The Postseason Meal: The 2013 Buffalo Bulls - Part 4.1: The 5 Do's and 5 Don'ts of the Offseason

Last year's postseason meal outlined the 5 DOs and 5 DONTs of the 2013 offseason. Today we'll look at last years guide, and create a new guide for the 2014 offseason.

DO name a starter at QB and stick with it, like right now.

Licata was named QB early and he had one of the best seasons under center in UB history, and he has two more years to develop.

DO develop weapons for Licata. Can you name the returning wideouts for the Bulls? McGill, Shay, Dixon, Hughes, Dunmore, Robinson, Eiland, Willoughby, Ross and Martinez. Dixon Hughes and Dunmore

Every returning receivers' career numbers are: 89 receptions, 927 yards 4 TDs.

ATH Devin Campbell and TEs Weiser and Schreck have 71 receptions, 692 yards and 4 TDs since 2012.

So the wideouts haven't really impressed. 2014 is an open competition, because we need good players and good chemistry for the Licata Senior year in 2015.

If you follow the 1st "DO" and said QB is not Alex Zordich, DONT sit him on the bench, find a place for him, I'm thinking fullback. If that doesn't work, make sure there is a wildcat style formation with Zordich that presses the defense with his throwing and running ability.

Zordich played 25 snaps this year. He was fed to Baylor's "run stopping but no pass defense" defense for some reason, maybe Jeff Quinn hates him. I sure hate Quinn's use of Z who took the worst time of the year to employ Z as a change of pace, which discouraged the use of Z when it could have actually worked, like against Bowling Green at the Ralph.

DONT leave Campbell in limbo again. He wasn't the backup RB this year, although he could have helped against Stony Brook. He wasn't really a receiver. He IS the best return man we have. Define a role for Campbell and use him. He was a playmaker who I often felt was left on the sideline when we needed a play.

DO Flesh out the Alex(squared)cat. You put Zordich, Dennison and BO in the backfield out of the shotgun on 3rd and 2, and watch the opposing D-Cordinators wet themselves trying to stop the limitless possibilities of that formation.

UB generally eschewed the tricks in favor driving BO up the middle. I wasn't that happy with it. The lack of mobility from Licata puts us in a bad place on 3rd and short. Overall, UB was 64% on 3rd and 3 or less, a decent number, although I'd expect higher success for a power run team in a power run situation. Going inside the numbers, I deem that lack of creativity was a problem in 3rd and short

When BO ran the ball, UB converted 14 of 22 times, 64%.
When Licata threw the ball, UB converted 10 of 19, 53%
When anything else happened, UB converted 11 of 14, 79% - Campbell Pitts and Taylor ran the ball 11 times on 3rd and short, converting 10 times.

DO figure out how to be creative and work on your trickeration timing.

DONT let Lou Tepper repeat whatever it was he was doing in 2012, I don't technically think I can call it defense.

By most indications this was the best UB defense in the FBS era. Since 2007, the 2013 defense was best in Sacks per game, 3rd down % and second in points allowed and turnovers forced. However, the Bulls were the second worse UB team since 2007 in yards per play allowed, coincidentally, the only team that was worse was the 2008 Bulls.

DONT allow Tepper business as usual. Year 3 of Tepper, but we no longer have Steven Means, Khalil Mack, Colby Way. I fear the system hurt us against top competition in 2012 and 2013, I really fear what will happen in 2014 as we break in a lot of new talent.

DO Recruit another Kicker, someone who can push Tyler Grassman would be nice, but more importantly we need someone who can blast the kickoff out of the endzone consistently.

Well T Grass showed me by having a great punting year. However he only managed a touchback on 17% of kicks, UB was 107th in the nation in touchback percentage. UB was also 2nd last in the nation with 6 kickoffs out of bounds.  There was also this:

DO find a punt returner, the fair catch method hurt us in big games.

DONT give BO 300 carries again.

BO finished with 310 carries, and as a result we have no clear heir to the UB running game.

DONT do it again. BO was a horse, I am not sure if another back can handle the work load that Quinn desires one back to shoulder.

DO Redshirt Devin Campbell (the extension makes this possible.) If Potts is back to 100% in 2013, then we don't necessarily need 3 running backs. Save Campbell for 2014 where he and Potts can fight for the #1 job.

Campbell finished with 914 yards on 63 touches, 4th on the team in touches and 3rd on the team in all-purpose yards.

