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Matt Gritzmacher: First things first, is Old Man Solich getting an early start on the yearly November collapse?
Kaleb Carter: Hey man, this is a different team. Yes, this team relapsed, but it's not going to cave. This is a new group, and they will not fall apart like past Ohio teams. The thing that hurt us most was injuries to the likes of Quentin Poling, Jovon Johnson, Blair Brown and Chad Moore (basically all of the top of our LB corps). We're 5-2. No reason for panic yet. But those Bulls! My, my, they sure had a time on Saturday.
MG: We had a great time! Good news for Ohio fans: Lance Leipold's #PoundtheRock mantra can only be found on milk cartons nowadays, as even before the offense falls down by multiple touchdowns they're putting the ball in Licata's hands and slinging three and outs everywhere. Good quarterback, not one who succeeds when asked to throw 40+ times. The offense actually started CMU with its best showing of the year, but were undone by that pesky first quarter-second quarter transition. Happens to everyone, I'm sure. Anyways, don't worry about those linebackers and pitiful run defense against WMU, because UB isn't trying to run the ball enough anyway... and Anthone Taylor is questionable for Saturday.
KC: Nicks and bruises and lacerations and sick bugs. It's going around everywhere right now isn't it? But yeah, someone might want to tell Leipold to stick with what works, but he doesn't seem to get the grasp of that at the D-1 level just yet does he? So as Buffalo rides that 3-game losing streak into their home game with the Bobcats, need I remind ye just how bad the Bulls looked in a 37-14 defeat at the hands of the Bobcats when the Ohio offense wasn't even on anything sort of a roll. Expect the Bobcats to respond after a lackluster performance with more fervor and a drive to earn itself a spot in a respectable bowl game
MG: If Craig Bohl can get 0-6 Wyoming to beat Nevada, it can happen. As I told CMU fans last week, it's a fool's errand to take anything from last year's October stretch, when the team was rocked by a midseason firing and used the pathetically listless Ohio loss as motivation to close out the season strong. This year, the pathetic came a week earlier. Plus, Ohio is just 2-5 all time at UB Stadium. You may not care, and I shouldn't care, but I do.
KC: I don't have to take anything from last year's stretch to tell you that BUFFALO IS GOING DOWN. Seriously...To all of you Licata lovers out there, why can't this team get over the hump? It just doesn't happen. The Bulls have only forced one turnover in the four games it has lost this season, and Ohio is more prone to ball control. And after giving up 51 to a hardly prolific CMU offense, I'm feeling good about the Bobcat offense bouncing back this week.
MG: Nobody knows what's happened to Licata, other than that he's being misused. He's a good quarterback, but UB has always succeeded with the run game first. CMU's hardly prolific offense outscored the Bobcats by 27 against Western Michigan, so there's that. There's plenty of places to rag on UB, but the defense has been a pleasant surprise. With a half-dozen true freshmen seeing the field (thanks, Jeff Quinn!), they've given the team a chance to win in the fourth quarter in every game until CMU. UB's the only team to hold Bowling Green under 30. Meanwhile, I too look forward to the Bobcat offense bouncing back to their 14-point performance against Akron.
KC: We get dubs. And by dubs I mean WINS. This Ohio squad is still sitting at 5-2, 2-1 in the MAC. Find it highly unlikely that the Bulls come out here and win their first game against a BETTER Ohio team that just had it's lone terrible game of the season.
MG: That is all true.
KC: NO RESPONSE.
MG: Nope. We have healthy linebackers and otherwise enjoy your visit to Buffalo. Want to go with a prediction now?
KC: Ohio goes into SUNY BUFFALLOOOOO and wins 28-14.
MG: When I get sad about my teams, I get more unrealistic in my picks. That's where I'm at now. I've got Ohio for 33 points and need to pick a UB win to have some happiness, so Buffalo 34-33.