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Steven King

BUFFALO, NY - After a 44-21 loss at Akron, the University at Buffalo football team will look to right the ship on Saturday afternoon, using a grinding running game that has averaged 178.5 yards per game this year and two solid freshmen quarterbacks.

However, the task will be a daunting one, as Buffalo (1-5 overall, 1-3 Mid-American Conference) hosts preseason MAC favorite Miami (3-2 overall, 2-1 MAC).

Leading the Buffalo offense is sophomore tailback Steven King (Hempstead, NY/Uniondale). King has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of the last two games, posting 120 yards on 10 carries against Akron.

Behind center, the freshman duo of Datwan Hemingway (Albany, NY/Christian Brothers Academy) and Chris Moore (Highland Village, TX/Flower Mound Marcus) have fared well in their first two games in the rotation. Hemingway threw for his first touchdown pass on Saturday and threw for 79 yards. Moore has completed 13-of-19 passes this season for 263 yards and one touchdown.

On defense, senior defensive back J.J. Gibson (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home) became just the sixth UB player to reach 300 tackles since the stat began to be kept. He is ninth in the MAC in tackles at 9.3 per game.

Miami comes into the game searching for its second straight win, after downing Kent State, 47-27, on Saturday. Last season, with Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at the helm, the RedHawks cruised to a 59-3 win at Yager Stadium.

This year, Miami is led by quarterback Josh Betts, who has racked up 1,505 yards and 12 touchdowns in six games this season. The running attack is commandeered by Mike Smith (65 attempts, 241 yards) and Luke Clemens (61 attempts, 245 yards) and Michael Larkin has caught 24 passes for 380 yards.

The defense is anchored by Marcus Johnson, who has 10.5 tackles for a loss and 7.5 sacks.

Kickoff is at 1:30 pm on Saturday. For ticket information call 645-6666. All of the action can be heard locally on WGR 550 or on the web at www.buffalobulls.com.