UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO ATHLETICS
Buffalo (9-2, 6-1 MAC) at Bowling Green (3-8, 2-5 MAC)November 23, 2018
Doyt Perry Stadium – 12:00 pm
Bulls on the Air:
Radio
Buffalo – ESPN 1520
Rochester – Fox Sports 1280
Rochester – Fox Sports 1280
Television
ESPNU
Storylines
• Buffalo’s nine wins are the most in its FBS era (since 1999) and tie the overall school record for wins in a season. UB also won nine games in 1986 as a Division III program. The Bulls have never won 10 games in a season at any level.
• A win over Bowling Green would give the Bulls their second outright MAC East Championship and their second trip to the MAC title game. The Bulls also won the East Division in 2008 and tied for the East title in 2007.
• A win at Bowling Green and the Bulls would finish 7-1 in MAC play. It would be their best record since joining the conference in 1999. UB’s previous best MAC record was 6-2 in 2013.
• Bowling Green leads the all-time series with Buffalo, 11-4. Three of UB’s four wins against Bowling Green have come at Doyt Perry Stadium.
• Tyree Jackson‘s next touchdown pass will be his 25th of the season which would tie Drew Willy (2008) for second in school history for touchdown passes in a season. Joe Licata holds the school record with 29 in 2014.
• Khalil Hodge‘s next tackle with be the 400th of his career, making him just the fourth player in school history with 400 career tackles. He would be the first to do it in three seasons. Hodge is four tackles shy of passing Mike Laipple (1983-86) for third in school history in career tackles.
• Jaret Patterson is 132 yards shy of UB’s freshman rushing record. Aaron Leeper set the record of 917 yards in 2002.
Bulls Close Regular Season at Bowling Green in Search of MAC East Title
The University at Buffalo football team will travel to Bowling Green on Friday in hopes of clinching the Mid-American Conference East Division title. The Bulls are 9-2 overall, 6-1 in the MAC and are coming off a 52-17 loss at Ohio last Wednesday night. Wide receiver Anthony Johnson had six catches for 95 yards to lead the Bulls.
Bowling Green is 3-8 overall, 2-5 in the MAC and is coming off a 21-6 win at Akron on Saturday. The Falcons are led by quarterback Jarret Doege who has thrown for 2,576 yards and 26 touchdowns on the season.
Bowling Green leads the all-time series, 11-4. The Bulls won the last meeting, 38-28, at UB Stadium last season.
We Meet Again
For the third time in program history, Buffalo will play in a game for a chance to win the MAC East Division and for the third time it will be against Bowling Green. In 2008, the Bulls won at Bowling Green, 40-34, in double overtime to advance to the MAC Championship game. They won their only MAC title that year. In 2013, the Bulls and Falcons met at New Era Field with a trip to Detroit on the line. Bowling Green topped the Bulls, 24-7, to take the title.
Gold Rush
Through 11 games the Bulls have already broken the school record for rushing touchdowns in a season. Buffalo has scored 28 rushing touchdowns on the year, topping the previous record of 27 set back in 2008 (over 14 games). Jaret Patterson leads the team with 10 touchdowns, Kevin Marks has nine, Tyree Jackson has seven and Emmanuel Reed and Theo Anderson each have one.
Scoring Pace
The Bulls are on a pace for their highest-scoring season in school history. Through 11 games, Buffalo has scored 379 points, 45 points shy of the school record of 424 set in 2008 over 14 games. In addition, UB has scored 52 touchdowns on the year which is three shy of the school record of 55 also set in 2008.
Hodge Ball
Khalil Hodge has 123 tackles on the season, making him just the second player in school history to have three seasons of 100 tackles or more (Davonte Shannon, 2007-10, was the other). He is the first player in school history to post three straight seasons of 100+ tackles.
Currently ranked 10th in the nation in tackles, Hodge has been in the national rankings since arriving on campus in 2016. He ranked eighth in the nation in tackles following the 2016 season and second in the nation in tackles after last season.
With 399 tackles, Hodge is one stop shy of becoming just the fourth player in school history to register 400 tackles. He would become the first player in school history to reach the landmark number in only three seasons. He is four tackles shy of passing Mike Laipple (1983-86) for third in school history.
Hodge has been named the MAC East Defensive Player of the Week three times this. Former All-American Khalil Mack is the only other UB player to win MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors three times in the same season.
