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University at Buffalo
Lafayette
Bulls Host Lafayette in Season Opener on Thursday Night
8/26/2024 9:33:00 AM | Football
Buffalo (0-0, 0-0 MAC) vs. Lafayette (0-0, 0-0 Patriot)
August 29, 2024
UB Stadium - 7:00 pm
Bulls on the Air
Buffalo - ESPN 1520
Rochester - Fox Sports 1280
Television
ESPN+
Storylines
• The Bulls are kicking off their 112th season of football.
• This will be the first game under new head coach Pete Lembo.
• This is the fourth head coaching stop for Lembo who also served as head coach at Lehigh (2001-05), Elon (2006-10) and Ball State (2011-15).
• While at Lehigh, head coach Pete Lembo faced Lafayette five times, winning three of the five matchups.
• Buffalo is returning seven starters on defense and three starters on offense from last season.
• Lafayette leads the all-time series, 6-1, with five of the seven games being played in the 1990s. Buffalo won the last meeting, 16-14, at Lafayette on Sept. 19, 1998.
• C.J. Ogbonna will be making his first start at quarterback for the Bulls.
• Wide Receiver Taji Johnson, a transfer from Boston College, is the younger brother of former Bull Najja Johnson. Najja was a UB cornerback from 2010-13 and was named first-team All-MAC in 2013.
• Buffalo is 11-3 in home openers dating back to 2010. The Bulls have, however, lost their previous two home openers.
• The Bulls are opening the season at home for the first time since 2021.
Bulls Host Lafayette in Season Opener on Thursday Night
The University at Buffalo football team will open the 2024 campaign on Thursday Night when they host Lafayette at UB Stadium.
Buffalo enters the season under the leadership of new head coach Pete Lembo. The Bulls return seven starters on defense and three starters on offense from a season ago.
Lafayette is the preseason pick to win the Patriot League and is ranked 19th in the FCS preseason poll. The Leopards are led by running back Jamar Curtis who is the Patriot League Preseason Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.
Lafayette leads the all-time series, 6-1. The Bulls won the last meeting, 16-14, at Lafayette in 1998.
The Lembo Era Begins
A 30-year coaching veteran, Pete Lembo begins his first season as Buffalo's head coach.
Lembo has had successful stints as head coach of three separate programs. From 2001-15, he served as head coach at Lehigh (2001-05), Elon (2006-10) and Ball State (2011-15). He amassed a 112–65 career record, including a 79–36 record in 10 seasons at the FCS level, making him one of the winningest coaches in the history of that classification.
When Lembo was head coach at Lehigh, he led the Mountain Hawks to a 37-26 victory over UB in 2002.
Coaching Debut
Pete Lembo will be the 28th head coach to make his Buffalo debut when the Bulls take the field against Lafayette. All-time, UB head coaches are 13-13-1 in head coaching debuts.
Since joining the FBS ranks in 1999, UB head coaches are 4-1 in debuts, including four straight wins.
Year - Coach - Result
2021 - Maurice Linguist - Wagner, W, 69-7
2015 - Lance Leipold - Albany, W, 51-14
2010 - Jeff Quinn - URI, W, 31-0
2006 - Turner Gill - Temple, W, 9-3
2001 - Jim Hofher - Rutgers, L, 31-15
Ogbonna Wins QB Job
C.J. Ogbonna has been tabbed the Bulls' starting quarterback and will make his first career start for the Bulls against Lafayette in the opener.
Now in his second year with the program, the senior signal-caller appeared in eight games in 2023, but was used primarily in running situations. He rushed for 214 yards and three touchdowns on the season. He passed for 87 yards and a touchdown.
Obgonna began his career at Hutchinson Community College where he helped lead the Blue Dragons to a national title in 2020. From there, he transferred to Southeast Missouri State where he was a two-year starter for the Redhawks. His best season came in 2021 when he threw for 1,521 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushed for 357 yards and another three scores en route to being named to the Ohio Valley Conference All-Newcomer Team.
New Faces
Looking to bolster the roster, the Bulls welcomed 18 transfers this offseason. In addition, 35 freshman joined the team.
Of the 18 transfers, 16 are on the Bulls' depth chart for week one, including projected starters WR Taji Johnson, (Boston College), Edge Kobe Stewart (Samford), DT Tristan Souza (Washington State), K Upton Bellenfant (Alabama), P Ethan Duane (Old Dominion) and long snapper Byron Floyd (Pitt).
In addition, three true freshmen are on the week-one depth chart - Patrick Clacks III (WR), Kobi Blackwell (CB) and Dylan Drennan (P).
