Northern Illinois
Bulls Conclude Home Slate Against Northern Illinois on Wednesday
11/14/2021 12:58:00 PM | Football
Buffalo (4-6, 2-4 MAC) vs. Northern Illinois (7-3, 5-1 MAC)
November 17, 2021
UB Stadium - 7:00 pm
Radio
Buffalo - ESPN 1520
Rochester - Fox Sports 1280
Television
ESPN2
Storylines
• The Bulls are 1-11 all-time against Northern Illinois with their lone winning coming last season in DeKalb.
• The Bulls are 9-1 in their last 10 weeknight MACtion games played at UB Stadium. Their loss came against Northern Illinois in 2015.
• Dylan McDuffie has averaged 127 yards rushing over the last 4 games. He has scored a rushing touchdown in 5 straight games.
• Quian Williams is 5 receptions shy of cracking the top 10 in program history for receptions in a season. His 58 catches trail Naaman Roosevelt (2007) and Matt Weiser (2015) who are tied for 9th with 63 receptions.
• James Patterson is 5 tackles shy of 100 on the year. He'd be the first Bull since Khalil Hodge in 2018 to have 100 tackles in a season.
• Kevin Marks is one rushing touchdown shy of tying James Starks (2006-08) for second in school history with 34.
• Kevin Marks (3,007) is 16 yards shy of passing Alan Bell (3,022) for fifth in program history in career rushing yards.
* The Bulls are tied for first in the nation in rushing touchdowns with 28.
* Alex McNulty has made 100 consecutive extra points - the first kicker in program
history to do so.
• This is a rematch of the 2018 MAC Championship game.
Bulls Conclude Home Slate Against Northern Illinois on Wednesday
The University at Buffalo football team will play their final home game of the season on Wednesday night against Northern Illinois.
Buffalo is 4-6 overall, 2-4 in the MAC and is coming off a 45-10 loss at Miami (OH) last Tuesday. Wide receiver Quian Williams led the Bulls with 109 yards receiving and a touchdown.
Northern Illinois leads the MAC West at 7-3 overall, 5-1 in MAC play and is coming off a 30-29 win over Ball State last Wednesday. The Huskies are led by quarterback Rocky Lombardi who has thrown for 2,768 yards and 17 touchdowns on the season.
Northern Illinois leads the all-time series, 12-2. The Bulls won the last meeting, 49-30, at Huskie Stadium last season.
Senior Night
Prior to Wednesday's game, Buffalo will honor 18 seniors playing their final homes game at UB Stadium. Being honored before the game will be Wankeith Akin, Eric Black, Sean Colgan, Evan Finegan, Jake Fuzak, Evan Gantley, Shemar Hayes, Ja'Marcus Ingram, Dominic Johnson, Jack Klenk, Kevin Marks, Jake Molinich, Taylor Riggins, Jeremiah Riordan, Tim Terry, Carlton Todd, Keith Woetzel and Kadofi Wright.
The Long Way Home
The Bulls have been methodical for the majority of their scoring drives this season. 33 of UB's 53 scoring drives this season (63%) have been 65 yards or longer. The Bulls have 26 scoring drives of 70+ yards, 9 of 80+ yards and 3 of 90+ yards.
8 of their last 10 scoring drives have been 69 yards or longer.
Looking for Explosive Plays
The Bulls rank near the top of the MAC in scoring offense, averaging 32.1 points per game. However, they have been doing so without the luxury of scoring on long touchdown plays. Of the Bulls' 30 offensive touchdowns on the season, only 3 have come from outside the redzone. The 3 scores were a Jovany Ruiz 63-yard reception against Wagner, a Marlyn Johnson 26-yard reception against Wagner and a Ron Cook 55-yard run against Western Michigan.
Balanced Bulls
The Bulls have used a balanced attack of rushing and passing this season. UB has rushed and passed for 200+ yards in the same game four times this season. Prior to this year, the Bulls have accomplished the feat six times over the previous six seasons.
