Marshall
Bulls to Face Marshall in Camellia Bowl on Friday
12/22/2020 2:56:00 PM | Football
Buffalo (5-1, 5-0 MAC) vs. Marshall (7-2, 4-2 C-USA)
December 25, 2020
Cramton Bowl - 2:30 pm
Radio
Buffalo - ESPN 1520
Rochester - Fox Sports 1280
Television
ESPN
Storylines
• Marshall leads the all-time series, 8-1.
• Buffalo and Marshall were Mid-American Conference foes between 1999 and 2004. The Thundering Herd won all six of those meetings.
• The Bulls are playing in their third straight bowl game and fifth in program history.
• Buffalo is in search of its second bowl win in program history. The Bulls beat Charlotte in the 2019 Bahamas Bowl.
• Friday's game will be a matchup of nation's top rushing offense (Buffalo, 309.5) vs. the nation's second best rushing defense (Marshall, 88.9).
• Jaret Patterson is 116 yards shy of 4,000 for his career. He would become just the second player in school history to rush for 4,000 yards. Branden Oliver holds the school record with 4,049, 165 yards more than Patterson's current total.
• The Bulls have scored touchdowns on their opening possession in five of their six games this season, including each of the last four games.
• Jaret Patterson's next rushing touchdown will be his 20th and break his own single-season school record. He also had 19 rushing touchdowns in 2019.
• With his next sack, Malcolm Koonce will pass Steven Means (18.5) for fifth and tie Trevor Scott (19) for fourth in school history in career sacks.
• Friday will mark the first time in program history UB will play a football game on Christmas.
Bulls to Face Marshall in Camellia Bowl on Friday
For the third straight year, the University at Buffalo football team is participating in a bowl game and will take on Marshall in the Camellia Bowl on Friday afternoon in Montgomery, AL.
UB is coming off a 38-28 loss to Ball State in the MAC Championship game on Friday. The Bulls were led by wide receiver Antonio Nunn who had a career-best 13 receptions for 182 yards against the Cardinals.
Marshall is 7-2 on the season and is coming off a 22-13 loss to UAB in the Conference USA Championship game. The Thundering Herd is led by defensive end Darius Hodge who has 56 tackles, 9 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks on the season.
Marshall leads the all-time series, 8-1. The Herd won the last meeting, 48-14, at Marshall in 2004.
Back Bowling
Buffalo is playing in its third straight bowl game and fifth overall. The Bulls won the 2019 Bahamas Bowl over Charlotte for their first ever bowl win. UB also competed in the 2018 Dollar General Bowl (lost to Troy, 42-32), 2013 Idaho Potato Bowl (lost to San Diego State, 49-24) and the 2008 International Bowl (lost to Connecticut, 38-20).
Bulls vs. Conference USA
The Bulls are 5-0 all-time against Conference USA programs. The Bulls beat UTEP in 2008 and 2009, FAU in 2015 and 2017 and Charlotte in 2019.
Bulls Honored by MAC
It was the most successful season in terms of Mid-American Conference Awards for the UB football program.
Jaret Patterson was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year and was UB's first winner of the Vern Smith Leadership Award, given to the MAC's top overall player. In addition, Lance Leipold was named MAC Coach of the Year for the second time.
In addition, the Bulls tied the program record with 12 All-MAC selections. Patterson, Kayode Awosika (LT), Mike Novitsky (C), Malcolm Koonce (DE) and James Patterson (LB) were named the first team. Jake Fuzak (RT) and Antonio Nunn (WR) were named to the second team. Ron Cook (PR/KR), Zac Lefebvre (TE), Kevin Marks (RB), Alex McNulty (K) and Eddie Wilson (DT) were named to the third team.
Over the last three seasons, the Bulls have had 35 All-MAC selections.
Running Down a Dream
UB leads the nation in rushing, averaging 309.5 yards per game. Their current average is by far the best in school history, besting their previous high of 250.5 set last season. If the Bulls can finish atop the national rankings, they would be the first non-option based offense to lead the nation in rushing since Auburn in 2013.