Using His Legs
Quarterback Tyree Jackson is using his legs more in recent games. Prior to UB’s game at Central Michigan on Oct. 6, Jackson ran the ball three times for eight yards and no scores over the previous nine games. Over the last six games, the junior signal-caller has carried the ball 35 times for 99 yards and seven touchdowns. In Buffalo’s win over Miami (OH), he became the first quarterback in the Bulls’ FBS era (since 1999) to score three rushing touchdowns in a single game. Cliff Scott was the last UB quarterback with three rushing touchdowns against Maine in 1993.
Against Miami (OH), he became just the second player this season to throw for three touchdowns and run for three touchdowns in the same game (UCF’s McKenzie Milton).
What a Start!
The Bulls are 9-2 and off to their best start in school history. They have won nine games for the first time in their FBS history (since 1999) and just the second time in school history. Buffalo went 9-2 in 1986 as a Division III program. The previous best seasons for Buffalo football were 2008 (8-6) and 2013 (8-5).
The Bulls are building on their strong finish from a season ago when they won the final three games of the 2017 campaign. Overall, UB has won 12 of its last 14 games.
Not Standing Patt
Jaret Patterson rushed for a career-high 187 yards and two touchdowns against Kent State. He did so in only the first half and on only 18 carries (10.4 ypc). It was the most rushing yards in a game by a freshman running back in school history and was the second-best rushing total by any player in the MAC this season.
Patterson has rushed for 786 yards and 10 touchdowns on the year. He is 131 yards shy of the record for rushing yards by a freshman in a season. Aaron Leeper holds the record with 917 yards set in 2002.
Record-Breaking Night for AJ
Anthony Johnson had a record-breaking night in the Bulls’ 51-42 win over Miami (OH). The senior receiver had eight catches for a school-record 238 yards against the RedHawks. He broke a 37-year-old record of 218 receiving yards set by Joe D’Amico against Cortland in 1981 when the Bulls were a Division III program.
Johnson has 23 touchdown catches over 22 career games. He is just the third player in school history with 20+ touchdowns in a career, joining Alex Neutz (2010-13) who had 31 and Naaman Roosevelt (2006-09) who had 28. Johnson reached the 20-touchdown plateau faster than any player in school history, doing so in just 20 games.
Evan Almighty
Redshirt-freshman Evan Finegan has had a solid season in his first year as the Bulls starting punter. Finegan is averaging 41.7 yards per punt. The single-season school record for punt average is 41.6 set by Ben Woods in 2007.
Mitch Perfect
In Buffalo’s win over Miami (OH), kicker Adam Mitcheson drilled a 37-yarder to break the school record for career made field goals. He supplanted A.J. Principe (2007-10) whose 44 field goals were the previous mark. He has since added to his record with 46 career field goals.
Mitcheson became the school’s all-time leading scorer with his six extra points against Kent State. The Pittsburgh native currently has 273 points.
T3
Quarterback Tyree Jackson is enjoying the best season of his career, having already thrown 24 touchdowns, 12 more than he did all of last season. He already ranks third in school history for single-season passing touchdowns, just five shy of the single-season mark.
He has thrown for 6,322 yards in his career, becoming just the fifth quarterback in school history to throw for 6,000 yards.
He has been named the Mid-American Conference East Division Offensive Player of the Week three times this season. He is the first player in school history to win the award three times in a single season.
Jackson is on the watch lists for the Davey O’Brien Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.
Sack Lunch
The Bulls have done a great job getting to the quarterback this season. UB already has 28 sacks on the year, nine more than all of last season. It is the most sacks since 2013 when UB had 38. The Bulls have been especially effective rushing the edge as defensive ends Chuck Harris (6), Taylor Riggins (5) and Myles Nicholas (3) lead the team in sacks.
The Bulls have registered at least one sack in every game this season.
Os-born to Run
K.J. Osborn is enjoying the best season of his career. He leads the Bulls with 45 catches for 761 yards and six touchdowns. He has already surpassed his receiving yardage total from his first two seasons combined (598).
He was recently added to the Biletnikoff Watch List – an award given to the nation’s top receiver.
Osborn had one of the best games of his career against Eastern Michigan. The junior receiver had seven receptions for 188 yards and three touchdowns in the Bulls’ 35-28 win. Two of Osborn’s three touchdowns were 70+ yards (70, 75). He was rewarded by being named the MAC East Division Offensive Player of the Week.
Take Your Pick
The Bulls rank second in the MAC with 12 interceptions, their most since having 13 in 2015. Buffalo had a season-best four picks at Central Michigan. It was the most in a game since picking off four passes against Ohio in 2015.
Seven different UB players have recorded an interception on the year. Cameron Lewis and Brandon Williams lead the way with three apiece. Aapri Washington has two picks. Joey Banks, Devon Russell, Jordan Collier and Khalil Hodge each have one.
