AMHERST, NY - Both players and coaches have called senior linebacker Khalil Hodge the "heart and soul" of UB's defense and anyone who watches this team can understand why.
Both on and off the field, Hodge is a leader, literally. He leads the Bulls in tackles with 99 on the season and that ranks fifth in the nation. Hodge will also become just the second player in school history to have three 100-tackle seasons and the first player in school history to do it three seasons in a row.
"I mean we've believed from the start that our defense can also make some noise and just a lot of guys have been stepping up and that's been huge throughout the entire year so we're excited," Khalil Hodge told 2 on Your Side's Heather Prusak leading up to the Toledo game.
He has also been named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week three times this season, the latest coming after their win against Akron. The only other UB player to earn that honor three times in a season is also a guy named Khalil, Khalil Mack.
Yes, Hodge has certainly turned heads this season. And while he's the heart and soul of this defense, Hodge has played with a heavy heart after losing his younger brother Kadeem last year.
It was already a disappointing day in December when the Bulls were told they did not get an invitation to a bowl game despite having six wins and being bowl eligible. But that did not compare to the news Hodge got later that day.
His mom called him and said Kadeem was shot and killed earlier that morning. Kadeem was only 19-years old.
"It was traumatic. It was something out of the blue. You never hope, wish, think that something like that would ever happen," Khalil Hodge.
Hodge got on a plane the next day to see his family and through the grieving, knew this football season, it would be dedicated to his little brother's memory.
"I just try to stay prayed up and keep God first and just knowing that my little brother would be proud of me. I'm trying to make him proud as much as I can. I try to write his name or wear something of his somewhere on me every game. When I'm on the field it's just me and him at the same time," Hodge said.
And now with UB being bowl eligible at 7-1, Khalil knows he can play for his brother one more time as a UB Bull when the regular season ends.