DO use underclassmen. In preparation for the Licata senior year of 2015, we need Juniors Devin Campbell and Matt Weiser and Sophomores Boise Ross and Mason Schreck to build on the success they had in 2013.

DONT put away the Jugs Machine. Get every WR not named Neutz in front of the jugs machine, everyday until August 31.

Last year UB's non-Neutz returning receivers had 60 receptions, 691 yards and 2 touchdowns. Fred Lee worked hard and in 2013 he had 58 receptions, 692 yards and 5 TDs alone in 2013.

DONT put away the Jugs Machine. The non-Neutz, non-Lee returning receivers caught 28 balls for 374 yards and 2 TDs in 2013. We need someone to fill the void left by Neutz AND someone to explode onto the scene like Lee did in 2013.

DO bust out the balls on strings and teach the defense to force fumbles. We forced 6 fumbles all year, and recovered only 3.

Buffalo forced 16 fumbles and recovered 15.

DONT regress on pressure. UB had 72 sacks over the last two years which is the 8th best in the country. 51% of those sacks came from NFL caliber stars Steven Means, Colby Way and Khalil Mack. So if we are going to prove the system wasn't held together by Elmer's glue and Khalil's massive biceps, we should start by posting another 30+ sack season.

DONT tell me this was all part of a process, When UB wins some meaningful games, THEN we can talk about progress and the process.

UB had their best regular season in FBS, however, UB still really didn't win a meaningful game, leaving Ohio 2011 as the only signature win in the Quinn era.

DO prove it was part of a process, by winning 6 or more games in 2014. We've often said 2014 will be the defining year. The 2012 team was talented but only won 4 games, and many put that on coaching. The 2013 team was great, but was that talent overcoming poor coaching? 2014 will tell. A junior QB, but a lot of new talent (all recruited by Quinn). If the team falls to the bottom of the MAC, it won't be pretty. If they stay in the middle of the MAC, the question will be passed to 2015, where in his sixth season as coach, Quinn will have a senior multi-year starter for the first time since Willy in 2008, and UB fans will have 2008 expectations.

Instant Classic - Exorcising The Nutmeg Demon

September 28, 2013 - In the Battle of the Hot Seats, the Bulls Finally Beat UConn Again

In 2001, 1st year UB coach Jim Hofher defeated 3rd year UConn coach Randy Edsall sparking a rivalry between the two new to FBS teams. Twelve years, two Bulls coaches, one UConn coach, and eight UConn victories later, no rivalry had developed.

Edsall took UConn to the BCS, but the Paul Pasqualoni era and conference realignment put the Huskies back on UB's level. Buffalo's best team in 2008 fell to UConn in the International Bowl. In 2013 what was supposed to be Buffalo's best team was 1-2, after an embarrassing 58 point loss to Baylor and a more embarrasing win over Stony Brook that took 5 OTs. What 12 years ago was imagined to be an iconic rivalry between growing programs in the Northeast was now a pillow fight between bad teams where the losing coach would likely be fired.

UB jumped out to a 14-3 lead on a Najja Johnson interception touchdown return.

UB went up 28-6 after a Branden Oliver TD and a Licata to Neutz TD throw. UConn's Lyle McCombs scored at the end of the half, but that would be the last time UConn saw success on offense. In what would end up a trademark of the 2013 season, the Bulls shut the Huskies out in the 2nd half, and the team cruised to a 41-12 victory.

In the 10 UB-UConn games since 2001, only two were within two scores, the 2011 game, a 14-point UConn win, and the 2012 game, a 7 point UConn win. Slowly Pasqualoni eroded away UConn's dominance.

In UB's 2 wins over UConn in the last 10 meetings, the Bulls scored 78 points. In UB's 8 losses, the Bulls scored 71 points.

It was a banner day in the gamethread, as the mob came to burn Quinn, but midway through decided to throw a bbq cookoff.

UConn Football 4,389 days without an accident:

#ItDoesntGetBetter

Birthplace of Danny White's 22k Movement

As always, mentions of the tailgate band's songs gets auto-rec'd. This week was Randy Houser

I believe this is the origin of Bruwpeg Champion dbburns is Jeff Quinn Meme

Quinn Hates The Counter, The Counter Stole His Girlfriend Back in his Elmhurst days.

Resting BO...well that didn't last

Anger and Incredulousness side by side

Creation of the BO Knee Status Meme