FOOTBALL

Roster  |  Coaches  |  Schedule / Results  |  News

Spring Football Notes: Week 3

Drew Willy

BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo football team has finished its third week of spring practice after a workout on a rainy Friday morning at UB Stadium. After the workout, head coach Turner Gill took a few moments to talk about the progress of his team during his first spring practice.

On how practice went this week:
"In general, the guys are feeling a little bit comfortable, although they're still not quite comfortable because we're not letting them feel that way. We're keeping the pressure on them, keeping the intensity going. We want to change the mentality for them to be able to perform at a high level. We're trying to teach them what that high level is in the meeting rooms, teaching them how to go about paying attention, how to take notes, how to do things on the football field at a high level. We try not to use the word practice, we use the words 'game day.' Every day is a game day, preparing to be the best."

On how the team is adjusting to the new offensive and defensive schemes:
They're still not there yet, but there are a few things that are starting to click. We'll keep pushing them and they'll continue to learn and understand the things we want to do. They still don't know exactly how we want to do things, but that takes time. It's only been 10 or 11 practices, so over a period of time, we'll get this spring ball finished up and then we'll come back in the fall and we'll keep getting better and better at it."

On the quarterbacks:
"The quarterback spot is coming along OK. Drew Willy (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) is right now, no doubt, the guy who has stepped up and done a great job of running our offense. He is feeling more comfortable each day. You see it, you feel it. He's taking command in the huddle. I keep forgetting he's just a freshman and is going to be a sophomore, but he's starting to mature in a lot of ways."

Kareem Byrom

On standouts in practice this week:
"Freshman quarterback James Starks (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Falls) has come along and done some good things. Wide receivers Evan Wallace (Santa Clara, CA/Wilcox/West Valley CC) and Brett Hamlin (Jupiter, FL/William T. Dwyer) have done some good things. Junior defensive back Kareem Byrom (New Brunswick, NJ/New Brunswick) is doing really well. Junior linebacker Ollice Ervin (Vero Beach, FL/Vero Beach) is doing really well. I like junior Trevor Scott (Potsdam, NY/Potsdam) being on the defensive side of the ball and now at defensive end. Those guys have made some improvement."

On the team's desire:
"I think the guys are very, very intense and wanting to learn. They are responding and wanting football. They want to know how to do these things so they are coming around and asking questions and trying to be the best they can."

On the Blue and White Game next Saturday:
"I'm looking forward to the Blue and White Game. Hopefully, we get a little bit of the game environment. It won't be quite like a true game. We'll split them up on offense and defense and get some plays run from that standpoint, but at least it will be in a game environment where there won't be any coaches on the field. They just have to go and get out there and see what they can do."