Bowling Green
Bulls in Search of Third Straight Win at Bowling Green on Saturday
10/4/2022 1:45:00 PM | Football
Buffalo (2-3, 2-0 MAC) at Bowling Green (2-3, 0-1 MAC)
October 8, 2022
Doyt Perry Stadium - 12:00 pm
Radio
Buffalo - ESPN 1520
Rochester - Fox Sports 1280
Television
ESPN+
Storylines
• The Bulls have won four of the last five meetings, including the last two at Bowling Green.
• Buffalo has scored points in 17 straight quarters. The last quarter the Bulls didn't score was the third quarter of the opener at Maryland.
• The Bulls are looking to improve to 3-0 in MAC play for the fourth time in program history (2013, 2018, 2020)
• The Bulls have not allowed points in the fourth quarter in either of their last two games.
• Buffalo is the least penalized team in the MAC, averaging five penalties per game. In three of their five games this season, the Bulls have committed only three penalties.
• Linebacker James Patterson (339) is three tackles shy of reaching Mike Newton (342) for eighth and five shy of reaching Lee Skinner (344) for seventh in school history in career tackles.
• Ron Cook (1,157) is 38 yards of passing Dahnel Singfield (1998-02) for seventh place in program history in career kick return yards.
• Alex McNulty (137) is three extra points shy of the school record for career extra points. Adam Mitcheson (20015-18) is the current record holder with 140.
• Linebacker Shaun Dolac, the reigning MAC East Defensive Player of the Week, has had double-digit tackles in three of the last four games. He ranks second in the MAC in total tackles with 53.
Bulls in Search of Third Straight Win at Bowling Green on Saturday
The University at Buffalo football team will go for three wins in a row when they travel to Bowling Green on Saturday afternoon.
Buffalo is 2-3 overall, 2-0 in the MAC and is coming off a 24-20 win over Miami (OH) last Saturday. The Bulls were led by linebacker Shaun Dolac who had 14 tackles, including a career-best three tackles for loss.
Bowling Green is 2-3 overall, 1-0 in the MAC and is coming off a 31-28 win at Akron. The Falcons are led by quarterback Matt MacDonald who has throw for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season.
Bowling Green leads the all-time series, 12-7. The Falcons won the last meeting, 56-44, at UB Stadium last season.
Dolac Dominance
Junior linebacker Shaun Dolac is coming off the best game of his career. He had 14 tackles (12 solo) and three tackles for loss against Miami (OH) en route to being named the MAC East Division Defensive Player of the Week.
Dolac leads the team and ranks second in the MAC in total tackles with 53. He leads the nation with 37 solo tackles, eight more than any other player in the MAC.
Originally a walk-on, Dolac entered the starting lineup late last season. In his seven total games as a starter, he has averaged 11 tackles per game and totaled seven tackles for loss.
We're Going Streaking
The Bulls have been able to string an impressive scoring streak together to start the season. UB has scored points in 17 straight quarters. The last time they didn't post any points was the third quarter at Maryland in the season opener.
The Bulls have been able to get off to good starts recently, scoring on their first possession in three straight games, including touchdowns in each of their last two games.
Dynamic Duo
The Bulls feature two of the best wide receivers in the Mid-American Conference in Quian Williams and Justin Marshall. Both players rank in the top 10 in the MAC in receptions and receiving yards. Williams has 32 receptions for 371 yards and three touchdowns. Marshall has 26 receptions for 353 yards and four touchdowns.
Williams is third in the MAC in receptions and fifth in receiving yards while Marshall ranks 10th in the MAC in receptions and ninth in receiving yards. Marshall has a MAC-best four receiving touchdowns on the season.
Williams and Marshall each had eight catches against Coastal Carolina, marking the first time since 2015, two UB players had eight or more receptions in the same game. Matt Weiser, Marcus McGill and Ron Willoughby each had eight catches against Bowling Green on Oct. 3, 2015.
Against Holy Cross, both players (Williams 105/Marshall 116) went over 100 yards receiving in the same game for the first time since Antonio Nunn (182) and Trevor Wilson (118) each had 100-yard games against Ball State in the 2020 MAC Championship Game.
Nifty 50
Buffalo scored 50 points in its win at Eastern Michigan on Sept. 24. It was the most points the Bulls ever scored in a MAC road game, besting the mark of 49 previously set at Northern Illinois in 2020. It marked the seventh time UB scored 50 points against a MAC opponent.
50-point performances in MAC games
70 vs. Kent State, 2020
68 vs. Western Michigan, 2017
56 vs. Akron, 2020
55 vs. Akron, 2014
51 vs. Akron 2011
51 vs. Miami (OH), 2018
50 at Eastern Michigan, 2022
Long Way Home
Buffalo has taken the long way to the endzone in each of their first five games.
The Bulls have scored 15 touchdowns on the season and 13 drives have been 69 yards or longer. UB has had touchdown drives of 92, 85, 82, 81, 75, 75, 75, 75, 75, 71, 70, 70 and 69 yards.
