Bull Run - Senior SalutesWhere Buffalo Fans Hang Outhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48083/bullrun-fave.png2013-12-29T14:48:22-05:00http://www.ubbullrun.com/rss/stream/49715692013-12-29T14:48:22-05:002013-12-29T14:48:22-05:00Senior Salute - Alex Neutz: UB's TD Catch King
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<figcaption>Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p><b style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">Buzz before he arrived:</b><span> </span></p>
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<p>A nice find in upstate New York, Neutz was a three year letter winner, and James Lofton Award winner, at Grand Island. He has a quick burst and, while at Grand Island, showed phenomenal hands. He holds the Western New York record for receiving yards in a season (1,182).</p>
<p>He may have the best hands of available UB receivers but outside of practices he has not been tested at the collegiate level. Neutz has been mentioned by Graham Watson and others at ESPN as being one of the guys in the mix to replace Roosevelt or Hamlin.</p>
<p>- <a style="font-size: 12px;" href="http://www.ubbullrun.com/2010/03/x-y-and-z-of-ub-receiving.html" target="_blank">The X, Y, and Z of UB Receiving, by Tim Riordan March, 20, 2010.</a></p>
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<p><b>His Journey: </b>Neutz established himself as the #2 to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/13654/marcus-rivers">Marcus Rivers</a> and then the #1 receiver at UB. Neutz played in 44 games, started 41 games and caught a TD pass in 25 of his 44 games played. Neutz was very impressive in his final two years, catching TD passes in 18 of 24 games.</p>
<p>Neutz finished 3rd in UB history with 195 receptions, 3rd with 3,094 yards, 8th in yards per reception with 15.87 yards per catch, 4th in 100-yard games with 10, and #1 all time in touchdown catches with 31.</p>
<p><b>Debut Performance: </b>Recruited by Turner Gill but redshirted in 2009, Neutz first game was Quinn's debut vs Rhode Island. Neutz caught 5 balls for 99 yards and a touchdown.</p>
<p><b>Breakout Performance: </b>In 2012, his first season as the #1 receiver, Neutz caught 8 balls for 154 yards and 4 TDs. The performance amplified by the QBs throwing the ball to him, the inexperienced Licata and the inaccurate Zordich.</p>
<p><b>Senior Moment: </b>Neutz caught 6 balls for 197 yards and 1 TD, drew 3 interference calls, was probably interfered with another 5 times and was open another 6 or 7 plays as he put an early scare into the Bears before the Baylor offense took over the game. His performance was the 3rd most yards by a Bull receiver in UB history and the best performance by a receiver against Baylor this year. Only three wide receivers had 100-yard receiving games against Baylor, Oklahoma State's Tracy Moore caught 5 for 126 and a TD, and WVU's Kevin White caught 7 passes for 130 yards and 2 TDs.</p>
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<p><b>Future: </b>Walter Football ranks Neutz as the #34 Wide Receiver while <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft">NFL Draft</a> Scout puts Neutz at #27. 28 WRs were drafted last year, putting Neutz in 7th round/undrafted free agent territory. In Neutz's favor, out of the 34 top receivers as ranked by Walter Football, 23 are underclassmen, if some of the receivers return to school, it will help Neutz's draft chances. In addition, Neutz is third among those 34 receivers in career TD receptions and second in receiving TDs since 2012. Finally, Neutz may have been hampered by 5 QBs in 5 years (Maynard, Davis, Anderson, Zordich and Licata). His numbers are even more impressive seeing how often he had to adjust and develop new chemistry with new QBs. Neutz did himself no favors at the Potato Bowl, but he can make huge gains with good workouts this spring.</p>
https://www.ubbullrun.com/2013/12/29/5156496/senior-salute-alex-neutzConrad Mostiller2013-12-27T09:30:04-05:002013-12-27T09:30:04-05:00Senior Salute - Colby Way
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<figcaption>Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p><b>Buzz before he arrived:</b> Brought in as a Tight End, Way was moved to fill a need on the defensive line.</p>
<p><b>His Journey: </b>Way missed only two games in his career, playing in 47 games and starting in 29. Way made 9 tackles as a true freshman, but excelled as a sophomore. Way recorded 26 tackles, 4.5 for loss and 2 sacks in 7 games before earning the final 5 starts in 2011. Way finished with 148 tackles, 27 for loss, and 15 sacks. Way finished 9th in career sacks by a Bull and joined Hardy Mitchell (1994-1997) as the only other Bull to finish their career top 10 in sacks without ever leading the team in sacks.</p>
<p><b>Debut Performance: </b>As a true freshman Way's first tackle came against RG3 backup <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/75553/nick-florence" class="sbn-auto-link">Nick Florence</a> during clean up time of a blowout.</p>
