Pregame Buildup
In the weeks leading up to the game, media coverage focused on the achievements of the Buffalo Bulls. Buffalo had been one of the least-successful programs in college football from their transition to Division I-A in 1999 to 2006, during which they had a cumulative record of 12–79. In 2008, the Bulls had their first winning season since 1996, won five games in a row for the first time since 1986, beat a ranked team for the first time in program history with their upset victory over Ball State in the MAC Championship Game, and would be making the first bowl appearance in school history. The turnaround of the Buffalo program brought acclaim to Bulls head coach Turner Gill, who had taken over the team in 2007.
Comparatively, Connecticut was an afterthought heading into the game. Pre-bowl coverage of UConn focused on NCAA rushing leader Donald Brown, who was considering foregoing his senior season to enter the 2009 NFL Draft. Brown indicated before the game that he had decided to return to UConn for the 2010 season.
Read more about this topic: 2009 International Bowl
Famous quotes containing the word buildup:
“I think those Southern writers [William Faulkner, Carson McCullers] have analyzed very carefully the buildup in the South of a special consciousness brought about by the self- condemnation resulting from slavery, the humiliation following the War Between the States and the hope, sometimes expressed timidly, for redemption.”
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)