Eastern Michigan
Bulls Head to Eastern Michigan on Saturday in Search of Third Straight Win
10/29/2019 12:36:00 PM | Football
Buffalo (4-4, 2-2 MAC) at Eastern Michigan (4-4, 1-3 MAC)
November 2, 2019
Rynearson Stadium - 12:00 pm
Radio
Buffalo - ESPN 1520
Rochester - Fox Sports 1280
Hornell - 1480 WLEA
Television
ESPNU
Storylines
• Eastern Michigan leads the all-time series, 6-2.
• The Bulls are looking for their first win at Rynearson Stadium - one of two MAC Stadiums UB has never won in (Northern Illinois is the other).
• Kevin Marks is 15 yards shy of becoming the 11th running back in school history to rush for 1,500 yards.
• The Bulls have had 13 sacks over the last three games while allowing zero sacks.
• The UB defense has only allowed one 100-yard rusher on the season.
• The Bulls have scored three defensive touchdowns in the last two games and four on the season and rank second in the nation in defensive touchdowns.
• The Bulls have held halftime leads in seven of their eight games on the season.
• The Bulls rank fifth in the nation in rushing attempts with 396.
• The Bulls haven't played at Eastern Michigan since the 2014 season. Rynearson Stadium is the only MAC Stadium head coach Lance Leipold has yet to coach in.
• UB leads the MAC and ranks 10th in the nation in rush defense, allowing 92.5 yards per game.
• The Bulls have forced 15 turnovers over the last five games.
Bulls Head to Eastern Michigan in Search of Third Straight Win
The University at Buffalo football team will travel to Eastern Michigan on Saturday afternoon in search of their third straight win.
The Bulls are 4-4 overall and 2-2 in MAC play following a 43-20 win over Central Michigan last Saturday. The Bulls were led by running back Jaret Patterson who rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown in the game.
Eastern Michigan is 4-4 overall and 1-3 in the MAC on the season and is coming off a 37-34 overtime loss at Toledo last Saturday. The Eagles are led by quarterback Mike Glass who has thrown for 1,896 yards and 15 touchdowns on the season.
Eastern Michigan leads the all-time series, 6-2. The Bulls won the last meeting, 35-28, last season at UB Stadium.
Banks Named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week for Third Time
Safety Joey Banks was named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week for the third time in his career on Monday following his standout performance against Central Michigan. Banks had 10 tackles, a forced fumble and an interception against the Chippewas. Banks also won MAC Defensive Player of the Week following UB's games against Penn State and Temple. He is the first UB player to win MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors three times in a season since Khalil Mack did it three times in 2013.
Through eight games, the Bulls have had a player named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week five times. Taylor Riggins and Ledarius Mack have also won the award.
Taylor Made
Taylor Riggins has been making his presence known as of late. The Bulls' defensive end has had five sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss over the last three games. He now leads the team in sacks with 5.5. Riggins' three fumble recoveries on the year are one shy of the school record.
Serve and Protect
Buffalo's offensive line has done a good job protecting the quarterback. The Bulls have only allowed seven sacks on the season to rank sixth in the nation. UB has not allowed a sack in four of its eight games on the year, including each of the last three. A season ago, the Bulls allowed 15 sacks, the fewest in their FBS era (since 1999).
Taking Matters into their own Hands
The UB defense has scored four touchdowns this season, including three in the last two games. The Bulls rank second in the nation in defensive touchdowns, trailing only Missouri who has five. Joey Banks had a pick six against Temple; Ledarius Mack returned a fumble for a touchdown at Akron; Kadofi Wright forced and recovered a fumble at Akron and had a pick six against Central Michigan.
Run Stoppers
Buffalo leads the MAC in total defense, but they have been especially stout against the run. The Bulls lead the MAC and rank 10th in the nation in rushing defense, allowing only 92.5 yards per game. UB is the only team in the MAC to allow less that 100 yards per game on the ground. The Bulls have held five of their opponents to under 100 yards. With 107 yards, Miami's Jaylon Bester is the only player to rush for 100 yards on the Bulls this season.
Nunn Better
Antonio Nunn has been the favorite target of UB quarterbacks this season. The junior receiver leads the Bulls with 26 catches for 370 yards and four touchdowns. He has had at least two catches in the seven games he has played in. In addition, the Tampa native has four touchdowns catches in the last four games.
Capitalizing on Turnovers
The Bulls have forced 17 turnovers on the season - 10 fumble recoveries and seven interceptions. Buffalo ranks sixth in the nation in fumble recoveries. UB has been able to capitalize on takeaways, scoring points 11 times following a turnover, including nine touchdowns.
Shout Out for a Shut Out
The Bulls blanked Akron on Oct. 19 for just their third shutout of a Mid-American Conference opponent since joining the league in 1999. It was just the second ever road shutout of a MAC opponent. The previous shutouts were a 33-0 win at Western Michigan in 2013 and a 44-0 victory over Ohio at UB Stadium in 2001.
No Passing Zone
The Bulls have not needed to throw the ball a lot to be successful this season. In fact, UB has thrown for less than 100 yards in two of its wins this season. Buffalo threw for 69 yards in its season-opening win against Robert Morris and 67 yards in a 21-0 victory over Akron. Only two other times in their FBS era (since 1999) did the Bulls throw for less than 100 yards and win a game. Buffalo threw for 97 yards in a 10-6 win over Kent State in 2005 and 83 yards in a 26-17 win over Ohio in 2003.
