Everything was stacked against the Bulls heading into their week one showdown with Pittsburgh at Heinz Field.
After one half of football, Buffalo seems to be unaware that it is a 31-point underdog against the big, bad Panthers.
The defensive effort by the Bulls has been magnificent through 30 minutes. The relentless mentality of the defensive line has slowly chipped away at the Pittsburgh offensive line. Late in the second quarter, the Bulls pressure on Panthers quarterback Tito Sunseri was tremendous.
Sunseri now has to come out in the second half and make plays against a defense that has demonstrated that it can get into the backfield and disrupt the quarterback's flow.
Senior wide receiver Ed Young all but tied the game late in the second quarter after getting separation in the Panthers secondary. He was all alone and dropped a perfectly placed pass from senior quarterback Chazz Anderson with no Panthers defender within five feet of him in any direction.
Anderson had a rough go of things in the first quarter, and his offensive line didn't do him any favors. He's shown in only his first game in the blue and white, the veteran presence he brings to the position and the team. He led a nice drive in the second quarter, which led to the Bulls' only score of the game, a 40-yard field goal by senior kicker Peter Fardon.
On the scoring drive, Anderson started to get the mid-range passing game working, and senior wide receiver Marcus Rivers and sophomore wide receiver Alex Neutz started racking up the receptions.
Sophomore running back Branden Oliver has looked good at times today and ended the half with 41 yards on 12 carries. He's the only Bulls running back to run the football in the game and it's a little puzzling why Quinn hasn't tried to incorporate junior running back JeffVon Gill.
Gill demonstrated last season that he possesses big play ability and in a game against a superior opponent, the Bulls need as many big plays as they can muster.
Freshman cornerback Cortney Lester had a ball bounce off his chest, on what would have been an interception of Sunseri in the second half. The young corner must have been upset with himself after that drop.
The Bulls are playing tough and are in this game, but they can't afford any mistakes in the second half and they have to capitalize on the mistakes of the Panthers. Win or lose, the Bulls need this game to remain close so to start building confidence and helping them forget about last year's 2-10 nightmare season.
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