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Jeff Bublavi

UB (0-6, 0-3 MAC) is coming off a hard-fought defeat against MAC foe Bowling Green by the score of 27-7. UB trailed only 14-7 at the break and the Bulls’ defense again held the opposing offense to season lows. The UB defense held All-American quarterback Omar Jacobs to 187 yards, the lowest passing total of his career as a starter.

Junior LB Jeff Bublavi (Norwood, PA/Interboro) is a leader on the UB defensive corps and has 26 tackles and one fumble recovery on the season. Bublavi talked about approaching the game against Toledo. “Our defense looks forward to these challenges,” Bublavi said. “It’s a great chance to play against guys who are great football players.”

The Bulls secondary is led by sophomore Jesse Imes (Cincinnati, OH/Kings Mills) who has 45 tackles and two interceptions for 53 yards this season. The UB pass defense is still tops in the MAC allowing an average of only 156.2 yards per game.

The Bulls hope to keep improving their offense against the Rockets. Over the last two games, freshman RB Philip Warren (Brunswick, ME/Brunswick/Kent School) has rushed for 125 yards on 25 carries and scored his first career TD. Buffalo has averaged 289.3 yards of total offense in its last four games, a great improvement from its first two games. Freshman QB Drew Willy (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) will once again get the starting nod. Willy has totaled 614 yards passing and two touchdowns this season.

Toledo (5-1, 3-0 MAC) defeated Ball State, 34-14, last weekend. The Rockets are a balanced offense, averaging 218.5 passing yards per game and 221.2 yards on the ground which ranks them second in the MAC. Toledo’s air attack is led by senior QB Bruce Gradkowski. Gradkowski has thrown 68 touchdowns and only 19 interceptions through 43 games in his collegiate career. He is Toledo’s all-time passing leader in touchdowns, completions and yards.

Leading the running game for Toledo is senior RB Trinity Dawson. Dawson leads the team with 601 yards and three rushing TDs this season. He is third in Toledo history with 2,781 career rushing yards.

“Toledo has a terrific football team with a very good balance on offense, including a really terrific QB in Bruce Gradkowski who has played very well,” UB head coach Jim Hofher said. “They have a good running attack and a defense that continues to develop and improve. It is a tremendous challenge for UB to go on the road Saturday night and play against Toledo.”

Kickoff is slated for 7:00 pm on Saturday evening. The game can be heard on WWKB 1520 AM in Buffalo, WHTK 1280 AM in Rochester or on the web at www.buffalobulls.com.