When running back James Starks burst around the left end during the Bulls’ first overtime possession against Temple to win the game on August 31, his play triggered more than mayhem in the stands. The first University at Buffalo Bulls victory this season also sparked hope in Bulls fans that their luck might finally change.

After years as the perennial doormat of the Mid-American Conference—and the laughingstock of ESPN—the Bulls have their fans wondering what the season may hold. A highly touted new coach, a handful of local talent, and a new athletic director might be enough to give Bulls faithful more reasons to cheer.

Even though the Bulls were unable to win two games in a row, losing to Bowling Green in overtime, students are starting to take notice. “They have a new coach, Turner Gill, and it seems like he brings a new attitude to the team,” says Alex Shanahan, a UB sophomore exercise science major. “It seems like they want to win for the school. So, if the players have more passion about winning for the university, I think they can turn it around.” It is an obvious change that is making students like Shanahan look forward to the Bulls’ next home game.

It’s not like a team has never gone from laughingstock to contender in short order.

In 2005, when George O’Leary readied himself for his second year as coach at the University of Central Florida, he knew he had a lot of work to do. Besides being called the worst team in college football by ESPN, the Golden Knights went 0-11 in their 2004 season. That was O’Leary’s first year with the team after his forced resignation from Notre Dame.

Then, early in the season, the unthinkable happened—a home game win. After losing 17 straight games, the team beat Marshall. Fans tore down the goalposts and went crazy, as if it would not happen again. And then, like a sports montage, they won seven more games that season.

The next stop was the conference championship and then a Bowl Game in Hawaii. The administration, expecting more winning seasons, began building a $60 million stadium set to open in 2007. Fans are speculating that the original 45,000 seats won’t be enough. Coach O’Leary recently signed a $1 million a year, 10-year contract.

So, with a new coach, Central Florida went from 0-11 to 8-5 in a single year? Bulls fans can be forgiven for wondering: can it happen here, too?

Still, the dissenters are speaking up.

“I think it’s obvious the Bulls won’t make a bowl game this year,” states Nate Corwin, a senior engineering major here at UB. “It is their first year with a new coach, and even if he has potential, it’s still a rebuilding year.”

With first-year coach Turner Gill at the helm and a group of young, talented athletes, could UB be the Mid-American Conference’s Central Florida?

A Promising Kickoff

UB started their season strong, tackling the Temple Owls 9-3 at home. Attendance at the game reached 29,000—great turnout for a Bulls game, if not unusual for a season opener—and the crowd was certainly ready for a change.

Last season, the team lost ten of its 11 games, being shutout in their first two games against Connecticut and Syracuse by over 30 points each. The team hadn’t won a game at home in the past season, not since beating Central Michigan in 2004.

Even in their second game against the heavily favored Bowling Green, the team carried themselves to triple-overtime, finally losing the game 20-28. Last year, Bowling Green defeated the Bulls by 20 points.

The Bulls look like they’re changing the way they play football—good news for the team, and especially good news for coach Turner Gill.

The Coach, The Legend

In an August 24 piece in The Buffalo News, Rodney McKissic laid out Buffalo’s struggle. “Turner Gill isn’t being paid nearly enough by the University at Buffalo. It could amount to pro bono work. And we say this without having seen a single direct deposit stub because we know what he’s being asked to do: Save Division I-A football in Western New York.”

It’s a great deal of faith to have in a coach—faith that brings intense pressure. But Gill should be used to that.

A native of Texas, Gill was the star quarterback for the Nebraska Huskers during the 1980s. He had a record of 28 wins and two losses during his tenure there, and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. He was Nebraska’s star.

Hiring Gill is not only a change for the man himself, but sets UB apart from most Division I football teams. Gill is one of five black coaches in the entire division. Floyd Keith of the Black Coaches Association told The Columbus Dispatch, “it’s like the Alamo of the twenty-first century; they’re holding out. And there are so many Davy Crocketts and Jim Bowies out there defending it.”

In a phone interview, Gill said his main goal was changing the team’s mentality. “Unfortunately, in the past, they visualized not being successful,” he said.

Gill stressed that the team’s opponents are less important than the team’s effort on the field. “My measure is the effort. If they can control the situation of their effort on every single play, the product of that is going to be W’s,” states Gill. “We measure it by watching them on tape. From when the ball is snapped to when the whistle is blown, are their feet continuing to move? That’s how we measure if they are doing the right things in their effort. Once their feet stop moving, that means their effort has stopped.”

In an August 24 Buffalo News article, Bob DiCesare asked, “Could this really be the way it was meant to be, with Mr. Nebraska Football, or at least the clone of Mr. Nebraska Football, taking over at woebegone UB? Does not this scenario require a pinch of the skin?”

Many students agree. UB desperately needed a star to come in to turn the program in a radically different direction, they say. The fans were becoming so indifferent that the team was risking their Division I status because of low attendance. Seldom did the team break 10,000 attendees in the 2005 season while the division’s minimum limit is 15,000.

Getting them there

UB alumnus Robert G. Morris has donated $500,000 toward the construction of a new weight-training center. Construction is underway, and the project is expected to be complete by the end of fall.

Who’s going to foot the rest of the bill? The players themselves.

UB football will make money by scheduling the Bulls against some of college football’s heavyweights. This season, the Mid-American Conference approved the addition of a twelfth game to teams’ schedules. UB will play three inter-league games this season, against some heavy hitting competition. Between Auburn on September 23, Boston College on October 28, and Wisconsin on November 18, UB can certainly expect to work for their money. But the money will be good.

UB will make $600,000 in appearance fees for each non-conference game they play, according to The New York Times. Big teams are willing to pay whatever it takes to play a weaker opponent, thus bolstering their winning records. Plus, at a school like Wisconsin or Auburn, selling every seat in the stadium is never a concern. Coach Gill told The Times that the money would help them pay for new equipment in their weight room as well as office furniture. Meanwhile, Athletic Director Warde Manuel told The Times, “It literally had nothing to do with money. This wasn’t a money grab for me at all.’’

Regardless, it certainly won’t hurt. And as for getting stuck with some tough competition, Gill believes it will not halt the process of turning the program around.

“We motivate them just like we’re playing Temple or Bowling Green. That is the hype of it all, and that is what we are trying to divert them from. Don’t get caught up in who you’re playing by the name of the team,” Gill says.

Culture Shock

For Turner Gill, a change in the football team’s success will not necessarily come from a change in talent. A change in mentality is needed too. “It’s an attitude. We’re trying to change the culture,” Gill points out. “And in order to change the culture, you have to change the mindset of each individual person that is in our program.”

Gill has stated his dedication to the program, explaining that he goes far beyond his duty to ensure academic discipline. “They must go to class every single day. They must take notes every day; that’s something we check up on.”

“We really believe in each other. Everyone knows that on offense and defense, the guy next to you is going to play for you,” agrees sophomore starting quarterback Drew Willy. “We haven’t had that since I’ve been here and probably years before that. There’s more of a trust factor between the players and coaches.”

Willy says one ingredient in the team’s success will be the continued support from the fans. “I know on offense and defense we loved having them there. When they stormed the field, it was a great feeling. When we get that type of support, it definitely helps our play out there.”

Certainly the team has their work cut out for them, but Coach Gill has explained that his team is excited most about playing their best. “The only thing we need to know about the opponent is where they line up…outside of that, we’re going to play hard.”