Brandon Thermilus, the UB senior tailback, will miss the remainder of the season with a torn right ACL, coach Jeff Quinn said on Tuesday.
A fifth-year senior, Thermilus collegiate career might be over, but Quinn said the school will investigate whether Thermilus can earn an additional year. He missed his true freshman season in 2006 with a knee injury suffered during training camp.
The 6-foot-1, 218-pound Thermilus suffered his latest knee injury at Northern Illinois while on kickoff return coverage. In five games this season, Thermilus rushed for 106 yards on 27 carries.
He was expected to play a huge role at tailback and came into the season listed atop the depth chart but was beaten out by redshirt freshman Branden Oliver. His playing time decreased after suffering fumbles on his first two carries of the season.
As a junior Thermilus, the son of former Houston Oilers running back Alonzo Highsmith, played in 11 games with five starts and was the team’s second-leading rusher. He ran for 560 yards and four TDs while averaging 4.5 yards per carry. He added nine receptions for 99 yards and two touchdowns.
Thermilus, who was recruited by former coach Turner Gill out of Flower Mound, Texas, scored 14 career touchdowns. He is the third player at UB to suffer an ACL injury this season, joining Gokhan Ozkan and Terry Peden.
---Rodney McKissic
(www.twitter.com/rodneyjmckissic)
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College football | Mid-American Conference | Mid-Majors | National | University at Buffalo
