Stephen King

BUFFALO, NY - There's not much doubt what the University at Buffalo football team must do to get its second Mid-American Conference win of the year when it hosts Kent State on Saturday. Stopping senior quarterback Josh Cribbs, the reigning MAC East Offensive Player of the Week, will be the tallest test for the Buffalo defense.

Last season, Cribbs dominated Buffalo to the tune of 161 rushing yars, including touchdown runs of 80 yards and 56 yards in the second quarter of Kent State's 34-24 win. He also threw for 211 yards and a score. Last week, in a 44-21 win over Ohio, Cribbs ran for a career-high 223 yards and two touchdowns.

Countering Cribbs, the Bulls bring an offensive front that averages just less than 20 points per game. Three Buffalo rushers have racked up more than 300 yards this season, as sophomore Stephen King (Hempstead, NY/Uniondale) leads the way with 360 yards and two 100-yard games. Junior Dave Dawson (Camp Hill, PA/Bishop McDevitt) has 339 yards and a season-long 83-yard run and sophomore Chris McDuffie (Amherst, NY/Williamsville North) has 335 yards.

The receiving core is led by senior Matt Knueven (Cincinnati, OH/LaSalle), who has 23 catches for 343 yards and one score this year.

J.J. Gibson

Buffalo (1-7 overall, 1-5 MAC) is anchored on defense by senior J.J. Gibson (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home), who has averaged more than 10 tackles a game this year. Junior defensive end Aaron Sanders (Clarence, NY/St. Joseph's) has added four and a half sacks to lead the team.

Eric Mahl's 78 tackles and Justin Parrish's 10 sacks anchor the Golden Flash (2-6 overall, 1-4 MAC) defense.

Kickoff is at 1:30 pm on Saturday and all of the action can be heard locally on WGR 550 or on the web at www.buffalobulls.com. Individual tickets (from $12 to $22) are available at Tops Friendly Markets, UB's Alumni Arena Ticket Office or online at buffalobulls.com and tickets.com. Children 16-and-younger will receive a 24-inch Shrek plush giveaway, courtesy of the Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Company.