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The Pregame:
I had a chance to listen to most of the pregame coverage on "The Fan" and it went way beyond what UB used to get on either WGR or the Breeze. If the station keeps Ganzlers show in some other slot when they acquire the Jim Rome show UB will do well. There are questions about the PM coverage areas but no doubt the station is all in when it comes to covering UB.
The Crowd:
For a spring game, especially a game played in near freezing and windy weather it was respectable.
The Game:
Nice to watch the team play a real game format for a change. It was a bit confusing knowing what teams were whom without the publication of two deeps or separate rosters. It seemed to tbe the first and second offense paired with the 3rd and 4th defense and vice versa, but I would not read a lot into who was where in this game.
The "Blue" team which was UB's first offense defeated the "White" team 17-3.
Quarterbacks:
| QB | Comp | Att | Pct | Yds | YPA | YPC | TD | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licata | 9 | 16 | 56.25% | 96 | 6.0 | 10.7 | 2 | 0 |
| Zordich | 13 | 18 | 72.22% | 81 | 4.5 | 6.2 | 0 | 0 |
If Licata is not the starting Quarterback this August I will be floored. Not only did the Sophomore most of the firs team snaps but he threw touchdowns, mean while when Zordich was in the passing game was very tame. Joe Licata threw both of the Blue team’s touchdown passes.
The first score was a very well places back shoulder fade from five yards out to Alex Neutz. In the second half he showed more accuracy when he hit Matt Weiser in stride for a 42-yard score.
Zordich for his part was safe with the ball. Throwing basically high percentage passes the senior went 13/18 but moved the ball just 81 yards.
Zordich did look good running the ball, and the halfbacks were really able to key off of him, running the ball very well during the Zordich set.
Tony Daniel looked good, showed a very strong arm but needs to work on his accuracy. It's possible that maybe he climbs to #2 on the depth chart because his "play" book looked a lot more like Licata's than Alex Zordich's set of plays.
Running Backs:
Branden Oliver looks all healed up. The Senior gained 52 yards on the ground on a modest 12 carries. Devin Campbell finished with 40 yards on eight carries, including a 21-yard scamper. Campbell also led all receivers with five catches for 23 yards.
Anthone Taylor made a real case for the number three spot, he carried the ball for the white team 20 times for 67 yards.
Receivers:
It was a good day for running backs and tight ends. Buffalo used short screens when Zordich was playing and the wind really challenged Licata on the long ball. Mason Schreck, a freshman tight end had four catches for 29 yards While Matt Weiser, bolsterd by the long touchdown, had three receptions for 71 yards. Neutz was held in check by the defense, getting only three catches for 12 yards.
Defense
JUCO transfer Blake Bean had five tackles. As did redshirt-freshman Max Perisse. Khalil Mack, getting ready to take a run at NCAA history had two tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
"Special" Teams
Clarke looked like himself making two of his three field goal attempts on a very windy day. Meanwhile Tyler Grassman looked great, averaging 41.4 yard per punt in very windy conditions.
The return game, however, was a nightmare. I counted four muffed punts but there may have been more. This kind of performance during the season will costs you a game.