Gridiron report card: The Spectrum grades the Bulls' 37-14 loss

Quarterbacks: F

The Good: Junior quarterback Joe Licata tied former Buffalo quarterback Drew Willy for the most touchdown passes in program history (52).

The Bad: That touchdown drive started on Ohio’s 19-yard line. Licata failed to move the offense down the field throughout the game. He completed 9 of 20 passes for just 74 yards. Licata was intercepted on a terrible throw he may have been trying to throw out of bounds while under pressure.

Running backs: F

The Good: Junior quarterback Tony Daniel had Buffalo’s longest run of the night (13 yards).

The Bad: Junior running back Anthone Taylor had his second consecutive pedestrian game, running for just 37 yards on 17 carries. After rushing for 685 yards in a four-game stretch, Taylor has totaled just 62 yards in his past two games. Taylor fumbled an exchange with Licata in the third quarter that led to an Ohio touchdown.

Wide receivers and tight ends: F

The Good: Junior wide receiver Ron Willoughby caught a 12-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.

The Bad: The receivers struggled to get open or make plays and also dropped several passes. The tight ends again failed to get involved in the offense, as the group did not record a single catch.

Offensive line: F

The Good: Licata was only sacked twice – or 10 percent of his drop backs.

The Bad: Quentin Poling had a sack on Licata in which the linebacker ran right past senior center Trevor Sales. The line failed to open holes in the running game for the second straight week.

Run defense: D

The Good: Sophomore cornerback Boise Ross returned an Ohio fumble for a 76-yard touchdown with less than two minutes remaining in the game.

The Bad: Ohio freshman running back A.J. Quellette ran for 155 yards and two touchdowns. The Bobcats ran for 233 yards and four touchdowns as a team.

Pass defense: D+

The Good: Ohio completed just eight of 19 pass attempts as a team.

The Bad: Those eight completions went for 156 yards. Buffalo continued to allow big passing plays from the start, giving up a 47-yard completion down the sideline to senior wide receiver Chase Cochran on the Bobcats’ first drive.

Special teams: F

The Good: Junior running back Devin Campbell had a 50-yard kickoff return in the first quarter.

The Bad: Freshman wide receiver Jacob Martinez replaced junior wide receiver Marcus McGill as the punt returner a few weeks ago, but Martinez muffed two punts Wednesday night. The punt team had two miscues: Martinez’s first muffed punt, and a snap that hit off of a blocker in the backfield. The two turnovers led to 10 points for Ohio. Senior kicker Patrick Clarke missed a 33-yard field goal in the second quarter and is now just 6 of 13 on the year.

Coaching: F

The Good: It’s hard to find positives in interim head coach Alex Wood’s performance from the sideline Wednesday.

The Bad: After scoring at least 21 points in every game under Jeff Quinn this season, Buffalo has scored just 14 points in both games with Wood as coach. Buffalo looked completely unprepared and unmotivated for this game right from the beginning. Wood failed to play call an effective game plan, as the offense was out of sorts all night.

email: sports@ubspectrum.com