McNulty Showing off Big Leg
After missing his first field goal of the season, Alex McNulty has made 10 straight field goals, including eight over the last three games. He currently leads the MAC and ranks third in the nation in field goals made.
Against Coastal Carolina, he was a perfect 4-of-4 on field goal attempts, becoming the first UB kicker since A.J. Principe in 2007 to make four field goals in a game.
He followed up that performance by making three more field goals at Eastern Michigan. He was named the MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week following both games.
McNulty kicked a 52-yard field goal against Holy Cross, it was his third career 50-yarder. He also kicked a 50-yard field against Bowling Green last season and a school-record 55-yarder against Northern Illinois last year as well.
He is the first Buffalo kicker in its FBS era (since 1999) to make three 50-yard field goals in a career. Gerald Carlson made four 50-yarders in the mid-90s when the Bulls were an FCS program.
McNulty currently ranks fourth in program history in career field goals (35), second in extra points (137) and third in career points scored by a kicker (242).
Big Game James
Back for a fifth season, linebacker James Patterson continues to cement himself as one of the best linebackers in program history.
He had six tackles at Maryland in the opener to bring his career total to 303. He's the 12th player in program history to reach the 300 tackle mark and currently ranks 9th in school history in career tackles with 339. He recently passed all-time great Khalil Mack on UB's career tackle list.
A team captain since his sophomore season, Patterson was named All-MAC First Team in 2020 and 2021.
Creating Turnovers
Buffalo created four turnovers at Coastal Carolina on Sept. 17. The four forced turnovers by the Bulls were the most they had in a game since forcing five at Northern Illinois in the opener of the 2020 campaign.
UB has created seven turnovers through the first five games of the season. This is an improvement from a season ago when the Bulls created 12 turnovers the entire season.
Snyder Settling in at QB
Quarterback Cole Snyder seems to be getting more and more comfortable each week. Against Eastern Michigan, the junior signal-caller finished 20-of-29 for 297 yards and two touchdowns and added two rushing scores.
He ranks fourth in the MAC in passing yards per game (242.80) and sixth in passing efficiency (127.83).
Over the last four games, Snyder has thrown for eight touchdowns and rushed for three others.
Snyder threw for a season-high 305 yards and three touchdowns against Holy Cross, becoming the first UB quarterback to throw for 300 yards since Kyle Vantrease threw for 365 yards against Ball State in the 2020 MAC Championship game. He also became the first UB quarterback to throw for three touchdowns in a game since Vantrease threw for three touchdowns against Miami (OH) in 2020.
New Faces
Looking to bolster the roster, the Bulls welcomed 25 transfers this offseason, including 11 from power five programs.
UB's power five program transfers include WR Justin Marshall (Louisville), CB Elijah Blades (Florida), WR Boobie Curry (Arizona), CB Caleb Offord (Notre Dame), S Solomon Brown (Minnesota), S Jahmin Muse (Boston College), QB Cole Snyder (Rutgers), DE Ibrahim Kante (NC State), DE Damian Jackson (Nebraska), S James Ziglor (Vanderbilt) and OL Isaiah Wright (Rutgers).
Of the 60 players on the depth chart, 24 are in their first year with the program.
Cooking with Gas
Two-time All-MAC kick returner Ron Cook continues to climb the record books. Against Holy Cross, Cook became just the ninth player in program history to surpass 1,000 career kick return yards. He has 1,157 kick return yards, good for eighth in program history. He is 38 yards of passing Dahnel Singfield (1998-02) for seventh in school history.
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 at least one linebacker named All-MAC each of the last 11 seasons. James Patterson was named to the first team in 2020 and 2021.
Rounding out the list are Kadofi Wright (2019), Khalil Hodge (2018, 2017, 2016), Brandon Berry (2015), Okezie Alozie (2015), Lee Skinner (2014), Adam Redden (2014) and Khalil Mack (2013, 2012, 2011).
International Flavor
The Bulls have four international players on this year's roster.
Buffalo has two players who hail from Canada, including Gabe Wallace (BC) and Anthony Venneri (Ontario). In addition, the Bulls have two players from Europe, Fabian Weitz (Germany) and Alain Schaerer (Switzerland).
McNulty Named Campbell Trophy Semifinalist
Senior kicker Alex McNulty 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.
McNulty is a double major in biology for pre-veterinary science and physics. He carries a 3.8 grade point average and is a three-time Academic All-MAC selection.
Bulls Picked Third in MAC East
Buffalo was picked to finish third in the Mid-American Conference East Division according to the MAC media.
Miami (OH) was picked first with 139 points, followed by Kent State (116), Buffalo (78), Ohio (72), Bowling Green (71) and Akron (28).
Northern Illinois was picked to win the West Division, followed by Toledo, Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Ball State.
Northern Illinois was selected as the preseason favorite to win the MAC Championship.
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 23rd year, and 15th consecutive, will be Paul Peck. Scott Wilson is back for his sixth season as analyst. Brad Riter also returns as game host.
The UB Football postgame show will once again take place at The Anchor Bar on Maple Road with host Bob Gaughan.
