Expectations High at Football Media Day

Newton, Roosevelt, Shannon, Starks and West named team captains

Justin Winters at Media Day

BUFFALO, NY - The mood was upbeat and the expectations were high as the University at Buffalo football team held its annual media day at UB Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.

A record number of both local and national media turned out to hear head coach Turner Gill and players discuss their expectations for the upcoming season.

Beginning his fourth year as head coach, Gill understands the pressures the Bulls will face to try to defend their Mid-American Conference title. But he is confident that his team will be in the right frame of mind when the season starts.

"We talk to them about keeping it in the right perspective," Gill said. "What happened in the past, happened in the past. We're going to take what was good about the past and bring it on to the future. Right now we have to go and execute better than we did last year. Each and every guy has to go out and perform better than they did last year. If we do that collectively, we will be a good football team and win our share of football games and have a great opportunity to be MAC champions again."

Gill likes the attitude of the team and sees a group of young men really maturing.

"Our guys believe in each other. There is a different feeling from the past three preseason camps," Gill said. "I also see them engaging more with everybody - and that is huge when you are trying to build great chemistry on a football team."

One of the biggest questions entering the 2009 season will be the quarterback play. Gill is confident he has found his man in Zach Maynard and that the sophomore signal caller is ready to take the reins of the team.

"I know that he is better prepared as a sophomore than Drew [Willy] was as a sophomore," Gill said. "I say that because he has been in our program for a year and has been around our coaches for a year. I really believe that we have a lot of things in place where he doesn't have to do everything on every single play. He will have to learn how to manage things and do things in a game situation. He knows it, but we've got to execute. I really like his demeanor."

With eight starters returning, including three All-MAC players, Gill is especially excited about the defense.

"I anticipate us to have the best defense that I've been associate with," Gill said. "We have to go out and do it, but compared to the last three years, this is the best defense that we have put together.

Also at his press conference, Gill announced the team captains for the 2009 season as voted on by the team. The five team captains are senior safety Mike Newton, senior wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt, junior safety Davonte Shannon, senior running back James Starks and senior offensive tackle Andrew West. Newton was elected captain for the second year in a row, while the other players are first time captains.

Buffalo opens the 2009 season at UTEP on September 5.