Time for a change

The football team had an extra week to prepare for its week six opponent, but it clearly wasn't enough time for an offense that continues to struggle.

Furthermore, the Jerry Davis era may have come to an end in DeKalb, Ill. on Saturday night.

In spite of an outstanding effort by their defense, the Bulls (2-4, 1-1 Mid-American Conference) were clobbered by Northern Illinois (5-2, 3-0 MAC), 45-14.

Coming into the game, Huskies quarterback Chandler Harnish had thrown only one interception all season, and the Bulls forced the two-time MAC West Player of the Week to throw two on Saturday. It was the offense, though, that ultimately doomed the Bulls.

Bulls head coach Jeff Quinn was disappointed after the game, to say the least.

"[I'm] irritated and aggravated as a coach," Quinn said. "You work too hard, you expect your kids to perform to their very best and we weren't able to do that today. We need a lot of practice. That's what we need."

Sophomore quarterback Jerry Davis had arguably his worst performance of the season and was replaced in the fourth quarter by true freshman Alex Zordich. Aside from an 81-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Marcus Rivers right before halftime, Davis was inaccurate throughout the game and didn't seem to be on the same page with his receivers.

When asked after the game what went wrong with Davis, Quinn seemed to still be looking for the answer.

"I'd like to know that myself," Quinn said. "Very disappointing production today [from Jerry]. We know Jerry has the physical capabilities, but it's more about being locked in from a mental standpoint. We had some three-and-outs and we couldn't get any rhythm with him."

After the game, Quinn wouldn't say who would start for the Bulls at quarterback next week but made it clear that the best player will play. Davis went 7-for-23 in the game for 101 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Zordich finished 2-for-3 for 19 yards.

Defensively, the Bulls played better than the final score indicates. In the first half, Buffalo forced two Huskies turnovers and scored half the team's points.

With the offense struggling early on in the game, freshman linebacker Khalil Mack hit Harnish, knocking the ball out of his hand. Junior defensive end Gordon DuBois intercepted the ball in the air and took it 27 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at seven.

"We had a stunt on and I had contain," DuBois said. "I saw him stepping up and [Mack] hit him and the ball came right to me. I just started running. It was pretty cool."

With the score tied after the Buffalo touchdown, Harnish put together an impressive drive to go deep into Bulls territory. From the Buffalo 17-yard line, Harnish threw a pass into the end zone that was intercepted by senior safety Domonic Cook.

The Bulls had the momentum, but it would quickly shift back to the Huskies. On the second play of the ensuing drive, freshman running back Branden Oliver fumbled at the Buffalo 32-yard line to give the Huskies the ball back.

Northern Illinois didn't let the opportunity go to waste, as they needed only four plays to score. Harnish found Huskies wide receiver Willie Clark for a 25-yard touchdown.

Davis threw an interception on the very next drive, and Northern Illinois running back Chad Spann scored what would become the game-winning touchdown, extending the Huskies lead to 21-7.

The Huskies scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to seal the Bulls' fate in the game.

Senior safety Davonte Shannon, who finished with a team-high 14 tackles in the game, expected a better outcome in the game but realizes the team has to be able to respond quickly.

"We were in the driver's seat by being undefeated in MAC play," Shannon said. "We could have played with them. We have the talent. It hurts, but we have to get past this game and get ready for next week."

Sophomore running back Jeffvon Gill had the best day for the Bulls backfield. He finished with 45 yards on the game, which was good for an average of 6.4 yards per rush.

Harnish threw for 160 yards through the air and rushed for 88 on the ground. He threw two touchdowns and rushed for another.

The Bulls return home for the first time in over a month this Saturday to battle the Temple Owls (5-2, 2-1 MAC). Kickoff is scheduled for noon at UB Stadium.

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