UB takes care of business

By Budd Bailey

There are plenty of fans out there who prefer safe, secure victories for their favorite teams without the end-of-the-game drama that’s straight out of the movies.

For those people, Saturday’s game at UB Stadium was a fine way to spend a sunny autumn day.

The University of Buffalo took care of business in no time at all as they thumped Saint Francis, 45-6. The Bulls moved to 1-1 on the young season, and it wasn’t that close.

Consider that UB had a 17-0 lead late in the first quarter, well before the Red Flash had a first down. There’s never a boxing referee around to wave his hands in front of the battered party and say “You’ve had enough” in such circumstances.

But let’s state the obvious. Wins are precious in college football, since every team wants to be able to count up to six during the course of the season. That’s the number for the magic phrase, “Bowl Eligible.” This was one of six steps toward that goal.

"We will celebrate victories, that's for sure," head coach Pete Lembo said.

Besides, it was only two years ago that UB lost to Fordham, and three years ago that the Bulls fell to Holy Cross. Never take anything for granted around here in September.

"One of our mantras around here is respect all, fear none," Lembo said. "If you're playing Minnesota, if you're playing Saint Francis, if you're playing anyone else on the schedule, they are nameless, faceless opponents. We try to prepare the same way. ... We don't approach opponents differently. Yes, you have different plans of attack in all three phases, but the mentality doesn't change."

The game did provide some good clues as to what might be ahead for Buffalo this season. Quarterback was a question mark entering the season, but transfer Ta’Quan Roberson didn’t do anything that would change his first-string status. He finished 10 of 20 for 133 yards, with no sacks and one interception. Robertson even ran for a couple of touchdowns in the third quarter (he finished with 88 yards rushing) to go to with a scoring pass earlier for a worthwhile afternoon.  

"It was great to see the team come together and get that win," Roberson said. "That's the only stat that matters."

"The great thing about him is that he's a competitor," Lembo said. "He's got that good balance of wanting to compete but also taking ownership when things don't go well. He also doesn't get down on himself if he misses a throw."

Victor Snow again led the Bulls with receiving yardage, grabbing three passes for 67 yards with a touchdown. He looks like he could be a consistent deep threat. Al-Jay Henderson, who struggled last week against a Minnesota team with a pair of future pros on the defensive line, found things more to his liking this time. He finished with 102 yards on 24 carries.

"I was seeing everything we did in practice," Henderson said. "It's good to see the same plays over and over again during the week, and see it happen in games. Definitely fun."

On defense, the Bulls were expected to be good this season, thanks to the fact that they figured out a way to return 10 starters to the unit this season. No one even did that before “transfer portal” entered our vocabulary. That continuity has helped the group get off to a good start.

"I feel like we mesh really well together, coming off last year," edge defender Kobe Stewart said. "It's like muscle memory now. We gel so good because we've been together. At practice, we're trying to compete every day. It's good to see it show up on day time."

"We definitely feel that is the strength of our team," Lembo said. "A big part of it is the experience we have back. I'm very grateful that those guys all came back. Some have already gotten their degree. They didn't need to stay here. They like each other. They like their coaches. They like coming into the building every day. They are enjoying their time together."

UB’s starters didn’t let the Red Flash do much of anything, especially on the ground. Saint Francis had a total running yardage of minus-4 yards in the first half, and 11 yards for the game. That made it for tough for Red Flash quarterback Nick Whitfield Jr., who played his high school ball down the road at Fredonia. The visitors finally scored a touchdown n the fourth quarter against the subs - its first points of the season.

Linebacker Red Murdock led UB in tackles with six. For those following Buffalo this season, it’s likely that sentence will be repeated often in the coming weeks with only the number changing.

There was plenty of time in the second half to start looking up cute little facts from the game. One certainly was the fact that Saint Francis hadn’t played a game in Erie County since 1941. That was a 19-13 win over Canisius in 1941. The Red Flash’s last win in Western New York came in 1986, when the team knocked off Division III opponent Niagara.

And it wasn’t a happy homecoming for a former Buffalo Bill. Chris Villarrial is the head coach of Saint Francis, and he played on the offensive line for the Bills from 2004 to 2006.

The facts become more serious next week. Conference play begins play next week with a trip to Kent State.

"It's championship game No. 1," Lembo said. "You only get eight of those, and they all matter the same. It's an early conference game, similar to last year when we played Northern Illinois early. A lot of people talk about going to week one to week two, but we've got to take a big jump from week two to week three."

Then UB starts a three-game homestand against Troy on Sept. 20. The Trojans had a 16-0 lead at Clemson – that’s eighth-ranked Clemson – in the second quarter on Saturday, although it did go on to lose. In other words, there are no more pushovers on the horizon.

By the end of that run of home games, we’ll have a pretty good line on what the rest of the season will look like. Expect a little more drama along the way.

(Follow Budd on X.com via @WDX2BB)