The Bulls have scored 30 rushing touchdowns in six games which is third in school history for a season. The school record for rushing touchdowns in a season is 36 set in 2018 and 2019.
The Bulls rushed for a school-record 515 yards in their win over Kent State. UB also set a school and MAC record with 10 rushing touchdowns, breaking the previous record of seven and nine, respectively.
Kevin Marks ranks fifth in the nation in yards per carry (7.8) and Jaret Patterson is eighth in the nation in yards per carry (7.6).
Jaret Patterson Appreciation Note
Running back Jaret Patterson is posting historic numbers this season. Here are a few of note.
• Rushed for 409 yards against Kent State - the second most in FBS history.
• Tied the FBS record with eight rushing touchdowns against Kent State
• Rushed for 710 yards in back-to-back games against Bowling Green and Kent State- the most ever in consecutive games in FBS history.
• Leads the nation in rushing average (179 ypg)
• His 19 rushing touchdowns are tied for second in the nation and tied for the school history for a single season. He holds the record with 19 set last year.
• Over the last 12 games, Patterson has rushed for 2,185 yards and 34 touchdowns.
• Six games into his junior season, Patterson already holds the school record for career rushing touchdowns (52) - 18 more than second place James Starks. He is tied for fourth in MAC history in career touchdowns.
This is 40
After scoring 70 points against Kent State (the most by a UB team in its FBS era), the Bulls are averaging 47.8 points per game - third in the nation. UB has scored 40+ points in five of the last six games and have now scored 40 or mores points in nine of their last 11 games against conference opponents.
The 287 points scored through six games this season are already more than 12 of UB's 21 full seasons as an FBS program.
Koonce Invited to Senior Bowl
Senior defensive end Malcolm Koonce has accepted an invitation to the Reese's Senior Bowl. He will be the fourth player in school history to play in the prestigious all-star game, joining DT Gerry Philbin (1964), WR Anthony Johnson (2019) and QB Tyree Jackson (2019).
A two-time first-team All-MAC selection, has 18 career sacks, tied for sixth in school history.
UB Career Sack Leaders
1. Khalil Mack (2010-13) 28.5
2. Rich Dabado (1989-92) 24.0
Vance Canosa (1992-95) 24.0
4. Trevor Scott (2004-07) 19.0
5. Steven Means (2009-12) 18.5
6. Malcolm Koonce (2017-) 18.0
Dave May (1983-86) 18.0
The Power of 41
Since the untimely passing of Solomon Jackson in 2016, different players have worn his #41 to honor his legacy. This season, especially, players who have worn #41 have been having career games. Here are just a few examples:
• WR Ruiz vs. Miami 1st/only career TD
• RB Patterson vs. Kent 409 yds, 8 TDs
• RB Marks vs. Akron 182 yds, 2 TDs
• WR Nunn vs. Ball St. 13 rec. 182 yds
Second Half Adjustments
The third quarter has been the best quarter for the Bulls this season. UB has outscored its opponents 91-10 in the third quarter so far this season. The Bulls scored at least 14 third-quarter points in five of their six games. In fact, in Buffalo's win over Miami (OH), the Bulls scored on its first four possessions of the second half, with scoring drives of 81, 82, 62 and 84 yards.
O-Line Honored by Joe Moore Award
For the second straight season, UB's offensive line was named a semifinalist for Joe Moore Award, given annually to the top offensive line unit in the FBS ranks.
Buffalo's offensive line has blocked for the nation's top rushing offense (309.6)and have only allowed one sack on the season.
The Bulls starting offensive line this season has been Kayode Awosika (LT), Jacob Gall (LG), Mike Novitsky (C), Jack Klenk (RG) and Jake Fuzak (RT).
National Team of the Week
Following their 70-41 win over Kent State, Buffalo was named the Reveal Suits National Team of the Week by the FWAA on Nov. 30. It was the first MAC school to win it since Sept. 16, 2017, when Northern Illinois won at Nebraska.
