I woke up this morning at 3:00 AM. After 2 hours of sleep I dragged myself out of bed but it seemed easier than usual. Today was the day the UB was going to take down a Power 5 team (or so I thought). I trekked out towards UB's South Campus from my University Heights apartment. There was one problem though: It was pouring outside. This early morning trek just got tougher, but I was not giving up on an opportunity to go to the second largest sports stadium in the U.S. and see a game for only $15. I had about 4 layers on to prevent the rain from soaking through and the trek was miserable. I reached South Campus at the crazy time of 4:00 AM and I was on my way to Alumni Arena.

Let's just say that this post is for the haters. This is for the people who just want to spread their negativity that UB lost their only chance. All I have to say to you is that you obviously aren't a Buffalo Bulls fan. Anyway, We got to Beaver Stadium and it pretty much poured for the first 3 quarters. We were content though. We cheered. We bullieved in our Bulls. Never have I cheered so loud for a team (and I yelled EXTREMELY LOUD at some key basketball games). Here I sat in the pouring rain, something I dreaded in my track and field days in high school when we had meets in terrible conditions. I was now doing this voluntarily. UB Athletics has given us a product to be proud of. I can happily say that our athletes put in a much larger effort with the hope that they'll have the entire school and alumni behind their backs.

Have we won the big game yet? No. But, we are oh so close. We've battled the likes of Kentucky, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and now Penn State. The last 4 really big games we have been in striking distance only to be shutout at the end. I don't think any of you hardcore fans would've believed it if I told you this would happen five years ago. A few months ago I wrote a fan post detailing how this will be the most important year in UB Athletics history. I wrote how the skeletons for dominance are here at UB. I still firmly believe that. In fact, the muscle tissue is starting to grow on that skeleton.

I too, like everyone else sat disappointed that we let an incredible opportunity get away from us. But unlike others I wasn't poking the blame finger all over and rubbing it in peoples faces (particularly on this site form random posters I've never seen). I will admit, watching this win slip away from our fingertips was probably my all time low as a UB fan so far. I fell apart and questioned if we were just a snake bit school that will never be "big-time". I put myself back together though on the bus ride home because I continue to believe that we are going somewhere. It's hard to make a mid-major power house out of a school that went D-I in the late 1990's. But damn are we doing a good job at it. So go ahead, you can hate on Danny White for taking Buffalo and putting it in a smaller font (You do know Buffalo is still on the jerseys right?). Last I knew we were the STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK at Buffalo. Also, Danny White has brought home more hardware than any of you could've dreamed of. May I remind you that we won 3 MAC Championships because of the pieces he placed last year? "But it's just the MAC and now we have a D-III and a high school coach". Well... people have to start somewhere. You can't expect to be National Champs overnight.

^They aren't giving up, and you shouldn't either^

I'm going to go to bed and sleep soundly because I'm proud of a school that won't give up. I'm not going to give up on this team. If I have to, I will walk in the pouring rain at 3:30 in the morning so that I can cheer on my Bulls. I want to show that my school is the best. I want to show pride by staying the entire game. I want to say that I was a UB fan through thick and thin. I want to leave a mark and be able to say, "that I helped build that".

When it's all said and done, the best feeling will be that we gave all that we could give. Yeah, we've lost the last 4 big games that we were in striking distance for. But, all I can say is this: 5th time's the charm. I got your back UB. And everyone who remotely cares about this school should too.

Go Bulls

P.S. A big Thank you to Penn State for making me a bigger UB Fan