A rematch of the 2009 International Bowl is set for Saturday afternoon as the Bulls look to stop a running attack that went ballistic in Toronto two years ago against the Connecticut Huskies.
Connecticut (1-2) is coming off a 15-point loss to Mid-American Conference East Division leaders, Temple (3-0). Seeing a fellow MAC team defeat a Big East school last weekend gave the Bulls (1-2) some confidence going into their matchup with the Huskies.
"Certainly, everybody is beatable on any given day," said Buffalo head coach Jeff Quinn. "We are going into this game like any other. I never go into a game not believing that we can go in there and win if we execute and do the things that we have set forth in our program."
The Bulls, who are looking to avoid a three-game skid, will need to execute on both sides of the ball. But it will be up to the defense to set the tone early.
Connecticut is led by junior tailback Jordan Todman, who is averaging 149.3 yards per game this season. He gained 192 yards and scored a touchdown against Temple last weekend.
Quinn knows that the Huskies will try to utilize the running attack to slow the game down and control the clock. The pressure will be on the defense to push Connecticut's big offensive line back to stop the run and create turnovers. Temple did exactly that last week and forced a key fumble against the Huskies to give the Owls the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.
"This is a between the tackles ball game," Quinn said. "They have a lot of big tackles on their offensive line who can also move well… It is hard to create turnovers off UConn's offense, but that is what Temple did last week and they did a great job. That inspires our young men. They found a chink in their armor, which is hard to do against coach [Randy] Edsall."
An early statement by the Bulls defense, which hasn't allowed a 100-yard rusher in seven straight games, may be just the spark the offense needs to get going. The offense showed some signs of improvement against Central Florida (2-1), but only found the endzone once in a 24-10 loss.
It's been an uphill climb for Buffalo's runners, who have yet to rush for a touchdown this season. Quinn realizes how important his running backs are going to be in the game.
"We did some things Saturday in the run game that I thought were solid," Quinn said. "We improved, we moved the chains and we had more first downs than [UCF] did. We also had more total offensive yardage than they did. Whether it's in the run game or the pass game, we have to put the ball in the end zone."
Just as the defense has to force turnovers, the offense must look to protect the ball.
Redshirt freshman running back Branden Oliver fumbled twice on Saturday while Davis threw two interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.
Quinn said he has no intention of benching either player, but feels that they need to continue to be put in pressure situations in order to learn from their mistakes.
"These are our guys," Quinn said. "I'm not going to turn around and not play these kids and not develop them. I want these kids to understand that I believe in them and I care about them and I want them to feel that way about our coaching staff…You allow a kid to reflect on their mistake for a moment or two, and you get him back in there."
As the Bulls travel to Connecticut, they continue a tough non-conference schedule. The Huskies are the second of five straight Buffalo opponents that played in a bowl game last year. Though Buffalo is playing tough competition, facing teams like Baylor, Central Florida and Connecticut may help the Bulls as they head into MAC play.
"I think you need to go and play those games," Quinn said. "I have always been a firm believer that you play against the best and you do learn an awful lot about your football team from these battles."
Kickoff is set for noon at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn. The game will be broadcasted locally on Time Warner Cable Sportsnet.