The Bulls have run and thrown for 200+ yards in 2 of their last 3 games - Akron (231 r/253 p) and Bowling Green (222 r/277 p).
McDuffie Coming into his Own
Running back Dylan McDuffie is enjoying the best season of his career. The junior running back has rushed for 857 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season - both team highs. He ranks third in the MAC in rushing and second in rushing touchdowns. He has already surpassed his rushing total of his first three seasons combined (225). McDuffie has scored a rushing touchdown in 8 of the 10 games this season.
McDuffie has had three 100-yard rushing games (143 vs. Ohio, 108 at Akron, 166 vs. Bowling Green) all coming in the last 4 games. He was named the MAC East Division Offensive Player of the Week following the Bulls win over Ohio.
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 ranks seventh in the MAC in receptions (58) and sixth in receiving yards (788).
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 has three 100-yard receiving games on the season.
In two seasons at Eastern Michigan, Williams had 76 catches for 983 yards and eight touchdowns.
Sack Party
The Bulls had a program-record 11 sacks against Akron on Oct. 23. It bested the previous record of 8 set against Massachusetts in 2012. Seven different Bulls registered a sack, led by Kyler Laing who had a team-record 3.5 sacks in the game. It was the most sacks in a game by any team in the nation this season.
The Bulls now have 34 sacks on the year to lead the MAC and their 3.4 sacks per game average ranks 10th in the nation.
Clubber Laing
Sophomore defensive end Kyler Laing had the best game of his career against Akron on Oct. 23. He broke the program record for sacks in a game with 3.5. The previous record of 3 sacks was held by 4 players including All-American linebacker Khalil Mack.
Laing ranks second on the team in sacks with 4.5 and in tackles for loss with 8. He has 6.5 sacks in 15 career games.
Stepping on the Gassett
Freshman wide receiver Jamari Gassett is stepping up to be a viable weapon in the Bulls' passing game. The young speedster had his best game at Akron on Oct. 23, hauling in 4 catches for 95 yards and his first career touchdown. He added an 8-yard rush.
He is coming into his own lately. After having only one catch over the first 4 games, he has 13 receptions over the last 6 games, including 3 catches against Ohio and 4 against Akron. He ranks third on the team in receiving with 14 catches for 210 yards.
Remember the Tight Ends
Tight ends have been utilized much more over the last 4 games. Over that span, UB's tight ends combined for 17 receptions and 2 touchdowns. Over the first 6 games of the season, UB tight ends had a total of 8 catches.
In addition, UB tight ends have registered 3 touchdown receptions in the last 5 games. Tyler Stephens and Trevor Borland each had one against Ohio and Jake Molinich had one at Kent State. The 3 touchdowns are one shy of the 4 touchdown grabs tight ends caught over the entire 2019 and 2020 campaigns.
Red Zone Defense
The Bulls have buckled down on defense once the opposition has gotten into the red zone. Opponents have scored only 30 of the 42 times they have entered the red zone. The 71.4 percent red zone defense not only leads the MAC, but ranks 12th in the nation.
Walk-Off Winners
UB kicker Alex McNulty drilled a 26-yard field goal, with no time left on the clock, to lift the Bulls to a 27-26 win over Ohio on Oct. 16. Buffalo trailed the entire game before McNulty made the game-winner.
It was Buffalo's first walk-off win since 2016 when Adam Mitcheson hit a 33-yard field goal in overtime to beat Army.
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 36 receptions for 266 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 17 receptions.
Elite Eight
James Patterson continues to be a standout linebacker for the Bulls. He leads UB and ranks third in the MAC in tackles with 86. 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 3,007 - 16 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. Marks was an All-MAC Third Team selection in 2020.
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 29 catches for 404 yards and 2 touchdowns. His 29 receptions are 19 more than the total from his first two seasons playing the position.
Winning Ways
Since the 2017 season, the Bulls have more wins than any other school in the Mid-American Conference. Buffalo has 34 wins over that span. Toledo is second with 33 followed by Western Michigan which has 30.
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.
