The smell of pigskin was in the air in Amherst, NY on Saturday afternoon as the University at Buffalo football team kicked off its summer camp with its first official practice.
For the first time in 2007, the Bulls had every member of its team, including incoming freshmen, on the field at UB Stadium. The first day of practice was limited contact or “thud” as the team was wearing just shoulder pads and helmets for its first day on the field.
Under a cloudless sky and with temperatures in the mid 80s, the majority of practice consisted of the offense and defense split into groups and conducting individual drills with their respective position coaches.
Naaman Roosevelt, who worked out as a quarterback in spring drills, saw time primarily at the wide receiver position, but did take some snaps at quarterback.
Quarterback Drew Willy showed his veteran poise as he worked with the first-team offense on 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 drills. The junior signal-caller looked sharp, completing 11 of his first 15 passes. He connected with eight different receivers. Ernest Jackson stood out among the wide-outs as he took a slant pass for 30 yards and had the highlight of the day - a 42-yard acrobatic diving catch.
Freshmen Zack Ingle and Ed Young also took their first snaps in UB blue.
Returning All-MAC running back James Starks broke a couple of nice runs working with the first-team offense. Mario Henry, who redshirted last season, also had some productive runs.
With it being limited contact, it was difficult to get a gauge on the defense. However, senior Trevor Scott found himself in the offense backfield on several occasions.
Also on defense, Jesse Imes and Tom Corradino each recorded an interception.
The Bulls will continue with their second of four straight practices without full pads on Sunday before full-pad practices begin on Wednesday.
