Gridiron Report Card: The Spectrum grades the Bulls' 63-21 loss to Baylor

Quarterbacks: D+

The Good: Junior quarterback Joe Licata threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Devon Hughes. Backup junior quarterback Tony Daniel threw for a career-high 84 yards, including a 17-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Malcolm Robinson. Licata finished 14 of 25 for 171 yards and a touchdown.

The Bad: Buffalo punted on its first eight possessions. Licata struggled to move the Bulls down field and most of his production came when the game was already out of reach.

Running backs: C+

The Good: Sophomore running back Jordan Johnson ran for a career-high 97 yards. Junior running back Anthone Taylor turned what seemed to be a stop at the line of scrimmage into a 41-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

The Bad: Head coach Jeff Quinn wanted to establish the run game early, which failed miserably. The Bulls only achieved four first downs in the first half, and the majority of Buffalo’s runs resulted in losses or only gained a few yards. If you exclude Taylor’s 41-yard touchdown run, Taylor totaled for just six yards on 12 carries.

Wide receivers and tight ends: C

The Good: Nine different Bulls caught passes. Devon Hughes had six catches for 72 yards and a touchdown, while freshman wide receiver Jamarl Eiland had added two catches and 59 yards. Robinson made a highlight-reel catch early in the fourth quarter – resulting in SportsCenter’s No. 10 play Friday night – leaping over the Baylor corner and getting his foot in bounds for the score.

The Bad: What could have been a 7-7 game quickly turned into a 14-0 one after junior wide receiver Marcus McGill dropped an easy touchdown pass. On the ensuing drive, Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty connected with wide receiver KD Cannon for an 89-yard score. The Bulls were unable to recover, resulting in a score of 35-0 at the end of the first half.

Offensive-line: F

The Good: After struggling in the first half, the offensive line was able to open up holes for some big second half runs.

The Bad: Baylor had three sacks. Licata was under constant pressure and was hit often. Several penalties were committed, including a false start on third and two.

Run defense: D

The Good: One of the few positives was a Buffalo forced fumble late in the fourth quarter, but the Bulls couldn’t recover. Baylor scored a touchdown later in the drive.

The Bad: Baylor ran for 189 yards and converted all three fourth down opportunities – One of the conversions came on the ground. Baylor’s Shock Linwood had 97 yards and two touchdowns, while Johnny Johnson had 52 rushing yards and one score. Both running backs averaged more than four yards per carry. Even the Bears’ backup quarterback, Seth Russell, ran for a 31-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Pass defense: F

The Good: Buffalo couldn’t keep up with Baylor’s high tempo offense. The Bulls’ secondary were able to bother the receivers at times, resulting in pass deflections, but Petty finished with a near-perfect QBR (98.3), which is a ranking out of 100 used to rate a quarterbacks performance.

The Bad: Petty had a career-best 10 completions for 25 yards or more. In the first quarter, Petty was 9 of 10 for 197 yards, including an 89-yard touchdown to Cannon. Petty finished with 416 passing yards and four touchdowns. Backup quarterback Seth Russell added 64 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Special teams: B+

The Good: Baylor averaged just 12 yards on kickoff returns. Junior punter Tyler Grassman punted for 333 net yards, including punts downed at the Baylor 9 and 14-yard line, respectively.

The Bad: Whenever a team’s a heavy underdog, the special teams needs to make a big play. That didn’t happen. Buffalo’s return until had a pedestrian 166 returns yards on eight opportunities (20.8 yards per run).

Coaching: D+

The Good: The Bulls won the time of possession battle – 35:04 to 24:26 – but that’s only because Baylor’s drives usually took under 10 plays to score. Buffalo scored 21 points on a Baylor defense that had not allowed a touchdown all season.

The Bad: Quinn used questionable play calls on third down, sticking to the run despite being down by several scores. Despite claiming the team was prepared for Baylor’s quick tempo offense, it was obvious this was not the case. Baylor dominated the game and dominated early, sending all hopes of a Bulls victory, and fans, out of sight.

email: sports@ubspectrum.com