. As such, you know the Bulls head coach has faith in his colleague.
Leipold said: “Defensively, they’re understanding the scheme so much more it’s allowing us to get through more in practice. We’re not repeating as much, which allows us to keep building and correct techniques, which hopefully allow you to have more success.”
Overall, you imagine the Bulls will rely on their defense a lot this season, especially if the quarterback situation can’t be resolved. Long-term the program should be just fine, but expect more downs than ups in 2016.
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What are you expecting from the Bulls this season? Do you expect them to continue to improve from last year, or will their lack of experience be too much to overcome? Let us know in the comments section below.