<p><b>Breakout Performance: </b>In 2011, Way notched 3 tackles and his first career sack. It was UB's only sack of the day and for a team that featured <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/98159/khalil-mack" class="sbn-auto-link">Khalil Mack</a> and <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/35631/steven-means" class="sbn-auto-link">Steven Means</a>, the Bulls only managed 16 sacks in 2010. The pressure <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/113214/colby-way" class="sbn-auto-link">Colby Way</a> provided proved to be a catalyst for the UB front 7.</p>
<p><b>Senior Moment: </b>Way notched 4 tackles and 3 sacks leading UB to a shut out of the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/western-michigan-broncos" class="sbn-auto-link">Western Michigan Broncos</a>.</p>
<p><b>Future: </b>Rated by CBS as the #372 DE, Way is most likely undrafted. He is too small and probably too skilled to continue to play his DT role, so Way's future will be determined by how he can adjust to being a true DE. His football knowledge, size and his nose for the QB compares to JJ Watt, and Way could be a steal in free agency.</p>
https://www.ubbullrun.com/2013/12/27/5156524/senior-salute-colby-wayConrad Mostiller2013-12-16T13:17:44-05:002013-12-16T13:17:44-05:00Senior Salute - Najja Johnson
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<figcaption>Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Spor</figcaption>
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<p><b style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;">His Journey: </b><span>A walk-on from Georgia, Najja walked on to the Bulls in 2009 working with the scout team before seeing action in 2010 and becoming a consistent starter in the Bulls secondary in 2011. With 35 starts and 46 games played, Najja will best be remembered for his ability to defend the pass, tied for first overall with 39 passes defended with one game to play.</span></p>
<p><b>Debut Performance: </b>Johnson's first tackle came in 2010 against RG3's Baylor team.</p>
<p><b>Breakout Performance: </b>In 2011 Johnson recorded his first pass breakup in his third start at Ball State. He added 3 more to record 4 pass breakups on the day. With his breakout performance, UB came very close to defeating Ball State's high powered passing game.</p>
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<p><b>Senior Moment:</b><b style="text-align: center;"> </b>Against UConn, UB's offense was still stuck in first gear while the defense helped UB take a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter. UConn answered with a field goal, and UB went three-and-out. <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/98151/najja-johnson" class="sbn-auto-link">Najja Johnson</a> was able to intercept Chandler Whitmer on 3rd and 10, and return it 33 yards for a touchdown and a 14-3 lead. At the time UB was still in that unsure post Stony Brook period. The interception sparked a 212-50 run for UB over 6 wins.</p>
<p><b>Records: </b>Najja is tied for 1st in UB history in passes defended. He also joins Gemara Williams (03-05) and Domonic Cook (08-10) as Bulls who led the team in passes defended for three consecutive years. Najja also tied Cortney Lester and Khalil Mack for the team lead in interceptions this year, his second consecutive year with a team high in interceptions. Johnson joins Gordon Bukaty (58-59), Dan Stella (64-65), Tom Hurd (66-67), John Bernard (82-83), Steve Nappo (85-86), Bill Tipton (95-96), and Mike Newton (06-07) as UB athletes to lead the team in interceptions in consecutive seasons.</p>
<p>UB has been very successful when they have had one player lead the team in interceptions in consecutive seasons. In 16 seasons, UB is 92-73-3 and have at least a .500 record over the course of the two seasons in seven of eight instances, (they went 7-17 in 06-07 when Newton led the Bulls in INTs).</p>
<p><b>Future:</b><b style="text-align: center;"> </b>Named to the All-MAC first team defense, UB has a history of getting defensive backs into training camps (Thomas, Newton, Shannon etc) with his size and speed, 6 ft, 4.55 40-yard dash, Johnson could work his way into the NFL.</p>
https://www.ubbullrun.com/2013/12/16/5156502/senior-salute-najja-johnsonConrad Mostiller2013-11-29T15:47:45-05:002013-11-29T15:47:45-05:00Senior Salute - Derek Brim
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<figcaption>Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p><b>Buzz before he arrived:</b> Played at Canisius, walked on to the Bulls.</p>
<p><b>His Journey: </b>Brim worked with the scout team before getting on the active roster in 2011. He has played in 33 games with 15 starts in 2013. Brim has 104 tackles,</p>
<p><b>Debut Performance: </b>Brim's first action was a 2 tackle effort in 2011 against Stony Brook.</p>
<p><b>Breakout Performance: </b>In 2012 Brim recorded 26 tackles over 3 weeks to keep the Bulls competitive against Pitt and Toledo and to help UB defeat Miami.</p>
