After four years in the MAC, Buffalo received its first conference award last season when Bulls running back Aaron Leeper was named MAC Freshman of the Year.

The honor gave Buffalo a building block for this season after finishing 1-11 a year ago.

“The award definitely gave us something to build on for this year,” Leeper said. “When you have a losing season, you look forward to the next. The honor put a lot of weight on my shoulders.”

Leeper rushed for a Buffalo freshman record 917 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.

The 5-foot-10 running back scored a touchdown on his first collegiate carry against Rutgers on Sept. 7, 2002.

However, Leeper isn’t seeing the bulk of the carries this season like he did a year ago.

Buffalo uses five running backs in its games, with Leeper and fellow sophomore Dave Dawson getting most of the load.

“We’ve become a much more superior rushing team,” Buffalo coach Jim Hofher said. “We need to run the ball better to compete in the conference we’re in. We’ve developed depth in the backfield and we use it. We have Leeper and Dawson, and we have three other freshmen who play well for us.”

Leeper has gained 425 yards this season with two touchdowns. No Buffalo running back has more than two touchdowns or 600 yards on the ground.

“Aaron’s reduction in carries is because we’re spreading them out this year,” Hofher said. “He’s been a solid player physical and tough.”

This year, Leeper and the Bulls ended their 18-game losing streak with a win over Ohio. The sophomore had just 43 yards on 16 carries, but was happy to win for the second time in 21 games as a Bull.

“The more opportunities you get, the better,” Leeper said. “But honestly, I just care about winning. When we beat Ohio, I just ran right into the locker room and waited to sing the victory song. We hadn’t sung that in a while.”

NIU will travel to Buffalo this Saturday to take on the Bulls. Despite not seeing Leeper play in person yet, NIU coach Joe Novak is impressed with him as well as the Bulls’ entire running game.

“He’s a good and talented back,” Novak said. “They’ve actually got five good backs right now who all produce.”