Connecticut vs. Buffalo

Huskies -5 vs. Bulls

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It was quite a season for the Buffalo Bulls. The turnaround from a 2-10 season a few years back to the Mid-American championship and a bowl berth was completed. Furthermore, coach Turner Gill who turned the program around has rebuffed suitors for open coaching positions elsewhere to stick around Buffalo. The Bulls will play Connecticut north of the border in the International Bowl to be held on January 3rd in Toronto.

Buffalo will no doubt greatly enjoy their first ever bowl game in its 94-year history. After a 10-69 record over the first seven season in FBS, it seemed the Bulls would never go bowling. But the arrival of former Nebraska quarterback Gill arrived and has seemed to set the program right.

Even early in the season, a bowl berth seemed laughable. The Bulls (8-5) lost four of its first six games and was trailing Army by 14 in the fourth quarter of an October 18 matchup. Buffalo rallied for a 27-24 overtime triumph and seemed to turn around their season as that game would be the start of a five-game winning streak. The season cumulated with an incredible victory by Buffalo over the previously undefeated Ball State Cardinals 42-24 in the MAC title game. In the victory game the Bulls capitalized on all of the numerous Cardinals mistakes.

While Buffalo has no bowl history, Connecticut is not much more experienced. This will be the Huskies third bowl game, but second straight. U-Conn (7-5) lost to Wake Forest a year ago, 24-10 in the Meineke Bowl. They won their only other bowl game, the Motor City Bowl in 2004 over Toledo.

Connecticuts season was the opposite of Buffalos in that they played well early but sputtered to the finish. The Huskies started 5-0 but went 2-5 to the finish and fell to fifth in the Big East.

While the majority of the Connecticut Huskies offense struggled this season, one player was very steady, running back Donald Brown. The junior has already stated he will be returning for his senior year and it is a good thing for the Huskies. Brown led the nation with 1822 rushing yards and scored 17 times. He galloped for 100 yards in 10 games and even went over 200 twice. Brown was named Big East offensive player of the year for his efforts.

Brown could find some running room in the Rogers Centre as Buffalo only managed the 83rd best rush defense in the nation by allowing 158.8 yards per contest and that stat ballooned to 195.9 yards in the last seven games.

These teams do have a lengthy history with each other, having played 16 times. Connecticut has dominated the series, winning 12 to Buffalos four. They last met in 2005 with the Huskies winning 38-0.

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