Back in the Saddle
Redshirt-sophomore Kyle Vantrease made his first start of the season at quarterback against Ohio and looked quite comfortable. Vantrease accounted for all three of UB's touchdowns, throwing for two and rushing for one. He finished 16-of-23 for 197 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 19 yards and another score. Before redshirting last season, the Stow, OH native made one start as a true freshman in 2017. In his three games as a starter this season, Vantrease has completed 43-of-71 passes for 441 yards four touchdowns and only one interception.
Sack Lunch
The Bulls have had 13 sacks over the last three games, including a season-best five at Akron on Oct. 19. On the year, Buffalo has 24 sacks to rank second in the Mid-American Conference. The Bulls' sack attack has been led by three players, Taylor Riggins (5.5), Malcolm Koonce (4.5) and Ledarius Mack (4.0).
King of the Hill
Junior safety Tyrone Hill had the best game of his career against Ohio on Oct. 5. Hill finished with a career-high 15 tackles, the most by a UB player since Khalil Hodge had 20 tackles against Army in 2018. Hill leads the Bulls with 55 tackles and is also has a team-best seven pass break ups.
Sharing the Wealth
Buffalo has spread the ball around through the air this season. 14 different players have caught a pass for the Bulls. Antonio Nunn leads UB with 26 receptions, over twice as many as Zac Lefebvre who ranks second with 12. In addition, Buffalo's 10 touchdown passes on the season have been caught by six different players.
Ground and Pound
The UB running game is off to a great start to the season. The Bulls are averaging 221.0 yards through eight games. They rank fifth in the nation in rushing attempts with 396. UB logged 58 carries against both Penn State and Temple and 55 against Central Michigan. The 1,913 rushing yards through eight games are the most to start a season in the Bulls' FBS era (since 1999).
Leading the way are running backs Jaret Patterson and Kevin Marks. Patterson is averaging 104.4 yards per game on the ground to rank third in the MAC. Marks is averaging 80 yards per game to rank seventh in the conference.
Time after Time
The Bulls lead the MAC in time of possession, averaging 33:11 per game.
The Bulls controlled the ball for 42:32 against Penn State. It was the team's highest time of possession in their modern FBS era (since 1999). The previous high was 42:30 against Bowling Green last season. The Bulls ran 90 plays, compared to just 46 plays for Penn State and outgained the Nittany Lions, 429-357 in total offense.
Not Standing Patt
UB running back Jaret Patterson is coming off the finest freshman season in school history and is already building on it in his second year with the program. Patterson rushed for 1,013 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2018, becoming the first freshman running back in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He broke the previous record of 917 set by Aaron Leeper in 2002. In addition, Patterson's 14 rushing touchdowns were the most ever by a UB freshman and was two shy of the single season record held by James Starks (2008).
Patterson, the 2018 MAC Freshman of the Year, is on the watchlist for the Maxwell Award and the Doak Walker Award.
Through eight games, Patterson has rushed for 835 yards on 159 carries (5.3 ypc) and has scored five touchdowns. At Miami (OH), he ripped off an 82-yard touchdown run - the longest by a UB player since James Starks had a 91-yard against Miami (OH) in 2007.
Otwinowski Named Campbell Trophy Semifinalist
Senior linebacker Matt Otwinowski is a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy. Given annually to college football's top student-athlete, the Campbell Trophy is also known as the Academic Heisman.
Otwinowski is an accounting major with a 3.89 cumulative grade point average. He is a two-time Academic All-MAC selection and has been honored as a MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete.
A pillar of the community, Otwinowski helped save the life of a stranger by donating his stem cells through the Be The Match Program. For his work in the community, he has been placed on the watch list for the AFCA Allstate Good Works Team and the Weurffel Trophy.
Experience on the Offensive Line
One of the strengths of the 2019 UB football team is the offensive line. The Bulls return four of their five starters from a season ago. Right guard Tomas Jack-Kurdyla has the most starts under his belt with 36. Left tackle Evin Ksiezarczyk is second with 34 starts. Right tackle Kayode Awosika has started 22 games for the Bulls and left guard Paul Nosworthy has 21 starts. In addition, Jacob Gall started the final five games at right guard last year.
Last season, UB's line blocked for an offense that ran for a school-record 2,648 yards and also allowed only 15 sacks, a program low since moving to the FBS level in 1999.
New Season, New Position
After serving as a reserve quarterback for the past three seasons, Dominic Johnson made the move to wide receiver shortly before the start of the 2019 campaign The move looks to be paying off. After not playing the position in his career, Johnson has five catches for 42 yards and a touchdown on the season. his first career touchdown came agaisnt Ohio on Oct. 5. At 6-5, 225, Johnson is a big target for the Bulls.
International Flavor
The Bulls have nine international players on this year's roster - by far the most in school history.
Buffalo has six players who hail from Canada, including Dominic Johnson (Ontario), Dev Lamour (Quebec), Cole Burniston (Ontario), Tomas Jack-Kurdyla (Quebec), Gabe Wallace (BC) and Julien Bourassa (Quebec). In addition, the Bulls have three players from Europe, Fabian Weitz (Germany), Alain Schaerer (Switzerland) and Jordan Avissey (France).
Pallotti Boys
The Bulls have five players from Maryland's Saint Vincent Pallotti High School on this year's team. Running back Jaret Patterson, linebackers James Patterson and Justin Mulbah, wide receiver Jelani Foster and cornerback Dylan Powell all played together for the Panthers.
Justin Winters, a former All-MAC linebacker for the Bulls, was a coach at Pallotti when the players were there.
