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Published: December 30, 2006 12:38 am
UB BLOG: Dec. 29, 2006 to Feb. 15, 2007
Greater Niagara Newspapers
MAC backs refs, scolds Dakich
Feb. 15
Officials handled the unusual developments during Tuesday’s Bowling Green at Buffalo game properly, Mid-American Conference Commissioner Rick Chryst announced Thursday.
The Falcons were assessed a technical foul for a delay of game after leaving the floor with 0.6 seconds remaining. UB’s Yassin Idbihi hit both technical free throws to force overtime. The Bulls went on to win 98-90.
Bowling Green coach Dan Dakich asserted, profanely, that the referees had signaled the game over before his players went to the locker room.
The MAC and Bowling Green’s athletics director on Thursday reprimanded Dakich for his comments.
“The nature and character of coach Dakich’s postgame comments not only violate the conference’s sportsmanlike code of conduct but are unprofessional, irresponsible and damaging to all he represents,” Chryst said.
Dakich apologized through a written statement.
Staff report
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Nenova honored by MAC
Feb. 15
UB senior Miglena Nenova was named MAC women’s tennis player of the week on Wednesday. Nenova went 4-0 at singles and doules last week as the Bulls defeated 75th ranked Syracuse on Friday and Niagara on Sunday.
Staff report
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Women's tennis nets upset
Feb. 10
The women's tennis team pulled out one of the biggest victories in program history late Saturday night, winning 4-3 at Syracuse. The Orange came in ranked 75th in the country.
"This was a big win," UB coach Kathy Twist said. "The team took it in stride. They didn't get overly excited. I think they expected to win."
The Bulls improved to 3-0 in non-league dual matches without No. 1 singles player Andreea Novaceanu, who's battling a leg injury.
Miglena Nenova and Denise Harijanto picked up a win at No. 2 doubles for UB. Diana Toia, Smaranda Stan and Katrin Fischer won singles matches for the Bulls.
Staff report
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Wrestling home finale tonight
Feb. 9
Prior to tonight's home finale against No. 25 Kent State, the Bulls will honor their senior wrestlers, including standout 133-pounder Mark Budd who has a legitimate chance at national championship.
The action starts at 7 p.m. inside Alumni Arena. Some other things to watch for:
Stella approaching record
Redshirt freshman Andrew Stella, a Tonawandan who attended Sweet Home, has 33 escapes this season, seven shy of equaling a 17-year old school record. Stella, who competes at 141 pounds, had seven escapes in his last match.
Weber's heavy duty
True freshman Jason Weber (Orchard Park) filled in for an injured Jeff Parker at UB's meet at Ohio on Jan. 27 and scored an upset victory over the nation's 30th-ranked heavyweight, Marcus Adelman.
No more Needle?
Former Newfane star Ryan Needle may have wrestled his last much. A Buffalo wrestling team spokesman confirmed Thursday that Needle likely won't compete again for the Bulls this season. Needle is still practicing with the Bulls and would be available in case of an injury
Published reports speculate Needle will continue his education at UB next year but will no longer be part of the wrestling team. UB head coach Jim Beichner indicated as much in a recent interview with TheWrestlingMall.com .
"As a coach, I'd like to try and get Ryan in to the next stage of his life because he's got a tremendous amount to offer the world," Beichner was quoted to have said.
Needle won a Section VI record 240 matches in high school and spent two seasons at Ohio State before transferring back home. He was 19-17 this season before being replaced at 149 pounds by Jason Hilliard last month.
E-mail sports reporter Jonah Bronstein at bronsteinj@gnnewspaper.com
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Offense in Gill's hands now
Feb. 7
Head football coach Turner Gill disclosed Wednesday that he will assume offensive coordinator and playcalling duties next season. Gerald Carr, who coordinated UB's offense in 2006, was effectively fired last month when Gill opted not to renew his contract.
