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Goat of the Year #2 - The Secondary
Despite a ferocious front 7, UB struggled on defense in big games. Much of the blame was put on the UB secondary, and I agree, they earned the penultimate Goat of the year honors.
UB was 113th in the nation with twenty 40+ yard plays given up in 2013, 109th in the nation with thirty-five 30+ yard plays allowed and 86th in the nation with sixty-two 20+ yard plays allowed. The secondary was neither able to prevent the big pass play nor support the run defense and prevent the long run.
120 of the 317 points allowed this year were from 20+ yard scores (37.9%). 48.3% of all the scores in UB's five losses came as a result of a 20+ yard score.
UB struggled allowing 7.4 yards per attempt 83rd in the nation. The pass defense weakened when UB fell behind, giving up 10 yards per attempt and allowing 7 TDs vs only 1 INT.
Finally the secondary made it necessary to rush 3 men and drop 8, a strategy that was rarely effective in anything but driving me crazy.
Single Game and Single Season Records
- Najja Johnson joins Gemara Williams and Domonic Cook as the only Bulls to lead the team in passes defended in 3 consecutive seasons.
Khalil Mack
- Mark Graham was the only player to lead the Bulls in Sacks and Tackles in one season. In 2003, Graham had 84 tackles and 3 sacks. In 2012 Mack matched that feat leading the Bulls with 94 tackles and 8 sacks. In 2013 Mack became the first Bull to lead the team in tackles with 100, in sacks with 10.5 and in interceptions with 3.
- Mack's 19 tackles for loss is tied for 5th in UB history with Larry Hutchingson (2007), Keith Hansen (1996) and Rich Dadabo (1990).
- Khalil Mack's 10.5 sacks is tied with Tim Teicher (1987) for 3rd place in UB history.
- Khalil Mack's 5 forced fumbles is 2nd best in UB history. Mack tied himself for 2nd most forced fumbles in a season.
- Mack becomes the first LB with a share of the team lead in INTs since Duane Williams in 2000.
Tyler Grassman
- Tyler Grassman's 71 punts is good for 8th in UB history, his 2,841 yards is good for 6th overall and his 40-yard punt average is good for 6th all-time.
- Clarke finished 4th in UB history with 13 field goals made and 2nd in UB history with 45 extra points made. His 84 points scored tied AJ Principe's record for a kicker set in 2008 and tied Principe and Starks 2007 for points scored by all players.
- With a 51-yard field goal against WMU, Clarke kicked the 5th longest field goal in UB history tied with Mark Mozrall and Gerald Carlson
Devin Campbell
- Devin Campbell's 96 yard TD return against EMU was the 3rd longest kickoff return in UB history.
- Campbell finished the season tied for 4th with 28 kick returns and 3rd in kick return yards with 669 yards.
Branden Oliver
- BO joins Anthony Swan as the only two Bulls to lead the team in rushing every year for 4 years.
- BO tied his own record with 8 100-yard games. His 4.95 yards per carry is good for 8th in UB history. His 15 rushing TDs tied O.D. Underwood for 3rd in UB history, one shy of the record set by Lee Jones and tied by James Starks.
- BO broke his own records in attempts with 310 and Yards with 1535 raising the bar by 202 from Starks' previous record of 1333.
- Oliver was a TD short of tying Starks' 2008 record of 102 points. Oliver was able to tie 2nd place scorer Lee Jones who scored 96 points in 1966.
- Oliver with 1,708 all-purpose yards was not able to break the record he set in 2011, but was still able to finish 2nd.
- BO broke a UB record with 43 carries vs UMass, and tied for 8th place with 34 carries vs Ohio. BO is 1st, 6th and tied for 8th twice on the all time single game attempts list.
- Branden Oliver had the #2 running game in UB history, 249 yards against Ohio. He also had the 7th best running day with 216 yards against UMass. Oliver now has the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th and 11th best running days in UB history.
- No other back had more than two 200-yard games as a Bull, BO had 4.
