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It's Reddens-giving in Buffalo!
One of the more disappointing sights of this season was that of Adam Redden coming out from halftime on crutches during the Kent State game. He had injured himself on a tackle of Kent's waterbug Dri Archer (Seriously, how glad are we that he won't be in the MAC anymore?)
When news came out that Redden likely had a knee sprain and would be out for several weeks, I didn't really know what to expect. Bowl game? Potential MAC Championship Game? (Could we make the MAC CG without Redden?) I didn't have a ton of confidence in Okezie Alozie after he committed a pass interference penalty in which he didn't turn around to find the ball, and another which he was forced to take to prevent a touchdown, but was out of position after stepping up to guard the run. After that half, though, Alozie and other have stepped into Tepper's scheme and the Swiss-Army-Knife role admirably.
Even so, we all know that Redden's return would signal an improvement. About two weeks after the injury, there was news that the hybrid DB was targeting Bowling Green for his return. He was dressed for last week's game vs Miami, and did not play, which was a wise decision in the vein of Branden Oliver sitting out the Stony Brook game, and it seemed then that Buffalo would add Redden to its defensive arsenal for the biggest game of the year.
Bob DiCesare of The Buffalo News is reporting today that not only is Redden set to go for Bowling Green, but he's looking to step fully back into his role. For a game between the two top defenses in the conference and two offenses averaging 35 and 33 points per game, the addition of an All-MAC DB could make a huge difference for the Bulls.
Oh, and with the forecast projecting a highs below 30 throughout the week and some light breeze on Friday, there's always this:
“I love the snow, love the cold,” Redden said. “I love the fact we’re playing at the Bills’ stadium, makes us feel right at home and gets a bigger crowd there for us. Home-field advantage and a big turnout, it makes you feel good that I can actually represent Buffalo in a good way, winning and putting out for the city.
“This is for all the marbles in the bag,” Redden said. “This is what we play for. This is why we have the 12-game season. This here proves who deserves to win the MAC East title and I know it’s us.”
Happy Redden-mas everyone.