Ohio
Bulls Back Home Saturday to Host Ohio
10/13/2021 9:26:00 AM | Football
Buffalo (2-4, 0-2 MAC) vs. Ohio (1-5, 1-1 MAC)
October 16, 2021
UB Stadium - 12:00 pm
Radio
Buffalo - ESPN 1520
Rochester - Fox Sports 1280
Television
ESPN+
Storylines
• The home team has won 9 of the last 10 meetings between the rivals. The one exception was in 2019 when Ohio won at UB Stadium, 21-20, in overtime.
• Quian Williams has averaged 8 catches for 113 yards over the last 3 games.
• The Bulls are looking to avoid starting 0-3 in MAC play for the first time since 2016 when they started 0-3.
• 18 of Buffalo's 22 offensive touchdowns this season have come on the ground. The Bulls lead the MAC and are tied for eighth in the nation in rushing touchdowns.
• Kevin Marks is one rushing touchdown shy of tying James Starks (2006-08) for second in school history with 34.
• Kevin Marks is 11 yards shy of becoming just the sixth player in program history to rush for 3,000 career yards.
• Taylor Riggins has 17.5 career sacks, good for seventh in program history. He is a half sack behind Dave May (1983-86) and Malcolm Koonce (2017-20) for sixth place and a full sack behind Steven Means (2009-12) for fifth place.
• The Bulls have held fourth-quarter leads in four of their six games this season.
• Buffalo ran 99 plays in their last game against Kent State. It was the most plays they've run in a game in their history as an FBS program (since 1999).
Bulls Back Home Saturday to Host Ohio
The University at Buffalo football team will look to snap a two-game skid when they host Ohio on Saturday afternoon.
Buffalo is 2-4 overall, 0-2 in the MAC and is coming off a 48-38 loss at Kent State last Saturday. Running back Kevin Marks led the Bulls with 80 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
Ohio is 1-5 overall, 1-1 in MAC play and is coming off a 30-27 loss to Central Michigan last Saturday. The Zips are led by running back De'Montre Tuggle who has rushed for 448 yards and three touchdowns on the season.
Ohio leads the all-time series, 15-11.The Bobcats won the last meeting, 21-20 in overtime, at UB Stadium in 2019.
Three-Headed Monster
Buffalo has been getting a balanced contribution from each of its three running backs this season.
Kevin Marks leads the Bulls in rushing with 368 yards and five touchdowns. Dylan McDuffie is second with 349 yards and five touchdowns. Ron Cook is third with 322 yards and two scores.
Marks, McDuffie and Cook have all been the leading rusher in a game this season. All three backs rank in the top 10 in the MAC in rushing - Marks (7th), McDuffie (8th) and Cook (10th).
Utilizing the Running Backs in the Passing Game
This season, UB's running backs have been utilized much more in the passing game. Running backs have combined for 24 receptions for 143 yards. In the last game alone, they had 9 catches for 70 yards. This is in stark contrast from a season ago when running backs combined for 5 catches the entire season.
Ron Cook ranks third on the team with 12 receptions.
Getting the Offense Going
Against Kent State, the Bulls rolled up 549 yards of total offense. They did so by running 99 plays, the most they've ever run as an FBS program (since 1999). UB kicked it into gear in the second half as they ran 56 plays for 402 yards. They scored touchdowns on each of their first four possessions of the second half against the Golden Flashes.
The Bulls lead the MAC in scoring offense, averaging 31.2 points per game.
Spreading the Wealth
A season-best 10 different Bulls recorded receptions in their last game against Kent State. It marked the third time this season, receptions were made by 9 or more different players. Nine different Bulls caught passes against Wagner and Nebraska.
Neon Quian
There were a lot of question marks surrounding the wide receiver position entering the 2021 campaign. Enter Quian Williams - a graduate transfer from Eastern Michigan.
Williams leads the MAC in receiving yards (551) and ranks second in receptions (38).
He was the fastest UB receiver to reach 30 catches since Ron Willoughby had 30 catches in the first five games of the 2015 season.
He had back-to-back 100-yard receiving games with six catches for 119 yards against Western Michigan and nine grabs for 134 yards against Old Dominion.
In two seasons at Eastern Michigan, Williams had 76 catches for 983 yards and eight touchdowns.
Red Zone Defense
The Bulls have buckled down on defense once the opposition has gotten into the red zone. Opponents have scored only 19 of the 28 times they have entered the red zone. The 67.9 percent red zone defense not only leads the MAC, but ranks 11th in the nation.
Elite Eight
James Patterson continues to be a standout linebacker for the Bulls. He leads UB and ranks second in the MAC in tackles with 59. He is the fastest Bull to reach 50 tackles (5 games) in a season since Khalil Hodge had 67 tackles over the first five games of the 2018 campaign.
Patterson had a forced fumble against Old Dominion to bring his career total to seven - tied for second in program history. Former All-American Khalil Mack holds the program record as well as NCAA record with 16 career forced fumbles.
On Your Marks
UB running back Kevin Marks is in his first season as the Bulls' starting running back after splitting time with All-American Jaret Patterson over the last three seasons.