Gill also announced Wednesday that Danny Barrett will join the Bulls staff next week. Barett, who spent the last seven seasons as head coach of the Saskatchewan Raiders of the CFL, will serve as quarterbacks coach and assistant head coach at UB, Gill said.
Click here for more.
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The Bulls signed 18 players on Wednesday, joining two previously announced members as Gill's second recruiting class, the first in which had a full year to complete. Of the 20 players UB signed, 10 hail from Florida, Texas, Ohio or Pennsylvania. UB added seven players from New York, including three from the Buffalo-area.
UB's 2007 RECURITING CLASS
LB Adekunle Akingba*
LB Fred Branch
DT Derrick Brown
TE Aaron Connacher
CB Domonic Cook
S Josh Copeland
DE Gordon DuBois
RB Obi Ezemma
S Alan Hayes
LB Jerry Housey
QB Zack Ingle
WR Terrell Jackson
OL Matt Ostrowski
OL Solomon Richberg*
WR Marcus Rivers
S Davonte Shannon
DT Richard Smith
CB Joshua Thomas
DT Robert Torn
QB Ed Young
*enrolled at UB in January
E-mail sports reporter Jonah Bronstein at bronsteinj@gnnewspaper.com
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Bulls could benefit from early signing period
Feb. 6
Before it even began, Chris Johnson’s reign as Buffalo’s quarterback of the future came to an end.
Johnson, a highly-ranked dual-threat quarterback out of New Jersey, verbally committed to attend UB in October, delighting Bulls fans who hope coach Turner Gill’s recruiting skills will lift UB out of the depths of Division I-A.
But then Central Michigan coach Brian Kelly took over at Cincinatti and began recruiting Johnson. Suddenly, Johnson’s commitment to UB was downgraded to “soft verbal” by the online scouting services.
A week later, Johnson committed to play next season for new Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski.
Randy Kellman, a highly-ranked defensive end Gill reportedly secured a verbal commitment from, is also being listed as a “soft verbal” now.
National Signing Day is today. Introductions of UB’s 2007 recruiting class will stream online at 5:30 p.m. on BuffaloBulls.com.
That’s the reality of high-level football recruiting. Since verbal commitments are non-binding until players sign a National Letter of Intent, school’s are at the mercy of the notoriously fickle tastes of teenagers.
“The difference for us this year is that we’ve been dealing with a little higher level recruit and we have some kids with offers on the table from so-called higher programs,” said UB Associate Athletics Director Paul Vecchio.
The Bulls aren’t the only school losing recruits who promised to sign today. The coaching carousel that spins after every college football season leads to players re-evaluting their offers, since new ones often come in after verbal commitments have been made.
Or, like in the case of national champion Florida, a succesful season entices players to change their mind.
Some, notably former coach and current ESPN.com columnist Bill Curry, argue football should follow basketball’s lead and institute an early signing period in the summer.
Curry said instituting such a policy would benefit players and their families, who would then enjoy a senior year free of constant recruiting calls.
It would also seem to benefit a program like UB, which could tie up talented players and prevent a more established program from swooping in and stealing the commitment.
One potential drawback is that with coaches currently unable to contact high school players during the summer, they’d have less time to get to know a recruit before he signs.
“I know in my conversations with coach Gill that this was a hot topic of conversation at the most recent head coaches convention,” Vecchio said.
E-mail sports reporter Jonah Bronstein at bronsteinj@gnnewspaper.com
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Mulkey joins starting lineup
Feb. 3
Byron Mulkey has replaced point guard Eric Moore in the starting lineup for Saturday's game against Northern Illinois. Mulkey, a walk-on freshman from Niagara-Wheatfield, saw his first action of the year Wednesday at Western Michigan. In 18 minutes, Mulkey had zero points, but more importantly, zero turnovers.
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Women's Tennis picked 2nd in MAC
Feb. 2
Mid-American Conference coaches predict the Bulls will duplicate last year's surprising success when they advanced to the conference championship match for the first time in school history.