<p><b>Senior Moment:</b><b style="text-align: center;"> </b><span>At Ohio State, Brim recovered a <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/204615/blake-bean" class="sbn-auto-link">Blake Bean</a> forced fumble, setting up UB's first score of the day.</span></p>
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<p>Also involved in the maybe fumble that swung momentum vs Ohio.</p>
https://www.ubbullrun.com/2013/11/29/5156514/senior-salute-derek-brimConrad Mostiller2013-11-29T14:44:01-05:002013-11-29T14:44:01-05:00Senior Salute - Beau Bachtelle
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<figcaption>Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p><b>His Journey: </b>1st team all conference at Modesto Junior College, Beau moved from California to Buffalo to solidify the defensive line. Beau has played in all 24 of his games as a Bull, starting 12 in 2013. He has 48 tackles and 3.5 sacks.</p>
<p><b>Debut Performance: </b>In his first game at Georgia in 2012, Beau notched 3 tackles.</p>
<p><b>Breakout Performance/Senior Moment: </b></p>
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<p>Beau notched 5 tackles and 2 sacks against UConn in 2013.</p>
https://www.ubbullrun.com/2013/11/29/5156520/senior-salute-beau-bachtelleConrad Mostiller2013-11-29T14:11:01-05:002013-11-29T14:11:01-05:00Senior Salute - Tomarris Bell
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<figcaption>ubathletics.buffalo.edu</figcaption>
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<p><b>His Journey:</b> Bell is a two sport athlete who also ran track. He played 21 football games as a Bull and started 2 games. He has recorded 23 tackles.</p>
<p><b>Breakout Performance/Senior Moment: </b>In 2013, the track star was one of the few to catch up to the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/teams/baylor-bears" class="sbn-auto-link">Baylor Bears</a>, recording 7 tackles.</p>
https://www.ubbullrun.com/2013/11/29/5156522/senior-salute-tomarris-bellConrad Mostiller2013-11-29T09:30:01-05:002013-11-29T09:30:01-05:00Senior Salute - Brandon Murie
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<figcaption>Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p><b>His Journey: </b>Murie walked on to UB after playing at Iroquois High. He has played 35 games for UB and earned 3 starts at running back in 2012. Murie has ran 60 times for 254 yards and 2 Touchdowns, caught one pass for 54 yards and a touchdown.</p>
<p><b>Debut Performance: </b></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/assets/3650409/murie.gif" class="photo" alt="Murie"><br id="1385731073176"></p>
<p>Murie introduced himself to the UB faithful by returning the opening kickoff in the 2011 Akron game 93-yards to the 1-yard line.</p>
<p><b>Breakout Performance: </b>With UB trailing at UMass in 2012, without the services of <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/98153/branden-oliver" class="sbn-auto-link">Branden Oliver</a> and Devin Campbell, Murie carried the ball 16 times for 90 yards and a touchdown to help the Bulls come from behind for the win.</p>
<p><b>Senior Moment: </b>With a healthy BO, carries for Murie are few and far between, although he ran 4 times for 29 yards against Western Michigan, suggesting big play Brandon is still capable if he's called upon.</p>
https://www.ubbullrun.com/2013/11/29/5156498/senior-salute-brandon-murieConrad Mostiller2013-11-29T09:09:48-05:002013-11-29T09:09:48-05:00Senior Salute - Beau Bachtelle
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<p id="paragraph0" class="pgh-paragraph"><b>Buzz before he arrived:</b> Bachtelle transferred from Modesto Junior College where he was an all-conference player. Before Junior College Beau was first-team all-conference and all-area player at Summerville High School.</p>
<p id="paragraph1" class="pgh-paragraph"><b>His Journey: </b>When it UB was facing a talent cliff on the defensive line Coach Quinn went looking for a JUCO player who could make an immediate impact. Steven Means and Wyatt Cahill were going to be seniors and with eyes towards 2013 Bachtelle was used in a relief role on the line.</p>
<p><b>Debut Performance: </b>Bachtelle's first game at hte FBS level was on the road against Georgia. Beau racked up three tackles against the Bulldogs.</p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph"><b>Breakout Performance: </b>When the Bulls season looked like it was going the wrong way Bachtelle was one of the players who stepped up against UConn. With two sacks and five tackles Batchelle and the Bulls defense locked down the Huskies.</p>
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<p id="paragraph6" class="pgh-paragraph"><b>Senior Moment: </b>Beau's Sack of Tyler Tettleton helped put an exclamation point on the Bulls big victory.</p>
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https://www.ubbullrun.com/2013/11/29/5156810/senior-salute-beau-bachtelleTim Riordan