Nine Bulls Named to Athlon Preseason All-MAC Team
Athlon Sports released its preseason All-Mid-American Conference football team and nine University at Buffalo players were named to the squad. The list was headlined by two first-team selections, linebackers Shaun Dolac and Red Murdock.
The second team included offensive lineman Tyler Doty, defensive tackle George Wolo, cornerback Charles McCartherens and safety Marcus Fuqua.
The third team included running back Jacqez Barksdale, while offensive lineman Caelan Shepard and edge C.J. Bazile were on the fourth team.
Dolac is Back
After suffering an injury in the fourth game of the 2023 season, forcing him to miss the rest of the year, All-MAC linebacker Shaun Dolac is back healthy and ready to go for 2024.
Dolac had a record-breaking season for the Bulls in 2022. A first-team All-MAC selection, he ranked second in the nation in tackles with 147 which were the third-most in program history for a single season. Even more impressive was that he led the nation in solo tackles with 97 - 17 more than any UB player in program history.
A local product, Dolac came to UB as a walk-on in 2019. He was a 2022 semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, given annually to the best player in the country who started their career as a walk-on.
Taji Johnson Nominated for Allstate AFCA Good Works Team
Wide receiver Taji Johnson is among 178 nominees for the 2024 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. Awarded to community champions, it recognizes student-athletes who display exemplary community service, academic dedication and impact on and off the field. Beginning this year, Allstate is partnering with the Wuerffel Foundation to bring together two of the most meaningful awards in college football.
Since joining the UB football program in January, Johnson wasted little time impacting the Western New York community. Through Engaged Athlete Fellowship, Johnson has aimed to impact the lives of local students hoping to inspire them to attend college. He began a program titled "A Day in the Life" where he invited local students to experience a day on UB's campus, visiting classrooms and interacting with current students, hoping to serve as inspiration.
This is the third straight year Johnson has earned the nomination. He was nominated each of the last two seasons while at Boston College.
Experience on the Offensive Line
While the Bulls will have many new faces in the lineup entering this season, one area they do return experience is the offensive line. UB returns four offensive linemen who have seen time in the starting lineup.
Guard Tyler Doty started 22 games over the last two seasons and was an All-MAC Third Team selection in 2023.
Trevor Brock will start at the other guard spot after starting the final seven games of last season.
Caelan Shepard started all 12 games at right tackle last season.
In his sixth year with the program, Dom Polizzi has made four starts at center for the Bulls.
Orlando on Preseason Watch List for Comeback Player of the Year
Graduate tight end Jake Orlando is on the preseason watch list for the Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Orlando suffered an injury last season and was limited to just four games. He had four receptions for 28 yards before getting hurt.
A local product, Orlando is in his second season as a graduate transfer from UMass.
Seeing Red
Linebacker Red Murdock continues to develop into a top-tier linebacker in the Mid-American Conference. The redshirt-sophomore is coming off his best season in 2023. He appeared in 12 games and started the final six a season ago. He ranked third on the team in tackles with 60 and added 9.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and four forced fumbles. His four forced fumbles were two shy of the single-season school record.
He is equally impressive in the classroom as he was named Academic All-MAC and Academic All-District last season.
International Flavor
The Bulls have five international players on this year's roster.
Buffalo has three players who hail from Canada, including offensive lineman Jackson Bellamy (Ontario), defensive tackle Jordan Poyser (Ontario) and edge Nick Roy (Quebec). In addition, punter Ethan Duane is from Australia and edge Luke Yau Gayle hails from England.
New Number, Who Dis?
Several players are sporting new numbers for the 2024 campaign.
Name Old # New #
Jacqez Barksdale 20 23
Jonathan Capo 19 4
Mason Cumbie 16 15
Pershaun Fann 15 13
Al-Jay Henderson 22 5
Charles McCartherens 43 5
Nik McMillan 17 3
C.J. Ogbonna 10 7
Victor Snow 82 0
Bulls Picked 10th in Preseason Poll
Buffalo was picked to finish tenth in the Mid-American Conference preseason poll according to the MAC head coaches.
Miami (OH) was picked first with 119 points, followed by Toledo (109), Bowling Green (92), Northern Illinois (92), Ohio (81), Eastern Michigan (64), Western Michigan (60), Central Michigan (59), Ball State (42), Buffalo (37), Akron (24) and Kent State (13).
Miami (OH) was selected as the preseason favorite to win the MAC Championship.
New Look MAC
2024 will mark the first time the Mid-American Conference will not be divided into divisions for football. In years past, the 12 teams were divided into two six-team divisions, with the Bulls playing in the East Division. Moving forward, the top two overall teams in the standings will play for the MAC title as opposed to division winners.
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 25th year, and 17th consecutive, will be Paul Peck. Scott Wilson is back for his eighth 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.