The 70 points scored were the most by a UB team since joining the FBS ranks in 1999. The Bulls rushed for a school-record 515 yards, and broke the MAC record with 10 rushing touchdowns against the Golden Flashes.
Nunn Better
Senior wide receiver Antonio Nunn has develop into one of the best receivers in the Mid-American Conference. He is averaging 89.2 yards per game.
Nunn posted 100-yard performances in three games this season. He had a career-best 13 catches for 182 yards against Ball State. He tied James Starks (2008) and Chaz Ahmed (1990) for the single-game school record for receptions.
Excelling in the Red Zone
The Bulls have been in the red zone 25 times this season and have scored 22 touchdowns. Of their 22 scores, 20 have been rushing touchdowns.
Building a Consistent Winner
Head Coach Lance Leipold has been able to build a consistent winning program since being hired prior to the 2015 season. The Bulls have won 29 games since the start of the 2017 season - going 6-6 in 2017, 10-4 in 2018 and 8-5 last year. The 29 wins are the most by any MAC team since the start of the 2017 campaign.
Big Play Bulls
The Bulls have used big plays to find the endzone so far this season. They have scored 14 touchdowns of 40 yards or more. Against Miami (OH), Kyle Vantrease had a 78-yard touchdown pass to Trevor Wilson and an 82-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Nunn. It marked the first time in UB's FBS era (since 1999) that it had two touchdown passes of 78 or more yards in the same game.
Running back Jaret Patterson has touchdown runs of 42, 49, 56, 57 and 58 yards this season.
Kevin Marks had a 67-yard score against Ball State.
Long touchdown plays aren't limited to the offense as the Bulls scored on a 42-yard and 46-yard fumble recovery and a 65-yard pick six in the opener at Northern Illinois. In addition, Tyrone Hill blocked a field goal and returned in 63 yards for a score.
On Your Marks
While Jaret Patterson gets most of the headlines, fellow running back Kevin Marks is once again having a solid season. The junior is averaging a career-best 100.5 yards per game this season. He rushed for a career-high 182 yards and two touchdowns against Akron and was named the MAC East Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career.
Though only starting two games in his career, Marks is seventh in school history in career rushing yards with 2,483. He has nine career 100-yard rushing games.
Vantrease Steps Up
While many see the Bulls as a run-heavy team, quarterback Kyle Vantrease has shown that UB can throw the ball too. Against Miami (OH) on Nov. 10, the junior signal-caller threw for 353 yards and four touchdowns against the RedHawks. He was perfect in the second half, going 9-for-9 for 229 yards and three touchdowns. He had touchdown passes of 82, 78, 25 and 5 yards. His previous longest career pass was a 61 yarder against Ohio last season.
In the MAC Championship game, Vantrease threw for a career-best 365 yards. He is the first UB quarterback to throw for 350+ yards twice in the same season since Joe Licata threw for 401 yards against Army and 383 yards against Eastern Michigan in the 2014.
Taking Matters into their Own Hands
UB scored three defensive touchdowns in its 49-30 win at Northern Illinois on Wednesday. Tim Terry returned a fumble 46 yards for the first defensive score. On the Huskies very next possession, Isaiah King scooped up another fumble and dashed 42 yards for a touchdown. Kadofi Wright added a 65-yard pick six for the Bulls' third defensive score.
It was the first time the Bulls scored three defensive touchdowns in a game since 2015 when the defense also scored three times at FAU.
With three defensive touchdowns in the opener UB was already tied for first in the nation in defensive touchdowns.
International Flavor
The Bulls have five international players from three different countries on this year's roster.
Buffalo has three players who hail from Canada, including Dominic Johnson (Ontario), Cole Burniston (Ontario) and Gabe Wallace (BC). In addition, the Bulls have two players from Europe, Alain Schaerer (Switzerland) and Jordan Avissey (France).