UB received two first place votes and 70 total points, one less than predicted champion Western Michigan. The Broncos defeated the Bulls 4-0 in last year's final.
Coach Kathy Twist's squad will be led this season by a pair of returning All-MAC honorees, Andreea Novaceanu and Miglena Nenova.
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McDowell sets diving record
Feb. 1
Freshman Michael McDowell set a Bulls record on the one-meter springboard with a six-dive total of 323.77. McDowell also won the three-meter event.
Senior Luke Adams, swimming in his final home dual meet for the Bulls, won the 200- and 500-yard freestyle events.
UB will host the Mid-American Conference Championships on Feb. 22-24.
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Mulkey sheds redshirt
Jan. 31
Byron Mulkey, nearby Niagara-Wheatfield's all-time leading scorer, played 18 minutes but did not score Wednesday in the Bulls' 85-64 loss at Western Michican
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Mulkey might get minutes at WMU
Jan. 30
Niagara-Wheatfield graduate Byron Mulkey has joined the Bulls on their last two road trips and is available to play tonight at Western Michigan, team spokesman Jon Fuller confirmed Tuesday.
Mulkey, a walk-on freshman, is currently UB’s only backup to starting point guard Eric Moore. John Boyer, also a walk-on freshman, hasn’t played since Jan. 10 after contracting mononucleosis.
It was believed Mulkey, the all-time leading scorer at Niagara-Wheatfield, would redshirt this season.
But as UB struggles to take care of the ball (they rank second in the country at 20.4 turnovers per game), Mulkey’s ability to run the point might earn him active duty. Coach Reggie Witherspoon has tried using wing players Greg Gamble and Andy Robinson when Moore was on the bench, to limited success.
E-mail sports reporter Jonah Bronstein at bronsteinj@gnnnewspaper.com
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Detroit is BracketBuster foe
Jan. 30
The Bulls will host Detroit on Feb. 17 as part of the ESPNU BracketBuster, the Mid-American Conference and Detroit Athletics Web sites are reporting. As of late Tuesday, UB hasn't announced its BracketBuster opponent.
The Bulls will return their game at Detroit next season. The Titans are 8-13 overall this season and 4-5 in the Horizon League.
UB (9-11, 1-6 MAC) has lost four straight heading into tonight’s game at Western Michigan (7 p.m., WWKB 1520 AM).
Detroit has lost to Canisius and Cleveland State this season, two teams UB has defeated. The Titans own a win over Eastern Michigan, the most recent team to beat the Bulls. Both UB and Detroit have lost to Kent State and Toledo.
Senior forward Ryvon Covile is averaging 13.4 points and 10.9 rebounds for the Titans. Junior guard Brandon Cotton leads the team with his 18.2 scoring average.
E-mail sports reporter Jonah Bronstein at bronsteinj@gnnnewspaper.com
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Gill shuffles coaching staff
Jan. 24
Buffalo football coach Turner Gill announced Wednesday that offensive coordinator Gerald Carr will be relieved of his duties. Carr also served as quarterbacks coach last season.
Offensive graduate assistant Kevin Lynch has resigned to pursue other opportunities, Gill revealed.
"We wish Gerald and Kevin the best and appreciate the contributions they have made to our program," Gill said in a written statement.
Gill had no further comment Wednesday, according to Associate Athletic Director Paul Vecchio.
Vecchio said Gill hopes to have a new offensive coordinator in place by Feb. 7, the first day new recurits can sign national letters of intent. Gill is expected to comment on the search for Carr's replacement at that time.
And there are questions to be answered.
Is it a performance-based dismissal? Statistics and perception indicate Carr's offense was better than Jimmy Williams' defense last season. Gill did state throughout the season that he was more involved with the offensive gameplans than the defensive ones. Does Gill intend on taking on an even greater role in the offense? Were there philosophical differences between Gill and Carr? A power struggle?
