#23 Northern Illinois
Bulls Travel to #23 Northern Illinois on Saturday
9/17/2024 1:47:00 PM | Football
Buffalo (2-1, 0-0 MAC) at Northern Illinois (2-0, 0-0 MAC)
September 21, 2024
Huskie Stadium - 2:30 pm
Bulls on the Air
Buffalo - ESPN 1520
Rochester - Fox Sports 1280
Television
ESPN+
Storylines
• The Bulls are 11-14 all time in Mid-American Conference openers. UB has started conference play 1-0 five of the last seven seasons.
• Buffalo is playing ranked opponents in consecutive road games for the first time since 2013 when they played at #2 Ohio State (Aug. 31) and at #23 Baylor (Sept.7).
• The Bulls are 1-16 all time against ranked opponents. Their lone win came against #14
Ball State in the 2008 MAC Championship Game.
• Since joining the MAC in 1999, Buffalo is 1-5 in games played at NIU's Huskie Stadium. The Bulls lone win came in 2020.
• The Bulls are looking to start the season 3-1 for the first time since 2020 and just the third time as an FBS program (since 1999).
• Linebacker Shaun Dolac leads the MAC and is tied for the national lead with 43 tackles through three games. His 43 tackles through three games are the most to start a season in program history.
• Linebacker Red Murdock is the reigning MAC Defensive Player of the Week after recording 12 tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack against UMass. He leads the MAC and ranks fourth in the nation in tackles for loss with 6.5.
• The Bulls defense has recorded at least one interception in every game this season and leads the MAC with four picks on the year.
• The UB defense has only allowed two plays of 30+ yards on the season.
Bulls Travel to #23 Northern Illinois on Saturday
The University at Buffalo football team will travel to Northern Illinois to face the 23rd-ranked Huskies on Saturday afternoon.
Buffalo is 2-1 on the season and is coming off a 34-3 win over UMass last Saturday. Linebacker Red Murdock led the Bulls with 12 tackles, three tackles for loss and a sack.
Northern Illinois is 2-0 on the season following a 16-14 upset win over fifth-ranked Notre Dame on Sept. 7. The Huskies are led by running back Antario Brown who has rushed for 168 yards on the season.
Northern Illinois leads the all-time series, 13-2. The Huskies won the last meeting, 33-27 in overtime, at UB Stadium in 2021.
Dolac is Back
Through three games, Shaun Dolac has 43 tackles to lead the Mid-American Conference and tie for the lead nationally. He had a career-high 16 tackles in each of the last two games.14 of his 16 tackles against UMass came in the first half. Dolac's 43 tackles through three games are the most to start a season in program history.
He was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week following his 11-tackle, two tackle for loss, sack and interception performance against Lafayette in the opener.
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.
Seeing Red
After a solid season for the Bulls in 2023, linebacker Red Murdock is taking his game to new heights in 2024. The redshirt-sophomore had the best game of his career against UMass, totaling 12 tackles and three tackles for loss - both career highs. He earned MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts.
Murdock has 6.5 tackles for loss on the season to lead the MAC and rank fourth in the nation.
In 2023, he appeared in 12 games and started the final six. 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.
Take Your Pick
The UB defense leads the Mid-American Conference will four interceptions and have picked off quarterbacks in every game this season. The four interceptions have come from four different players as Jalen McNair and Shaun Dolac had one against Lafayette, Charles McCartherens had one at Missouri and Marquis Cooper had one against UMass.
Hanging with Mr. Cooper
Former walk-on Marquis Cooper earned the starting cornerback job out of camp and has been impressive through three games. In fact, he seems to one-up himself every game. After registering a career-high 12 tackles, including eight solo stops and a TFL at Missouri, the Colgate transfer had eight tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and an interception against UMass. He returned the interception 100 yards for a touchdown to break the record for longest interception return in program history. The previous record was 90 yards set by Gerry LaFountain against Delaware in 1965.
Cooper was awarded a scholarship prior to the start of the season.
Duane Oh!
New punter Ethan Duane has been a nice addition to the Bulls' special teams unit. The Old Dominion transfer is averaging 44.3 yards per punt to rank second in the Mid-American Conference. Five of his 15 punts have sailed over 50 yards. Against UMass, four of his five punts were downed inside the 20-yard line, with two touched down at the 1-yard line.
Let it Snow
Wide receiver Victor Snow has become a reliable target for the Bulls so far this season. His 10 receptions are twice as many as anyone else on the team. In 12 games a season ago, Snow only registered one catch for 12 yards.
Snow is a native of Webster, NY and transferred to Buffalo from Nevada prior to the 2023 campaign.
7 Up
C.J. Ogbonna has settled in as Buffalo's starting quarterback this season, his first as the Bulls' starter. He threw for 195 yards and two touchdowns in the opener against Lafayette and threw for 185 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another score against UMass.
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.
Running Back Depth
Buffalo's depth at running back has paid off so far this season as different backs have stepped up for the Bulls.
In the first two games, it was Jacqez Barksdale who came off the bench to lead UB in rushing. He rushed for 166 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries against Lafayette and Missouri, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. In UB's win over UMass, Lamar Sperling rushed for a career-best 86 yards and a touchdown to lead the Bulls.
Taji Johnson Wins 1-MAC Award
Wide receiver Taji Johnson has won the Mid-American Conference's 1-MAC Award - given annually to those that have shown tremendous impact & excellence in inclusion efforts.
Johnson, who joined the Bulls in Spring 2024 for his final year of eligibility, quickly made a lasting impact by organizing the "A Day in the Life" event for at-risk middle school students. Through his partnership with TheTeam.org, a nonprofit focused on civic engagement and voter participation in college athletics, Johnson helped provide critical resources and support to students and their families. His efforts included arranging school supplies and connecting families with local services, addressing the diverse needs of the community.
In addition to organizing the event, Johnson fostered collaboration among student-athletes from various sports, creating a network that shared strategies and experiences to collectively support at-risk students. By emphasizing unity and teamwork, Johnson and his fellow student-athletes inspired resilience, leadership, and academic excellence among the students they mentored.
Johnson has also been nominated for the 2024 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.
Dominant Defensive Debut
It was a strong debut for the Buffalo defense in the Bulls' 30-13 season-opening victory over Lafayette. The Bulls were especially stout against the run, holding the Leopards to just 43 yards rushing on 29 carries for a 1.5 yard-per-carry average.
The Bulls held All-American running back Jamar Charles to only 12 yards on 14 carries a season after he ranked second in the nation in rushing.
UB won the line-of-scrimmage battle as it registered 11 tackles for loss, the most in a game since tallying 11 against Akron on Dec. 2, 2022.
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 were 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.
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.
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 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.
Miami (OH) 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 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.
