Last gasp to save season

For Bulls fans, it's been tough to watch the product on the field at times this season. But the good news may be that things can only get better as the season winds down.

Or can they?

In an effort to get his offense going, head coach Jeff Quinn is starting over with his team after last week's 42-0 shutout loss at the hands of the Temple Owls (6-2, 3-1 Mid-American Conference).

"The focus now is to get back to the basics," Quinn said. "We're going to continue working and taking it one day at a time… A lot of people don't realize, but this is a good team that just has not played very well over the past few weeks."

Quinn has accepted responsibility for his part in the Bulls' (2-5, 1-2 MAC) inability to get anything going on the offensive side of the football. With that said, he is exhausting every effort to figure things out in time for Saturday's game against Miami (Ohio) (4-4, 3-1 MAC).

The RedHawks have one of the most prolific passing attacks in the MAC this season. They will attempt to use this strength and outplay the Buffalo pass defense, which is ranked first in the MAC. The Bulls only allow 183 yards per game through the air and have intercepted the opposing quarterback 10 times this season.

"I like the matchup of our defense against their offense," Quinn said. "They have a very good quarterback. [Sophomore quarterback] Zac Dysert has a very strong arm. The passing game can get you beat. We're going to continue playing good, sound, structural defense."

Dysert has torched opposing defenses this season, recording 10 touchdowns and 1,954 yards passing. During one stretch this season, he completed 156 passes without an interception. In his last two games, Dysert has averaged 366 yards per game.

When evaluating the quarterback play for both teams, the differences are astounding.

Freshman quarterback Alex Zordich will make his second career start on Saturday afternoon. In limited action so far this season, Zordich has only completed 44 percent of his passes for 117 yards and no touchdowns. The young signal caller has thrown three interceptions and continues to learn the nuances of the spread offense.

Quinn likes what he's seen from Zordich in spite of the poor production and believes it's only a matter of time before things click for him on the field.

"I like the way Alex Zordich competed on Saturday against a very challenging defense," Quinn said. "He continues to get better, and he's a very determined and passionate young man."

The Bulls received some bad news this week, learning that senior running back Brandon Thermilus will miss the remainder of the season due to a torn ACL.

Thermilus has not made a significant impact on the field for the Bulls this season after fumbling on his first two carries of the year. The play of redshirt-freshman running back Branden Oliver and sophomore running back Jeffvon Gill forced Thermilus to the bench for the most of this season.

One area of weakness for the RedHawks at times this season has been their poor protection of Dysert. Through the first eight games, Miami has allowed 23 sacks. The Bulls will have a chance to unleash sophomore defensive end Steven Means and company on the RedHawks offense in hopes of forcing mistakes.

Senior linebacker Justin Winters ranks second on the team in tackles with 46, and his leadership ability throughout the season has impressed Quinn. Winters admits that the season has been tough but understands the importance of keeping the rest of the guys motivated to compete.

"We can't panic because that'd be our downfall," Winters said. "We have to stick together and play hard and with enthusiasm."

Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon at UB Stadium.