UB football opens preseason practices with first runs, first reps and a level of familiarity

Maurice Linguist quickly describes the difference between his first day of preseason practices in 2023 with the University at Buffalo football team and his first day of preseason practices in 2021.
The third-year head coach has two years of spring practices under his belt. He didn’t have that in August 2021. He also now has a keen sense of familiarity with his team, combined with its experience.
“You’ve got some guys who have been with us for a while now, guys like the Shaun Dolacs and Marcus Fuquas,” Linguist said.
“We’ve got a number of guys that have been through it a little bit, and they’re taking ownership and leading. We’ve got great young selfless guys, and some older guys that have been selfless.”
The UB football team opened preseason practices Thursday at UB Stadium, 30 days ahead of its season opener Sept. 2 at Wisconsin. Like Linguist, many of UB’s players are now seasoned at this. Dolac, a linebacker and a West Seneca East graduate, began his fourth year of preseason practices.
“I think about where I was before and now, you think about the team aspect of Coach Mo coming in, and the team buying in,” Dolac said. “When Coach Mo first got here, it was a little rocky from the start. But now, everybody’s bought into the program. Everybody’s close now, and we’re together as a team and looking forward to the season.”
Hope for a Mid-American Conference championship springs anew each August when the Bulls open preseason practices. A win against Georgia Southern in the Camellia Bowl helped the Bulls finish 7-6, Linguist’s first winning season as a head coach, and UB has set expectations it aims to meet during the preseason:
Establish an on-the-field identity: The goal is to create a team that handles adversity, has discipline and brings positive energy.
Stack success: Take one thing, do it well and improve and refine it every day.
“Training camps are long,” Linguist said. “Championship seasons are long. You start in August and it goes all the way through December. We want to continue with a positive mindset and bring positive energy in everything that we do. Handle the hard stuff the right way and connect over the next 30 days. “
Here are four observations from the first day of UB’s practices:
1. Cook gets a grip: Ron Cook Jr., a fifth-year senior running back, had his first live reps since November, when he sustained a neck injury at Central Michigan and sat out UB’s final three games in 2022 and spring practices. Cook also worked out with UB’s special teams returners.
“It was very, very exciting,” Cook said of his return. “I was anxious all morning and all night, just thinking about it. It’s just getting back into the flow of things, and getting back in the mode of just going around and having fun with my guys.”
Cook was UB’s second-leading rusher last season (600 yards and four touchdowns on 139 carries in 10 games), and averaged 21.58 yards on 19 kickoff returns in 2022. He’s part of a deep running back room this season, joining Mike Washington, Al-Jay Henderson, Mark Anthony Scott, Lamar Sperling, Dylan Kedzior and Joseph Giggie.
2. New offense, similar defense: UB ran its 4-2-5 defense Tuesday. Dolac worked with Khalil Murdock at linebacker. Joe Andreessen, a Lancaster graduate and a transfer from Bryant, worked at linebacker with Dion Crawford. Dolac said not much has changed under new coordinator Robert Wright, who took the role in April after UB originally hired him as a special teams coordinator/defensive assistant in February.
“He’s making things simple for the defense and for guys to learn,” Dolac said. “But it takes time, and that’s why the leaders have to step up, to take the younger guys in. Now, we have to teach them the defense. We don’t know who’s going to step up in the moment … everybody has to be ready.”
UB quarterback Cole Snyder said offensive coordinator DJ Mangas installed much of a new offense during the spring and described it as a “very multiple” scheme.
“A lot of it’s new but at the end of the day, everybody runs the same plays, so basically, it’s about how we do things,” Snyder said.
“I love Coach Mangas’ offense, I love the way he attacks every day, how he challenges the guys in his own way, and I’m just really impressed with how he thinks about the game and how he teaches it.”
3. New jersey: Mike Washington has inherited a new number. He’ll wear No. 8 this season, which linebacker James Patterson wore the last two seasons. Patterson exhausted his eligibility after the 2022 season.
4. On the trainer’s table: Defensive end Kyler Laing went down with an injury to his right leg during the second half of the two-hour practice and had to be helped off the field by athletic trainers. Laing, a senior, did not return to practice; a knee injury and subsequent surgery limited him to two games in 2022.