UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO ATHLETICS
Buffalo (5-1, 2-0 MAC) vs. Akron (2-2, 0-1 MAC)October 13, 2018UB Stadium – 12:00 pm
RadioBuffalo – ESPN 1520
Rochester – Fox Sports 1280
Storylines• The Bulls are 5-1 for the first time since the 1996 season. The last time Buffalo started a season 6-1 was 1959.
• A win over Akron would make the Bulls bowl eligible for just the fourth time in school history. UB was also bowl eligible in 2008, 2013 and 2017.
• Akron leads the all-time series, 11-6. However, the Bulls have won the last five meetings at UB Stadium.
• Buffalo looks to improve to 3-0 in Mid-American Conference play for the first time since 2013.
• Kevin Marks has scored a rushing touchdown in five straight games. He is the first freshman in UB’s FBS era to do so.
• The Bulls are outscoring their opponents 68-13 in the first quarter of games this season.
• Tyree Jackson‘s 17 touchdown passes on the year already rank seventh in school history for a single season. He is one touchdown pass shy of moving into fourth in school history for a single season.
• Adam Mitcheson (42) is two field goals shy of tying A.J. Principe (44) for the school record for career field goals.
• Khalil Hodge (351) is seven tackles shy of passing J.J. Gibson (357) for fifth in school history in career tackles.
The University at Buffalo football team will host Akron on Saturday looking to improve to 3-0 in Mid-American Conference play. The Bulls are 5-1 overall, 2-0 in the MAC and are coming off a 34-24 win at Central Michigan last Saturday. UB was led by redshirt-freshman running back Kevin Marks who rushed for a career-high 167 yards and a touchdown against the Chippewas.
Marks and Recreation
Kevin Marks is emerging as Buffalo’s top running back after posting his best performance of the season at Central Michigan. The redshirt-freshman running back rushed for a career-high 167 yards and a touchdown against the Chippewas.
Take Your Pick
The Bulls lead the MAC and rank 12th in the nation with eight interceptions, tying their mark from all of last season. 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.
Young Guns
A pair of freshmen have emerged as the Bulls top running backs this season. Redshirt-freshman Kevin Marks leads Buffalo with 466 yards and seven touchdowns while true freshman Jaret Patterson is second with 299 yards and four scores. Both are making the most of their action as Marks is averaging 5.7 yards per carry and Patterson is averaging 5.6 yards per carry.
Hodge Ball
Khalil Hodge tied a career-high with 20 tackles against Army. It was the second time in his career he racked up 20 tackles in a game. He now has 74 tackles on the season which is tied for third in the nation.
Long Way Home
The Bulls have been using big plays to find the endzone this season. 12 of the Bulls’ 28 touchdowns on the year have been at least 22 yards. The Bulls have scored touchdowns of 22, 27, 29, 32, 33, 42, 42, 53, 53, 70, 70 and 75 yards over the first six games.
Os-born to Run
K.J. Osborn is enjoying the best start to a season in his career. He leads the Bulls with 27 catches for 490 yards and six touchdowns. He’s tied for 10th in the nation in touchdown catches.
Road Warriors
The Bulls have won all three road games this season (Temple Rutgers & CMU) and have won four straight road games dating back to last year. The Bulls have won six of their last eight road games. UB’s win at Central Michigan was its third straight road win of the season, marking the first time since the 2008 season the Bulls have accomplished the feat.
T3
Quarterback Tyree Jackson is off to a blistering start to the season, having already thrown 17 touchdowns, five more than he did all of last season. He already ranks fifth in school history for single-season passing touchdowns.
Chuck Waggin
Chuck Harris continues to develop into a monster edge rusher for the Bulls. Over the last nine games, Harris has eight sacks and 11 tackles for loss. Not bad for a young man who only started playing football his junior year of high school.
Serve and ProtectThe UB offensive line has done a tremendous job so far this season. The Bulls are tied for first in the nation in sacks allowed, letting up only one so far on the year. Buffalo has attempted 172 passes through six games this season. In addition, the Bulls rank fourth in the nation in tackles for loss allowed with 20.
The Kids Are Alright
While many will credit the Bulls’ hot start to their seasoned veterans, you can’t discredit the play of the youngsters. Nearly half of Buffalo’s 29 touchdowns (14) on the season have been scored by freshmen.
Off to a Good Start
The Bulls have outscored their opponents 68-13 in the first quarter of games this season. The Bulls have averaged 11.3 points in the first quarter this year and 21.2 points in the first half.
Bulls Make History in Piscataway
Buffalo 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)
Sharing the Wealth
Tyree Jackson has done a good job distributing the football so far this season. 13 different players have a caught a pass already this year. 13 different players caught a pass all of last season. In addition, six different players have a touchdown catch on the year and five of the six have caught at least two TDs.
Cam Tough
Senior cornerback Cameron Lewis had a career-best two interceptions in the Bulls’ win over Temple. He became the first UB player to intercept two passes in a game since Okezie Alozie had two picks against Ohio in 2015. Lewis has three interceptions on the season and five for his career.
AJ is OK
Not many players in school history made a bigger impact in their first season with the UB football program than wide receiver Anthony Johnson did in 2017.
Mitch Perfect
Kicker Adam Mitcheson is just two made field goals shy of the school record for career field goals made at UB. The senior kicker has made 42 field goals over his career. He is currently second all time, trailing A.J. Principe (2007-10) who made 44 field goals over his career.
This season, the Bulls will feature two season captains as well as two rotating game captains. Serving as season captains are senior center James O’Hagan and senior linebacker Khalil Hodge. Both O’Hagan, UB’s fourth-year starting center, and Hodge, UB’s third-year starting middle linebacker, also served as team captains last season.
Bulls Add Three Grad Transfers
It’s All Relative
The 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.
On The Airwaves
Again 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.
