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Bulls Wrap Up Second Week of Spring Practice

Drew Willy

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo football team wrapped up the second week of spring practices with their first full scale scrimmage on Saturday afternoon. First-year head coach Turner Gill was happy with what he saw and expects more of the same the final two weeks.

"The guys started off a little slow today,” said Gill, “but I liked where the intensity level was and overall it was pretty good work for our first full scrimmage. The biggest thing we looked for was the way they responded without coaches on the field for the first time, and playing hard every single play. Guys are starting to focus on what we are trying to get done: that we need to practice with game-like tempo, to play with great effort and to know that this play is the most important play, not the last one, but the one you are currently in.”

“We looked for guys to step up and make progress and we did see that on both sides of the ball as well as special teams,” continued Gill.

Both sides of the ball had strong play, as the offense scored two touchdowns and converted on all four of its field goal attempts. The defense, meanwhile, had two interceptions and two fumble recoveries during the scrimmage, including an interception in the end zone and a forced fumble and recovery at the one-yard line.

Marck Abraham

As for players that stood out in the scrimmage, Gill noted that “Marck Abraham (Deerfield Beach, FL/Deerfield Beach) has stood out on the defensive side, he’s coming along well.” Gill also noted the strong play of junior free safety Kareem Byrom (New Brunswick, NJ/New Brunswick) and defensive end Trevor Scott (Potsdam, NY/Potsdam), who has made an excellent conversion from tight end to defense. He also noted that junior linebacker Ollice Ervin (Vero Beach, FL/Vero Beach) continues to have a strong camp.

Chris McDuffie

“Offensively, I liked some of the things that (quarterback) Drew Willy (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) did. He is making progress in terms of moving the team down the field as a leader…I liked his demeanor in the huddle,” said Gill. “I also liked the way Chris McDuffie (Amherst, NY/Williamsville North) ran the ball.”

Gill also praised the work of placekickers Adam Tanalski (Bellerose Village, NY/St. Francis Prep/Nassau CC) and Gerry McGroarty (Wilkes-Barre, PA/Bishop Hoban), who converted each of their kicks, as well as junior punter Ben Woods (Hermitage, PA/Hickory), who hit several booming punts in early special teams work. He also noted the work of sophomore lineman Ray Norell (Monroe, CT/Masuk) who has handled most of the team’s snapping duties.

Now after two weeks of getting an overall feel for his team’s talent level and conditioning, Gill and his staff will narrow their focus over the final two weeks of practice, culminating in the Blue-White scrimmage on April 22 at 2 pm at UB Stadium.

“We hit the wall a little bit this past Wednesday, which was our sixth practice,” said Gill. “We didn’t have the same pop on Wednesday, but Friday they picked it back up and today was not too bad either. Next week we will add a few more wrinkles, but for the most part the last two weeks will be repeating the things we have been practicing and gaining some continuity. We’d like to begin to determine the 15 or 16 guys on each side of the ball that we can count on.”

As for what the staff will be looking to accomplish in the last two weeks, Gill said, “We kind of know who the better players are after the first two weeks, the next two weeks will probably decide who the best player at each position is.

“We still have to get the team more conditioned and we will concentrate on that from a physical standpoint as well,” said Gill. “The guys now know the terminology, they know the plays, so there should be a little better tempo from everyone.”