Albany Great Danes vs Buffalo Bulls football: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Buffalo's season opener

Early season means while we at Bull Run have a rough idea of what we want to bring to you each week, we're also toying with a few new ideas. The biggest and most in-depth post game coverage will come tomorrow, but for now we want to post more than just the immediate, bare bones recap.

This one should be pretty obvious.

The Good

Lots and lots of good today, so I'm kind of limited to the very best.

• UB's Defense: Albany was an overmatched opponent, sure, but in the deciding stretch of the game - the second and third quarters - Buffalo held Albany to five punts and a pair of interceptions on seven drives. Over a stretch that lasted half a game, UB surrendered only four first downs. Two interceptions matches UB's entire 2014 season
• Second stringers: There's two "goods" in here: First, that UB was up enough that depth players on offense and defense were able to get a full quarter-plus of action, and second, that the team produced in that stretch: Tony Daniel and Johnathan Hawkins led a touchdown drive that started with an Albany fumble, and UB actually extended the 31-point lead that Licata and co. built.
• Licata: He didn't do anything surprising today, but we shouldn't take that for granted. 200-plus yards, a pair of touchdowns, and some real pretty mid- and long-range throws. I felt in particular that throws to Weiser along the right sideline and Lisa down the middle had more touch and zip and less arch than we saw from the QB in years past.

The Bad

• The first five minutes: UB did not start well, to say the least. I might even extend this to the first quarter, at which Buffalo was still tied 7-7 (though Mitcheson's field goal did come just 30 seconds later). Even as the first quarter went on the defense stiffened, but no one was feeling good in the early going.
• 20,872: 'Bad' might be a strong word, but given the bar, inflated or not, that UB has set over the last two years, I have to think the department was hoping for more. We heard from some folks that the weather kept them away, and UB has a good home slate this year, but at this point I expect more for the home opener, especially against an in-state opponent.

The Ugly

• Jordan Collier: By all accounts, the hit and aftermath looked much worse than it actually has turned out to be. But it's still not something you like to see.
• James O'Hagan: It's growing pains, and I have no desire to move someone else into the center position, but one comically bad snap and a false start are too many mistakes. They can be weathered against Albany, but not against many other opponents.
• Albany: Got nowhere else to put them. You could say that they put together two good drives, but very few teams, if any, are going to be able to beat UB this year scoring only 14 points. Also, their uniforms look like Riverside High School's.