And the big question, which Gill likely won't comment on: Is there any connection between allowing Carr's contract to expire and quarterback recruit Chris Johnson reneging on his verbal commitment?
Gill also announced the promotion of Ryan Groneman to head strength coach, replacing Buddy Morris, who left in December for a similiar position at Pittsburgh.
Groneman has served as assistant strength coach since 2004.
E-mail sports reporter Jonah Bronstein at bronsteinj@gnnnewspaper.com
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QB recruit not coming
Jan. 24
Chris Johnson, the highly touted quarterback out of New Jersey who committed to attend Buffalo in October, has given a stronger commitment to Boston College, according to recruiting service Rivals.com.
Johnson, a dual-threat quarterback, visited Boston College over the weekend. Rivals has Johnson ranked among the nation's top 25 quarterback recruits.
The Bulls did secure a verbal commitment over the weekend from Derrick Brown, according to Scout.com. Brown, a 6-foot-4, 280-pounder from Pennsylvania, will reportedly start out at defensive tackle for the Bulls. His primary position in high school was offensive guard.
Brown indicated to Scout.com that Turner Gill was the primary reason he chose Buffalo. But not the only one.
“The campus is marvelous and the people were very nice,” Brown said. “You really can’t ask for much more then that. I saw a lot of diversity on the coaching staff and see an up and coming program that plays a tough non-conference schedule. I was just very impressed with everything Buffalo offered.”
Of course, as Johnson showed, recruits are permitted to change their minds until signing a letter of intent. National signing day is Feb. 7.
—Staff Report
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Vance, Richards, Ezekiel awarded by MAC
Jan. 24
Buffalo indoor track and field athletes Sarah Vance, Roy Richards and Ezekiel Porter have been recognized as Mid-American Conference athletes of the week.
Vance, a junior from Lockport, was named female field athlete of the week after breaking the Bulls' indoor shot put record over the weekend at the Cornell Upstate Challenge. Her 50-foot, eight-inch throw was more than a foot farther than the previous record set by Faith Thompson of Niagara Falls.
Vance's shot put and 20-pound weight throw at Cornell qualified her for the the ECAC championships. The shot put qualified for the NCAA championships.
Richards, the defending MAC indoor long jump champion, was named male field athlete of the week after performing a season-best long jump at Cornell.
Porter, a freshman out of Rochester, ran a 6.77-second 60-meter dash at Cornell, breaking a five-year old UB record. He also won the 200.
Both Richards and Porter have qualified for the IC4A championships.
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Cerminara heading to Takhti Cup in Iran
Jan. 17
Lewiston-Porter graduate Kyle Cerminara has been called on to represent the United States at the 2007 Takhti Cup, a wrestling tournament in Bandar Abbas, Iran on Thusday and Friday.
Cerminara, is the all-time winningest wrestler at the University at Buffalo, will compete at 221 lbs. on a 14-man roster that consists of former world champion medalists, U.S. World Team members and U.S. Nationals freestyle champions.
Since his championship run at the 2006 Canada Cup last summer, Cerminara has been training in Colorado Springs, Colo., and is vying for a spot on the 2008 Olympic Team.
“We’re really proud of Kyle,β? UB head coach Jim Beichner said. “He’s been working really hard to earn a chance to represent his country at the next Olympic Games. He has his goals set and knows where he wants to be at in terms of his developmental process. We’re all rooting for him here.β?
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Quarterback reconsiders commitment to Bulls
Jan. 16
Chris Johnson, a dual-threat quarterback from New Jersey, may be giving second thoughts to signing with Buffalo in February, as he originally intended.
Johnson, the best of five verbal commits UB coach Turner Gill has reportedly secured, recently made an official visit to Cincinnati and has another to Boston College planned.
"After that I'll be done," recruiting service Rivals.com quoted Johnson as saying. "It's down to three schools. I'm still committed to Buffalo, but all three of those schools are high.
