The front line

The defensive line was one of the strongest units on the team last season, but after graduating two of the team's top defenders, it has become one of the biggest question marks for the Bulls this year.

Senior Colby Way, who started all 12 games and was fifth on the team in tackles, second in sacks and third in tackles for loss, will anchor the Bulls' defensive front.

"I expect to see the same things I've been seeing from him since he came here," said head coach Jeff Quinn. "[Way] provides great locker room leadership and he's a very durable player. He makes plays on Saturday and that's what you love about [Way]."

Way broke out in his sophomore year as a Bull and played his way into the starting lineup, leading all defensive linemen in tackles. As a junior, he played next to the departed Steven Means and Wyatt Cahill and was second in the group in tackles.

Replacing Means and Cahill will be a difficult task, as they combined for 104 tackles (Means, 77, Cahill, 27) and Means, who will likely be picked up in the upcoming NFL Draft, had 11 tackles for loss.

This season, the Bulls will look to some key reserves from last year's team to make an impact.

"We're moving guys around a little bit so we can evaluate those younger guys," Quinn said. "Way, [junior Kristjan Sokoli and senior Beau Bachtelle], those three guys have really stepped up."

Sokoli and Bachtelle are imposing, towering linemen, each measuring in at 6-foot-5 and totaling 559 pounds between the two of them.

Sokoli played in all 12 games as a sophomore and was a dynamic player who saw time at nose guard and defensive end. He finished the season with the third-most tackles for loss by defensive linemen, and he is excited about the group who will try to penetrate past opposing offensive linemen this year.

"We take pride in defensively stopping the run; that's our key objective," Sokoli said. "I've also been happy with how we have progressed in getting better at pass rushing and how we blitz as a defense."

Bachtelle rounds out the 'Big Three' on the line. Bachtelle was a transfer from Madesto Junior College and played in every game in his first year at Buffalo last season.

"[Bachtelle] has really been a great addition to our program and we needed to bring him in," Quinn said. "He's a tremendous young man and provides leadership. He's a really hard worker. He's a relentless guy and an effort guy."

Junior Dalton Barksdale, coming in at 6-foot-3 and 297 pounds, will be another candidate to help replace Cahill at nose guard. Barksdale played in 11 games last season and recorded 12 tackles.

Redshirt freshman Max Perisse, sophomore Kendall Patterson and junior Kendall Roberson (who's making the transition from linebacker) will provide depth behind the new starters.

Last season was defensive coordinator Lou Tepper's first year with the program, and he turned the Bulls' defense into the second-best in the conference. Quinn expects the linemen to learn from last season's schemes and become more consistent this season in Tepper's second year.

"I think our defense is really starting to gel, hitting their calls and communicating out there together," Quinn said. "Now they're more comfortable with the consistency of the plays after being under Tepper for over a year now."

The Bulls finished last season with the fifth-best rush defense in the Mid-American Conference, a mark they hope to improve upon with the overall depth among the front seven.

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