Despite only starting 10 games over his career, Marks ranks sixth in program history in career rushing yards with 2,989 - 34 yards shy of passing Alan Bell (1989-92) for fifth place. He ranks third in program history in career rushing touchdowns with 33 - one shy of tying James Starks for second. An All-MAC Third Team selection in 2020, Marks was on the preseason watch list for the Maxwell and Doak Walker Awards.
Welcome Back Taylor
After a breakout season in 2019, Taylor Riggins missed the entire 2020 campaign with an injury. The Bulls' defensive end is now healthy and returning to his All-MAC form.
Riggins was a first-team All-MAC selection in 2019 after posting 50 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. He ranked second in the conference in sacks in 2019.
Riggins has four sacks on the season. He now has 17.5 career sacks - good for seventh in school history. He was named the MAC East Defensive Player of the Week following his standout performance against Coastal Carolina.
Johnson Stepping Up
Since making the move from quarterback to wide receiver prior to the 2019 season, Dominic Johnson is enjoying his best season at his new position. Johnson was originally recruited as a quarterback and played the position from 2016-18. But with a crowded quarterback room, the athletic Johnson was given the opportunity to get on the field as a wide receiver.
Against Coastal Carolina, the sixth-year senior had six catches for 66 yards - both career highs. His six receptions were one more than he had all of last season.
He is the Bulls' second leading receiver with 18 catches for 199 yards. His 18 receptions are eight more than the total from his first two seasons playing the position.
Coming into his Own
Running back Dylan McDuffie is enjoying the best season of his career. The junior running back has rushed for 349 yards and a team-best five touchdowns on the season. Through six games, he has surpassed his rushing total of his first three seasons combined (225). McDuffie has scored a rushing touchdown in four of the six games this season.
Bulls Win Big in Linguist Debut
It was an impressive debut for head coach Maurice Linguist on September 2 as the Bulls easily disposed of Wagner, 69-7.
UB scored on each of its first 11 possessions of the game. The Bulls were in victory formation on their 12th possession. It was the third most points ever scored by a UB team and the most ever in a season opener.
The Bulls rolled up 569 yards of offense - 320 yards rushing and 257 yards passing. It was first time since 2014 against Akron that the Bulls rushed for 300 yards and passed for 200 yards in the same game.
Defensively, UB only allowed 97 yards of total offense, its fewest allowed since giving up only 84 yards against Hofstra on Oct. 24, 1992.
Vantrease Using His Arm and Leg
In UB's game at Nebraska, quarterback Kyle Vantrease lined up in the shotgun formation and surprised the Huskers by punting the ball. All he did was boot the ball 81 yards - tying the second longest punt in program history. It was three yards shy of the program record. It was also the fourth longest punt in the history of Memorial Stadium.
Winning Ways
Since the 2017 season, the Bulls have more wins than any other school in the Mid-American Conference. Buffalo has 32 wins over that span. Toledo is second with 31 followed by Ohio and Western Michigan which have 28.
Linebacker U
UB has had a number of standout linebackers in recent years, most notably Khalil Mack who was an All-American and now an NFL All-Pro.
The Bulls have had 12 linebackers named All-MAC over the last 10 years, including each of the last 10 seasons. Buffalo has two All-MAC linebackers on its current roster. James Patterson was named to the first team in 2020 and Kadofi Wright was a second team selection in 2019.
Rounding out the list are Khalil Hodge (2018, 2017, 2016), Brandon Berry (2015), Okezie Alozie (2015), Lee Skinner (2014), Adam Redden (2014), Khalil Mack (2013, 2012, 2011).
Back for a Sixth Year
The Bulls have six players on the roster who took advantage of their extra year of eligibility due to Covid and are playing their sixth year.
Offensive linemen Jake Fuzak and Jack Klenk, tight end Jake Molinich, wide receiver Dominic Johnson, linebacker Kadofi Wright and defensive end Taylor Riggins are all in their sixth year.
To quote Fuzak; "We are playing under our third president."
International Flavor
The Bulls have six international players on this year's roster.
Buffalo has four players who hail from Canada, including Dominic Johnson (Ontario), Cole Burniston (Ontario), Gabe Wallace (BC) and Deondre Doiron (Ontario). In addition, the Bulls have two players from Europe, Fabian Weitz (Germany) and Alain Schaerer (Switzerland).
Klenk Named Campbell Trophy Semifinalist
Sixth-year offensive lineman Jack Klenk 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.
Klenk graduated Summa Cum Laude with degrees in communication and social science interdisciplinary. He posted a 3.823 grade point average. He is a currently working towards a masters degree in real estate development.
He is a two-time Academic All-MAC selection and earned the Mid-American Conference Medal of Excellence in 2021.
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.
Calling all the play-by-play action of Bulls football for his 22nd year, and 14th consecutive, will be Paul Peck. Scott Wilson is back for his fifth season as analyst. Brad Riter also returns as game host.
New this season, the UB Football postgame show will take place at The Anchor Bar on Maple Road with host Bob Gaughan.