- Branden Oliver's 4 TDs vs Kent State tied Anthony Swan and Pat Whitehead for 3rd most in a game in UB history.
- Licata finished 6th in completion percentage at 58%. Licata finished 3rd in completions with 233 and 4th in attempts with 402.
- Licata threw for 2,824 yards becoming the 3rd UB QB to throw for over 2,800 yards in a season. Drew Willy threw for 3,304 yards in 2008 and Chad Salisbury threw for 2,889 yards in 1997.
- Licata finished 5th in total offense with 2,760 yards.
- Licata becomes only the 5th UB QB to lead the team in passing while throwing 5 more TDs than interceptions.
- Licata is the 2nd UB QB to throw for 20+ TDs.
- Licata finished 2nd to Drew Willy's 25 TDs in 2008 with 24 TD passes.
- Licata's 25 TDs Rush & Pass puts him at 3rd in UB history behind Willy's 29 TDs in 2008 and Cliff Scott's 27 TDs in 1992.
- Licata's 4 TDs vs Toledo is tied (with Marty Barrett, Drew Willy, Zack Maynard, Jerry Davis and Alex Zordich) for 3rd most in a game by a UB Bull.
- Licata's 36 completions vs Toledo are the most by a Bull QB, besting Chazz Anderson's 35 for 53 game against Northern Illinois.
- Licata's 497 yards against Toledo is also the most by a Bull since 1977 besting Cliff Scott's 490 yard day at New Haven in 1992.
- Licata's 58 attempts against Toledo is tied with Cliff Scott's 58 attempt effort against Maine in 1993 as the most attempts in a game by a UB QB.
- Neutz became the second UB receiver to record two one-thousand yard receiving seasons, and the first to do so in consecutive years. Neutz is also the only receiver with double-digit receiving touchdowns in two separate years.
- Alex Neutz finished with a career high 1,024 yards, the 4th highest season in UB history. Neutz holds the 4th and 5th best seasons in UB history.
- Neutz's 12 TDs are a career high and second only to Naaman's 13 TD receptions in 2008. Neutz has the 2nd and 3rd best TD receiving seasons in UB history.
- With 61 receptions, Neutz finished in 9th place, and holds the 6th and 9th best seasons in UB history in receptions.
- Joe D'Amico's 218 yard game vs Cortland in 1981 stands as the most yards in a game, but Alex Neutz posted the 3rd most receving yards in a game with 197 yards vs Baylor and the 9th most yards in a game with 168 yards at Toledo.
- Alex Neutz finished tied for 12th place with Lee Jones who scored 72 points in 1967.
Receiving Duos
Neutz and Lee made their mark as a receiving duo in 2013.
- They combined for 17 receptions vs Stony Brook, 2 shy of the most by a duo set by Rivers and Neutz in 2011. They also combined for 16 vs Toledo.
- The duo combined for 278 yards at Toledo the second best duo output, behind Hamlin and Roosevelt in the 2009 Pitt game.
- Both receivers scored and combined for 3 TDs against Toledo, which has only occurred one other time since 2001 at UB.
- For the season, Neutz and Lee were 4th in receptions per game, 3rd in yards per game and 1st in touchdowns per game.
