Gridiron Report Card: The Spectrum grades the Bulls' 35-27 victory over Miami Ohio

Quarterbacks: A

The Good: Junior quarterback Joe Licata was nearly flawless Saturday, competing 28 of 38 pass attempts for 276 yards and two touchdowns. The RedHawks’ coverage took away any chance for big completions down the field. Licata was smart and efficient, getting the ball to his receivers underneath and in the middle of the field.

Licata moved to second in program history with 45 touchdown passes.

The Bad: Licata and the offense stalled after scoring touchdowns on their first two drives of the game. The Bulls did not score again until more than midway through the third quarter.

Running backs: A+

The Good: With sophomore running back Jordan Johnson out with a knee injury and Devin Campbell returning from injury, the workload fell onto Anthone Taylor. Taylor made all 36 carries count.

The junior running back ran for a career-high 222 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner. Campbell added 61 yards on nine carries, including a 20-yard run that set up Taylor’s game-winner.

The Bad: Taylor had the game of his career and Campbell looked good in his first game back. There was no ‘bad.’

Wide receivers and tight ends: B+

The Good: Freshman wide receiver Jacob Martinez had eight catches, 94 yards and a touchdown – all career highs. Junior tight end Matt Weiser had his best game of the season with four catches for 56 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown.

The Bad: The Bulls top-3 receivers heading into the game – senior wide receiver Devon Hughes and juniors Ron Willoughby and Marcus McGill combined for just 10 catches, 103 yards and zero touchdowns. Licata was able to find other options, but his top-3 threats need to be more productive going forward.

Offensive line: B

The Good: Taylor’s 222 yards are in part due to the big guys up front and the only reason the grade isn’t lower.

The Bad: The offensive line was called for several penalties, including a personal foul on senior center Trevor Sales when he pushed a RedHawks player after the play. Junior tackle John Kling ran into Licata on one play. Licata was only sacked once but took several hits throughout the game, including two that were called penalties. It’s the line’s job to make sure that doesn’t happen.

Run defense: B

The Good: The RedHawks ran for 133 yards, but they seemed to never find a consistent rhythm running the ball. The Bulls had three tackles for losses and made big hits throughout the game, the biggest of which came from sophomore linebacker Jarrett Franklin in third quarter.

The Bad: The Bulls run defense only had one breakdown, a RedHawks’ 61-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that tied the game at 14. If you take away that play, Miami Ohio ran for only 72 yards on the day. This is a huge improvement for this team after the amount of big plays surrendered against at Army.

Pass defense: C+

The Good: RedHawks quarterback Andrew Hendrix completed one of his final 14 passes after Buffalo scored the game-winning touchdown. Hendrix threw 26 incompletions, 11 of which were directly broken up by the Bulls. Senior cornerback Courtney Lester had six pass breakups.

The Bad: Lester had those breakups because Hendrix targeted him throughout the game. He was consistently beat on passes that were lofted up in the air. The RedHawks averaged 19.8 yards a completion.

The Bulls’ defense could not intercept a quarterback who threw six picks in his team’s first four games and sacked him only once. Franklin, playing Khalil Mack’s position, has no sacks through five games and missed a perfect chance to get his first one when he missed a tackle on Hendrix.

Special teams: D+

The Good: Senior kicker Patrick Clarke made a 37-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to give the Bulls an 8-point lead. But Clarke also committed the biggest mistake a kicker could make.

The Bad: Bulls’ fans may have experienced flashbacks of Peter Fardon costing the Bulls a chance at overtime with Northern Illinois in 2011 when Clarke missed an extra point that would have tied the game at 21 Saturday. Luckily for Clarke, it did not cost the Bulls in the end. Buffalo’s special teams allowed an average of 36 yards on kick returns before deciding to kick the ball away from Scott.

Coaching: B

The Good: Head coach Jeff Quinn realized Taylor had the RedHawks’ defenses’ number, and used him as a workhorse for the victory. The Bulls coaching staff found ways to get the ball to their tight ends and get Martinez involved in the slot with the RedHawks taking away plays on the outside. Quinn finally took McGill off punt return duties.

The Bad: Replacing McGill should have never taken this long. The receiver was consistently muffing punts, not fair catching when he should and not gaining yardage.

Quinn chose to pass the ball with the Bulls deep in their own territory at the end of the first half. He should have learned his lesson after the Army game when Licata was picked off at the end of the first half. Both 2-point conversion play calls were questionable. Quinn called for a pass on the first attempt when Taylor was easily running through the RedHawk’s defense. He called a quarterback draw with Licata – a very immobile quarterback – on the second attempt. Neither worked.

email: sports@ubspectrum.com