Many Happy Returns
K.J. Osborn has been a game changer for the Bulls when it comes to punt returns. He has posted 24 returns for 257 yards – a 10.7 average. It is the most punt return yards by a UB player in its FBS era (since 1999).
Osborn ranks second in the MAC in punt return average. He currently ranks second in school history in single season punt return yardage. Drew Haddad (1998) holds the school record with 410 return yards in 1998.
Lance Wins A Lot
UB’s win over Miami (OH) on Oct. 30 was the 21st of head coach Lance Leipold’s career at Buffalo. It is the most wins by a head coach in the Bulls’ FBS era (since 1999), surpassing Turner Gill and Jeff Quinn who both won 20 games. Over 45 games, Leipold became the second fastest coach to reach 21 wins in school history. Only Dick Offenhamer got there quicker, doing it in 34 games. Leipold currently holds a 22-25 record in his fourth season with the Bulls.
Let’s Go Bowling
With a 9-2 record, the Bulls are bowl eligible for the fourth time in school history. Buffalo was also bowl eligible in 2008, 2013 and 2017. The Bulls have won six or more games in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 1983 and 1984 campaigns, when they won eight and six games, respectively.
Long Way Home
The Bulls have been using big plays to find the endzone this season. Buffalo has recorded 17 touchdowns of at least 22 yards. The Bulls have scored touchdowns of 22, 25, 27, 29, 32, 32, 33, 34, 42, 42, 53, 53, 64, 70, 70, 75 and 75 yards on the year.
The Kids Are Alright
While many will credit the Bulls’ record to their seasoned veterans, you can’t discredit the play of the youngsters. 23 of Buffalo’s 48 touchdowns on the season have been scored by freshmen. A freshman has scored a touchdown in every game this season.
Buffalo’s top two leading rushers are freshmen. True freshman Jaret Patterson leads the Bulls with 786 yards and 10 touchdowns. Redshirt-freshmen Kevin Marks has rushed for 670 yards and nine touchdowns.
Redshirt-freshman receiver Charlie Jones has 16 catches for 30 yards (21.2 ypc) and has three touchdown receptions.
Bulls Make History in PiscatawayBuffalo defeated Rutgers, 42-13, on Sept. 22 at HighPoint.com Stadium for its first-ever win over a team from the Big Ten Conference. The Bulls were 0-7 against Big Ten opponents prior to Saturday’s win. It was also UB’s first win over an opponent from a Power 5 conference. Buffalo’s win over Rutgers was one of the largest by a MAC school over a Big Ten opponent in conference history.
Largest point differential in MAC win over Big 10 Opponent:
31 points – Toledo 38-7 win over Minnesota (8/30/01)
31 points – NIU 55-24 win at Purdue on (9/28/13)
30 points – Miami 44-14 win at Northwestern (9/13/03)
29 points – Buffalo 42-13 win at Rutgers on (9/22/18)
It’s All RelativeThe UB football team features a pair of players related to two of the top five picks in the 2014 NFL Draft. Senior wide receiver Anthony Johnson is the cousin of top pick Jadeveon Clowney. Junior defensive end Ledarius Mack is the younger brother of former UB All-American and fifth pick Khalil Mack.
10-Year Anniversary of MAC Championship
The 2018 season marks the 10-year anniversary of the Bulls’ 2008 MAC Championship – UB’s first and only football conference title. After a 7-5 regular season, the Bulls stunned 12th-ranked Ball State, 42-24, in the title game. Buffalo went on to play Connecticut in the International Bowl – its first-ever bowl game.
The 2018 season marks the 10-year anniversary of the Bulls’ 2008 MAC Championship – UB’s first and only football conference title. After a 7-5 regular season, the Bulls stunned 12th-ranked Ball State, 42-24, in the title game. Buffalo went on to play Connecticut in the International Bowl – its first-ever bowl game.
On The AirwavesAgain this season, University at Buffalo football can be heard locally on ESPN 1520, a 50,000-watt station with one of the strongest signals in the nation. The Bulls can also be heard on 1280 AM in Rochester.
Calling all the play-by-play action of Bulls football for his 19th year, and 11th consecutive, will be Paul Peck. Scott Wilson is back for his second season as analyst. Brad Riter also returns as game host.
Again this season, the UB Football postgame show will take place at Santora’s on Millersport with host Bob Gaughan.
Peck will host the UB Football Insider with Lance Leipold on Monday nights at 5:00 pm. The show air on ESPN 1520 and will be taped at the Santora’s Millersport location on Mondays at noon.