Top Single Game Receiving Duo Performances:
| Game | Receptions | WR 1 | WR1 Recs | WR2 | WR 2 Recs | |
| 1 | vs NIU 2011 | 19 | Marcus Rivers | 10 | Alex Neutz | 9 |
| 2 | at Pitt 2011 | 18 | Marcus Rivers | 8 | Alex Neutz | 10 |
| 2 | vs Pitt 2009 | 18 | Naaman Roosevelt | 6 | Brett Hamlin | 12 |
| 2 | at WMU 2009 | 18 | Naaman Roosevelt | 8 | Brett Hamlin | 10 |
| 5 | vs Stony Brook 2013 | 17 | Alex Neutz | 10 | Fred Lee | 7 |
| 5 | vs Akron 2009 | 17 | Naaman Roosevelt | 12 | Brett Hamlin | 5 |
| 5 | at Kent State 2007 | 17 | Naaman Roosevelt | 8 | Ernest Jackson | 9 |
| 8 | at BGSU 2008 | 16 | Naaman Roosevelt | 10 | Ernest Jackson | 6 |
| 8 | at Toledo 2013 | 16 | Alex Neutz | 8 | Fred Lee | 8 |
| 10 | vs Army 2008 | 15 | Naaman Roosevelt | 6 | Ernest Jackson | 9 |
| 10 | at Temple 2009 | 15 | Naaman Roosevelt | 9 | Brett Hamlin | 6 |
| Game | Total Yards | WR 1 | WR1 Yards | WR 2 | WR 2 yards | |
| 1 | vs Pitt 2009 | 306 | Naaman Roosevelt | 157 | Brett Hamlin | 149 |
| 2 | at Toledo 2013 | 278 | Alex Neutz | 168 | Fred Lee | 110 |
| 3 | vs NIU 2011 | 249 | Marcus Rivers | 114 | Alex Neutz | 135 |
| 4 | vs Ohio 2009 | 240 | Naaman Roosevelt | 165 | Brett Hamlin | 75 |
| 5 | vs WMU 2012 | 210 | Naaman Roosevelt | 140 | Fred Lee | 70 |
| 6 | at WMU 2009 | 209 | Naaman Roosevelt | 63 | Brett Hamlin | 146 |
| 6 | vs Army 2008 | 209 | Naaman Roosevelt | 75 | Ernest Jackson | 134 |
| 8 | at Kent State 2007 | 208 | Naaman Roosevelt | 90 | Ernest Jackson | 118 |
| 9 | at Pitt 2011 | 191 | Marcus Rivers | 83 | Alex Neutz | 108 |
| 10 | at Temple 2009 | 190 | Naaman Roosevelt | 120 | Brett Hamlin | 70 |
| Game | TDs | WR 1 | WR1 TDs | WR 2 | WR 2 TDs | |
| 1 | at Toledo 2013 | 3 | Alex Neutz | 2 | Fred Lee | 1 |
| 1 | vs Toledo 2007 | 3 | Naaman Roosevelt | 1 | Ernest Jackson | 2 |
Top Single-Season Receiving Duo Performances:
| Receptions | Rec/game | Year | WR 1 | WR 2 |
| 134 | 11.17 | 2009 | Naaman Roosevelt | Brett Hamlin |
| 149 | 10.64 | 2008 | Naaman Roosevelt | Ernest Jackson |
| 116 | 9.67 | 2007 | Naaman Roosevelt | Ernest Jackson |
| 119 | 9.15 | 2013 | Alex Neutz | Fred Lee |
| 103 | 8.58 | 2011 | Marcus Rivers | Alex Neutz |
| Yards | Yards/game | Year | WR 1 | WR 2 |
| 1852 | 154.33 | 2009 | Naaman Roosevelt | Brett Hamlin |
| 1909 | 136.36 | 2008 | Naaman Roosevelt | Ernest Jackson |
| 1716 | 132 | 2013 | Alex Neutz | Fred Lee |
| 1411 | 117.58 | 2007 | Naaman Roosevelt | Ernest Jackson |
| 1276 | 106.33 | 2012 | Alex Neutz | Fred Lee |
| Touchdowns | TDs/game | Year | WR 1 | WR 2 |
| 17 | 1.31 | 2013 | Alex Neutz | Fred Lee |
| 17 | 1.21 | 2008 | Naaman Roosevelt | Ernest Jackson |
| 12 | 1.00 | 2012 | Alex Neutz | Fred Lee |
| 11 | 0.92 | 2009 | Naaman Roosevelt | Brett Hamlin |
| 10 | 0.83 | 2007 | Naaman Roosevelt | Ernest Jackson |