"I'll make my final decision around the first week in February."
Johnson committed to the Bulls on Oct. 31. On his recent visit to Cincinnati, Johnson was most impressed with the Bearcats weight training facility, he said. UB's $500,000 Robert and Carol Morris Sports Performance Center was in the early stages on construction when he visited the weekend of Sept. 29.
The 6-foot-2, 202-pound Johnson is rated as the nation's 25th-best quarterbacking prospect by Rivals.com. Working primarily out of the shotgun, he led his high school team in passing and rushing as a senior.
’ Matt Ostrowski, a 6-foot-6 offensive tackle from Pennsylvania, has verbally committed to UB, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Kent State and Marshall were also reportedly interested in Ostrowski.
E-mail sports reporter Jonah Bronstein at bronsteinj@gnnewspaper.com
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Women's basketball gets first league win
Jan. 13
Freshman Korutney Brown had a career-high 17 points to lead the Bulls to their their first MAC win.
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Select MAC games to stream online
Jan. 10
The Mid-American Conference announced Wednesday that 65 men’s and women’s basketball games will be streamed live at mac-sports.com, starting with tonight’s 7 p.m. men's basketball matchup between preseason favorite Akron and UB's next opponent, Miami.
Games cost $5.95 to purchase and will be produced by XOS Network.
Bulls basketball makes its All-MACcess debut Feb. 14 when the women’s team visits Miami. Reggie Witherspoon’s squad will first appear Feb. 21 when they go on the road to avenge Wednesday night’s loss to Kent State. The men’s game at Miami on Feb. 24 is also scheduled to stream on All-MACcess.
Both the men's and women's championship tournaments in early March will be available.
Every MAC football game streamed live this past season, to "great success," they claim. We had trouble accessing All-MACcess using the Safari browser on a Mac computer, found the feed to be sub-standard to a television broadcast and couldn't access games after they'd been played, as XOS claimed would be possible.
E-mail sports reporter Jonah Bronstein at bronsteinj@gnnewspaper.com
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UB's Budd gets win No. 90
Jan. 9
Mark Budd became the seventh Buffalo wrestler with 90 career wins Tuesday in leading the Bulls (6-2) to a pair of victories.
Budd, ranked 12th in the nation at 133 pounds, pinned Rob Tate in 4:32 during UB’s 42-3 win over Gardner-Webb (3-8-1). Andrew Stella (Sweet Home) added a pinfall win as the Bulls topped 40 points for the third time this season. Jason Hilliard also won via pin.
UB's 25-16 win over Appalachian State (4-9) was highlighted by Budd's pinfall win over Corey Hulsey in 2:50. Dan Bishop and Ricky Scott also earned pins for UB.
Staff Report
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Upshaw playing in second all-star game
Jan. 8
Senior tight end Chad Upshaw has been invited to participate in the Inta Juice North-South All-Star Classic, which will be held Jan. 13 in Houston.
Upshaw completed his UB career with the most receiving yards by a tight end in team history. He has already participated in the Magnolia Grid-Iron Classic on Dec. 23.
Upshaw, a 6-foot-4, 250-pounder, was ranked as the 22nd best tight end in the country by College Football News prior to his senior season. He led the team with 35 receptions for 419 yards in 2006.
The North-South Classic replaces the former Blue-Gray Game, which used to be played on Christmas Day.
Staff report
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Get wise to Mernagh
Jan. 6
If you've stumbled across this blog then you're likely already aware of Ray Mernagh's site. If not, check out our first MAC Insider column.
Spending all of last season researching a book on MAC basketball, Mernagh cemented his status as an authority on the league.
These blogs are must-reads for MAC fans, as well: MacSports, MacSportsFans and MacReportOnline.
E-mail sports reporter Jonah Bronstein at bronsteinj@gnnewspaper.com
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Women's track team signs pair
Jan. 4
The University at Buffalo track team announced a pair of signings Thursday.
