Toledo
Bulls Host Toledo On Wednesday Night in Search of Bowl Eligibility
11/18/2019 12:16:00 PM | Football
Buffalo (5-5, 3-3 MAC) vs. Toledo (6-4, 3-3 MAC)
November 20, 2019
UB Stadium - 7:30 pm
Radio
Buffalo - ESPN 1520
Rochester - Fox Sports 1280
Hornell - 1480 WLEA
Television
ESPN2
Storylines
• Toledo leads the all-time series, 7-3.
• This is just the third time Toledo will visit UB Stadium since the Bulls joined the MAC in 1999. The Rockets also played in Buffalo in 2007 and 2012.
• A win would make Buffalo bowl eligible for the third straight season and fifth time in program history.
• The Bulls have had 23 sacks over the last five games while allowing only one.
• With 1,159 yards on the season, Jaret Patterson is just the second player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons. He joined James Starks who rushed for 1,103 yards in 2007 and 1,333 yards in 2008.
• UB leads the MAC and ranks seventh in the nation in rush defense, allowing 88.4 yards per game.
• The Bulls have held halftime leads in nine of their ten games on the season.
• Jaret Patterson (1,159) is 31 yards shy of passing O.D. Underwood (1,189) for fifth in school history in single-season rushing.
• This game with feature the top two rushing offenses in the conference. Toledo is first, averaging 245.7 ypg and Buffalo is second averaging 226.5 ypg.
• The UB defense has only allowed one 100-yard rusher on the season.
• The Bulls are 9-2 in their last 11 home games.
Bulls Host Toledo On Wednesday Night in Search of Bowl Eligibility
The University at Buffalo football team will host Toledo on Wednesday night in search of its sixth win and bowl eligibilty.
The Bulls are 5-5 overall and 3-3 in MAC play following a 30-27 loss at Kent State last Thursday. The Bulls were led by running back Jaret Patterson who rushed for 141 yards in the game.
Toledo is 6-4 overall and 3-3 in the MAC on the season and is coming off a 31-28 loss to Northern Illinois last Wednesday. The Rockets are led by running back Bryant Koback who has rushed for 1,066 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season.
Toledo leads the all-time series, 7-3. The Bulls won the last meeting, 31-17, last season at the Glass Bowl.
Sack Lunch
The Bulls have had 23 sacks over the last five games, including a season-best five in their last three road games at Akron, Eastern Michigan and Kent State. On the year, Buffalo has 34 sacks to rank first in the Mid-American Conference and eighth in the nation. The Bulls have three players in the top five in the MAC in sacks. Taylor Riggins leads the MAC with 7.5 sacks, Malcolm Koonce is third with 7.0 and Ledarius Mack is fifth with 5.0.
The school record for sacks in a season in the FBS era (since 1999) is 38 set in 2013.
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 sixth in the nation in rushing defense, allowing only 88.4 yards per game. UB is the only team in the MAC to allow less that 100 yards per game on the ground. With 107 yards, Miami's Jaylon Bester is the only player to rush for 100 yards on the Bulls this season.
In Buffalo's win at Eastern Michigan, the Bulls didn't allow a single rushing first down in the game.
Dynamic Duo
Jaret Patterson and Kevin Marks have been a dynamic duo in the Bulls' backfield. Patterson has rushed for 1,136 yards and seven touchdowns whileMarks has accounted for 783 yards and six scores on the year. While splitting carries, one of the two have posted 100-yard games in six of the last seven outings. Patterson has five 100-yard games and Marks has two.
Both sophomores, Patterson and Marks are already in the top ten in school history in career rushing. Patterson ranks seventh with 2,149 yards and Marks is ninth with 1,628 yards.
Taylor Made
Taylor Riggins has been making his presence known as of late. The Bulls' defensive end has had seven sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss over the last five games. He leads the MAC in sacks with 7.5. Riggins' three fumble recoveries on the year are one shy of the single-season school record.
Serve and Protect
Buffalo's offensive line has done a good job protecting the quarterback. The Bulls have only allowed eight sacks on the season to rank fifth in the nation. UB has not allowed a sack in five of its ten games on the year and have only allowed one sack over the last five games. A season ago, the Bulls allowed 15 sacks, the fewest in their FBS era (since 1999).
Banks Shot
The play of Joey Banks has his name in the discussion for MAC Defensive Player of the Year. The hard-hitting safety leads the team with 65 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack. He has added a team-best three interceptions and a forced fumble. The UB senior has been named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week three times this season. The only other UB player to ever win MAC East Player of the Week three times in the same season was Khalil Mack in 2013.
Taking Matters into their own Hands
The UB defense has scored four touchdowns this season, including three in the last four games. The Bulls rank third in the nation in defensive touchdowns, trailing only Illinois (6) and Missouri (5). 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.
Nunn Better
Antonio Nunn has been the favorite target of UB quarterbacks this season. The junior receiver leads the Bulls with 35 catches for 478 yards and five touchdowns. He has had at least two catches in the eight games he has played in. In addition, the Tampa native has five touchdown catches in the last six games.
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 four games as a starter this season, Vantrease has completed 67-of-116 passes for 902 yards, five touchdowns and only one interception. He was named the MAC East Offensive Player of the Week following this performance against Eastern Michigan.
Capitalizing on Turnovers
The Bulls have forced 19 turnovers on the season - 10 fumble recoveries and nine interceptions. Buffalo ranks 11th in the nation in fumble recoveries. UB has been able to capitalize on takeaways, scoring points 13 times following a turnover, including 10 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.
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 58 tackles and is also has a team-best nine pass break ups.
Ground and Pound
The Bulls are averaging 226.5 yards through 10 games. They rank seventh in the nation in rushing attempts with 509. UB logged 58 carries against both Penn State and Temple and 62 at Eastern Michigan. The 2,265 rushing yards rank third in school history for a single season. The school record for rushing in a season is 2,645 yards set last season over 14 games.
Leading the way are running backs Jaret Patterson and Kevin Marks. Patterson is averaging 113.6 yards per game on the ground to rank second in the MAC. Marks is averaging 78.3 yards per game to rank seventh in the conference.
Time after Time
The Bulls lead the MAC and rank seventh in the nation in time of possession, averaging 34:26 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 nine games, Patterson has rushed for 1,136 yards on 222 carries (5.1 ypc) and has scored seven 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.
Onwuka Name Burlsworth Nominee
Chibueze Onwuka has been announced as a nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy, given annually to top player who originally joined the team as a walk-on. The junior defensive tackle walked on to the team prior to the 2017 season after starting his collegiate career as a wrestler at Niagara County Community College. This season, Onwuka ranks fourth on the team in tackles with 36, including seven tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
Otwinowski Named Academic All-District
Linebacker Matt Otwinowski has been named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District team. The award recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.
An accounting major with a 3.89 grade point average, Otwinowski is enjoying his best season on the field for the Bulls. The team captain ranks third on the squad in tackles with 55, including 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack.
We The Match
The Bulls have had two different players donate stem cells to help save the life of a stranger. Both linebacker Matt Otwinowski and offensive lineman Mike Kenefick donated their stem cells through the Be The Match program. Otwinowski traveled to Washington, D.C. in April to donate. Kenefick missed last Thursday's game against Kent State to donate his stem cells in Rochester.
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 38. Left tackle Evin Ksiezarczyk is second with 36 starts. Right tackle Kayode Awosika has started 24 games for the Bulls and left guard Paul Nosworthy has 23 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 six catches for 46 yards and a touchdown on the season. His first career touchdown came against 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).
