BUFFALO, N.Y. — As the University at Buffalo gears up for their season debut, a new head coach is tasked with bringing new faces together and building a winning culture after the Bulls’ disappointing 3-9 finish in 2023.
UB begins its season Thursday night against Lafayette, who is ranked 18 in the preseason FCS poll. The 7 p.m. game will be the first meeting between the two teams since 1998, according to UB. The Bulls have lost their last two home openers as they begin their season at home for the first time in three years.
First-year Bulls’ head coach Pete Lembo said creating a winning team starts with him.
“If you create a culture, a structure, a framework, there's a consistency and they know what to expect when they walk in the building, they know what to expect out of me. I'm the same guy every day,” he said.
An important aspect of a winning culture is bringing the team together and sustaining morale. The Bulls brought many new players to the locker room, including 18 new transfers and 35 freshmen, stated UB.
A familiar face, quarterback CJ Ogbonna said the team is “close.” He added that he’s building confidence with the squad’s support.
“I have a lot of confidence, my team is behind me, and through all the reps throughout the preseason it’s been making me better,” he said.
As a senior, Ogbonna is set to make his first start for UB after playing eight games in 2023. Inserted into mostly running situations, he ran for 214 yards and three touchdowns.
Ogbonna added that Lembo is helping his confidence by teaching him to turn the page on his mistakes.
“He’s shown not one play is the end all be all of everything. If you had a bad play, cause a bad play it's going to happen, just brush it off and just go to the next play,” said Ogbonna.
Another returning player, linebacker Shaun Dolac, said building trust and morale is important to conquer adversity.
“A game is never perfect, and having mistakes in the game is going to happen. You have to have leaders, you have to have teammates that trust each other and come together at the end to make sure that we overcome obstacles, overcome mistakes and plays,” he said.
The 2019 walk-on, Dolac led the nation in solo tackles in 2022 with 97, breaking UB’s single-season record by 17 and finishing first-team all-conference, according to UB.
Coach Lembo agreed with Dolac’s message and added that team morale helps build a winning team.
“There's going to be highs and lows… the ball takes different bounces, mistakes are going to be made, plays are going to be made. So you have to ride those things out, and keep that morale up,” he said.
“If you have good morale, you've always got a fighting chance.”
In the preseason poll, conference coaches voted the UB Bulls No. 10 in the MAC. Lembo said he is “excited” where team morale is now as he looks ahead to the rest of the season.
“Next test is for 12 weeks over the course of the season, can we keep that morale up?”