University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Carmen Garozzo, right, wears his lucky Jim Kelly football apron while making breakfast for hungry tailgaters. Photo: NANCY J. PARISI

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  Audio Slideshow: High hopes for 2009 Bulls. | View audio slideshow

By CHARLOTTE HSU

Published: September 16, 2009

The 2008 Mid-American Conference champion UB Bulls’ home opener last Saturday ended in a 54-27 loss to the University of Pittsburgh, a formidable foe.

To be sure, the result was a disappointment for legions of fans that turned out to watch. But the defeat can’t dampen the buzz this year’s UB team is generating.

Sophomore quarterback Zach Maynard threw for 400 yards and four touchdowns. Together, senior receivers Brett Hamlin and Naaman Roosevelt managed 18 catches for over 300 yards. Saturday’s game attracted a huge crowd—21,870 people. Many will be back to cheer the Bulls on in early October when they take on Central Michigan University, Gardner-Webb University and the University of Akron in three consecutive weekends at home.

The excitement surrounding the Bulls was tangible during Saturday’s pre-game activities. By 10 a.m., two hours before kickoff, parking lots close to UB Stadium were packed with students, alumni and members of the community, with some tailgate groups flying UB flags. White smoke rose from a dozen grills, drifting over Millersport Highway where cars carrying more fans waited in line to turn into campus. Cans of iced Labatt Blue disappeared from coolers at a fast clip. By the stadium’s gates, the Thunder of the East, UB’s marching band, welcomed players, its drummers decked out in feathered hats. The first 2,500 fans to arrive received a 2008 MAC Championship pennant.

Coming off a strong season, the Bulls are drawing a large and mixed following that includes longtime loyalists and newly minted fans. On Saturday morning, season ticketholders talked football, eagerly expounding on the Bulls’ strengths, while newer Buffalo boosters recounted how they got caught up in the football fever sparked by big wins last year, including a surprise victory over Ball State University in the Mid-American Conference championship game.

Among recent recruits to the Bulls fan base was Adam Mathews, 28, who was cooking Dutch oven eggs with cheddar cheese, peppers, onions and “a few secret ingredients” in a homemade chuck wagon he brought to the tailgate party. Mathews said the Bulls last season—with their “down-to-the-wire” victories, including one that concluded with a successful Hail Mary pass—sounded like a thrilling team to watch.

“You hear about UB in the playoffs, and doing well, and before you didn’t hear about the football team doing so well,” Mathews said. “But now, the team seems to be doing better, so there’s going to be more fans, more tailgating and just more excitement all around and it’s great for the community. I think the Bulls are on the rise and there’s going to be a lot of fans to watch them, too.”

Nearby, season ticketholder Christopher Byrd, 42, and three fellow, longtime UB backers held their own tailgate get-together, a relatively tame event. No painted chests or loud music, no pre-game beer pong. Just a few friends kicking back with some beer, a few folding chairs in a parking lot. For Byrd, who has purchased season tickets since 1999, the 2009-10 Bulls team represents promise.

“Last year was fantastic. It was just incredible,” Byrd said. “And we just hope for the same thing this year, in 2009, and it looks like the Bulls are going to be great again.”

“It just (started) the day they brought Turner Gill on board,” Byrd added. “It’s just a new attitude, a winning attitude. Turner Gill obviously was a great college football player, and he’s just an incredible coach and inspires his athletes to go above and beyond.”

Inside the stadium, raucous undergraduates in the student section were some of the first attendees to take their seats as the Bulls warmed up. Decked out in UB colors, including blue wigs, their yelling and screaming filled the stands with noise—and excitement.

“Naaman Roosevelt is a God. Get him the ball.”

“UB’s No. 1, baby.”

“MAC champions, baby. MAC champions.”