Ball State
Bulls Conclude Season at Ball State on Tuesday Night
11/21/2021 9:07:00 AM | Football
Buffalo (4-7, 2-5 MAC) at Ball State (5-6, 3-4 MAC)
November 23, 2021
Scheumann Stadium - 7:00 pm
Radio
Buffalo - ESPN 1520
Rochester - Fox Sports 1280
Television
ESPN+
Storylines
• Since joining the MAC in 1999, this will be just the fifth trip to Ball State for the Bulls. UB is 1-3 at Scheumann Stadium with its lone win coming in 2017.
• The Bulls and Cardinals met in two MAC Championship games. Buffalo defeated Ball State, 42-24, in 2008. Ball State beat the Bulls, 38-28, in 2020.
• Dylan McDuffie has scored a rushing touchdown in 6 straight games. He has tied former All-American Jaret Patterson (2020) for the longest touchdown streak since James Starks had 9 straight games with a rushing touchdown in 2008.
• Dylan McDuffie is 18 yards shy of 1,000 rushing yards on the season. He'd be the 14th player in program history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
• Quian Williams is 2 receptions shy of cracking the top 10 in program history for receptions in a season. His 61 catches trail Naaman Roosevelt (2007) and Matt Weiser (2015) who are tied for 9th with 63 receptions.
• James Patterson is 13 tackles shy of 300 for his career. If he gets to 300, he'd move into a tie for 10th place in program history in career tackles.
• Kevin Marks is one rushing touchdown shy of tying James Starks (2006-08) for second in school history with 34.
• Kevin Marks (3,031) is 73 yards shy of passing Anthony Swan (3,103) for fourth in school history in career rushing yards.
• Alex McNulty is looking to finish the season perfect on PAT attempts for the second straight season. He has made 104 straight extra points.
Bulls Conclude Season at Ball State on Tuesday Night
The University at Buffalo football team will play their final game of the season on Tuesday night against Northern Illinois.
Buffalo is 4-7 overall, 2-5 in the MAC and is coming off a 33-27 overtime loss to Northern Illinois on Wednesday. Running back Ron Cook scored both a rushing and receiving touchdown for the Bulls.
Ball State is 5-6 overall, 3-4 in MAC play and is coming off a 37-17 loss to Central Michigan last Wednesday. The Huskies are led by quarterback Drew Plitt who has thrown for 2,073 yards and 16 touchdowns on the season.
Ball State leads the all-time series, 10-2. The Cardinals won the last meeting, 38-28, in the 2020 MAC Championship Game.
McDuffie Closing in on 1,000 Yards
Running back Dylan McDuffie is enjoying the best season of his career. The junior running back has rushed for 982 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season - both team highs. He ranks third in the MAC in rushing and rushing touchdowns. McDuffie has scored a rushing touchdown in 9 of the 11 games this season, including each of the last 6.
McDuffie has had 4 100-yard rushing games (143 vs. Ohio, 108 at Akron, 166 vs. Bowling Green, 125 vs. Northern Illinois) all coming in the last 5 games.
He is 18 yards shy of 1,000 on the season. He'd become the 10th player in program history to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season.
Myers Back in the Saddle
Matt Myers started at quarterback for the Bulls in their last game against Northern Illinois. It was the junior's first start since being injured at Miami (OH) five games into the 2019 campaign. Kyle Vantrease took over that day and started 25 straight games before getting injured at Miami (OH) on Nov. 9.
Myers is 38-for-64 for 515 yards and 4 TDs on the season. In the 5 games he started in 2019 he threw for 602 yards and 6 touchdowns, including a 245-yard and one-touchdown performance at Penn State.
Running Down a Dream
Buffalo scored its 30th rushing touchdown of the season against Northern Illinois last Wednesday. It marked the fourth straight season the Bulls scored 30 or more rushing touchdowns. The record for rushing touchdowns in a season is 36 set in 2018 and 2019. The Bulls scored 32 rushing touchdowns last season.
The Long Way Home
The Bulls have been methodical for the majority of their scoring drives this season. 35 of UB's 58 scoring drives this season (60%) have been 65 yards or longer. The Bulls have 27 scoring drives of 70+ yards, 10 of 80+ yards and 3 of 90+ yards.
Looking for Explosive Plays
The Bulls rank near the top of the MAC in scoring offense, averaging 31.6 points per game. However, they have been doing so without the luxury of scoring on long touchdown plays. Of the Bulls' 33 offensive touchdowns on the season, only 4 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 and a Cook 22-yard run against Northern Illinois.
The Bulls have not scored an offensive touchdown outside the redzone in a road game this season.
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).
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 fifth in the MAC in receptions (60) and seventh in receiving yards (797).
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.
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 106. He is the first Bull to reach 100 tackles since Khalil Hodge in 2018.He has had 10 tackles for loss over the last 5 games, including a career-high 3.5 TFLs against Northern Illinois.
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.
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 35 sacks on the year to lead the MAC.
McNulty Showing off His Leg
Alex McNulty drilled a 55-yard field goal to force overtime against Northern Illinois. It was the longest field goal in program history and his second 50-yard field goal of the season. McNulty had a 50-yarder against Bowling Green. He is the first kicker since Patrick Clarke in 2013 to make two 50-yard field goals in the same season.
After starting the season 5-of-11, the junior kicker has made 7 of his last 9 kicks. In addition, he has made 104 consecutive extra points to become the first kicker in program history to make 100 straight PATs. His last miss came at Eastern Michigan on November 2, 2019.
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 18 receptions over the last 7 games, including a career-best 5 catches against Northern Illinios. He ranks third on the team in receiving with 19 catches for 262 yards.
Klenk Named Academic All-District
Jack Klenk has been named to the Academic All-District team. The award recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.
Klenk graduated summa cum laude with a degrees in communication and social science interdisciplinary in February while carrying a grade point average of 3.82. He is currently in graduate school, working towards a master's degree in real estate development.
He is the 12th player in program history to earn the honor and will now be placed on the Academic All-America ballot.
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 39 receptions for 311 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 19 receptions.
On Your Marks
Despite only starting 10 games over his career, Kevin Marks ranks fifth in program history in career rushing yards with 3,031 - 73 yards shy of passing Anthony Swan (1994-97) for fourth 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 32 catches for 438 yards and 2 touchdowns. His 32 receptions are 22 more than the total from his first two seasons playing the position.
Winning Ways
Since the 2017 season, the Buffalo and Toledo are tied for the most wins by Mid-American Conference programs. Both the Bulls and the Rockets have 34 wins over the four-year span.
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.