Tiffany Maskulinski will transfer to the Bulls after spending her freshman season at Washington State.
Maskulinski, an Elma native, is enrolled for the spring semester at UB and is eligible to compete in the 2007 indoor and outdoor seasons.
Maskulinski is the USA National High School junior record holder in the pole vault, clearing 13 feet, six inches. She's also one of three U.S. junior women to clear 14 feet in her career.
Ajla Glavasevic, a native of Erie, Pa., also signed with the Bulls. She will join the team for the 2007-08 school year.
Glavasevic participates in the long and triple jumps, as well as the hurdles.
UB begins the 2007 indoor track season Jan. 14 at the Doug Raymond Invite at Kent State University. The outdoor season begins in March.
Staff report
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Idbihi still not practicing
Jan. 3
Yassin Idbihi's availability has been day-to-day now for weeks. Just once, has coach Reggie Witherspoon's most experienced and productive player practiced with the rest of the team since Dec. 18, and that tease last Thursday resulted in Idbihi brusing his sore right elbow again.
Observers claim Idbihi is looking good during his individual workouts. And UB's young bigs could use the extra work. (Parnell Smith battling a cold this week also contributes to that end).
Still, MAC play doesn't look appetizing for the Bulls without Yassin at the table.
E-mail sports reporter Jonah Bronstein at bronsteinj@gnnewspaper.com
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Grappling with the realities of college wrestling
Jan. 2
Ryan Needle was perhaps the most accomplished high school wrestler in Western New York history. But, as he's finding out, the NCAA doesn't give credit for pre-college work.
Needle Still Finding His Way
Makes Lewiston-Porter graduate Kyle Cerminara's wonderful career at UB all the more impressive.
E-mail sports reporter Jonah Bronstein at bronsteinj@gnnewspaper.com
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Football secures two more verbals
Dec. 29, 2006
Robert Torn, a 6-foot-4, 271 pound defensive tackle out of Orlando, Fla., verbally committed to UB this month, according to a report in the Orlando Sentinel.
Recruiting service Scout.com also lists Torn as one of three players UB will sign in February, along with New Jersey quarterback Chris Johnson and Jamestown tight end Aaron Connacher.
β’ Head coach Turner Gill has also reportedly secured a verbal commitment from Randy Kellman, a 6-foot-6, 245-pound prospect out of New Jersey who played tight end and defensive end last season in Florida.
Several scouting services have Kellman ranked among the top 50 tight ends in the country. Scouts, Inc. reports that Kellman was considering Maryland, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Penn State and Rutgers. However, according to Rivals.com, none of those schools offered Kellman a scholarship.
Scouts, Inc.'s evaluation leads one to believe that Kellman is more a defensive end prospect, even noting that he could grow into a defensive tackle. Gill does need to compensate for Chad Upshaw's graduation, but true freshman Robert Yealu received ample time in 2005. Considering Connacher's commitment and UB’s desperate need to improve a toothless run defense, this space expects Kellman to line up on defense. Trevor Scott, a former tight end, flourished at defensive end in '05, leading the Bulls in sacks.
β’ It's widely believed Gill is recruiting a second quarterback to join this class. UB is graduating two seniors and Johnson said as much when he committed in November.
Some local fans are clamoring for UB to sign St. Joe's strong-arm Terrance Schmand, who probably won't get the scholarship offer from Syracuse he's hoping for.
We're hearing, however, that Schmand is on UB's radar (he was one of 35 recruits invited to attend the Bulls home finale) but hasn't been offered a scholarship. Schmand is a classic pocket passer who had a marvelous season for the Marauders, but apparently doesn't have the running ability Gill covets.
Though current starter Drew Willy isn't really suited to run the option, we guess UB's next quarterback will be a dual-threat like Johnson.
Or rather, like Gill was at Nebraska.
E-mail sports reporter Jonah Bronstein at bronsteinj@gnnewspaper.com
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