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University at Buffalo
Miami (OH)
10/30/2026 1:43:00 PM | Football
Buffalo (5-3, 3-1 MAC) at Miami (OH) (5-3, 3-1 MAC)
November 3, 2026
Yager Stadium - 8:00 pm
Bulls on the Air
Buffalo - ESPN 1520
Television
ESPN
Storylines
• The Bulls are looking to win their fourth straight game.
• Buffalo is looking for its first win at Miami (OH) since 2015. The Bulls are just 3-11 all time at Yager Stadium. UB's other wins at Miami were in 2013 and 2009.
• Messiah Burch has rushed for over 100 yards in five straight games. He is looking to become the first UB running back to rush for 100 yards in six straight games since All-American Jaret Patterson in 2019.
• Burch is 145 yards shy of becoming the 15th player in program history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
• Buffalo has only allowed one 100-yard rusher on the season. Penn State's Quinton Martin rushed for exactly 100 yards against the Bulls on Sept. 19.
• After forcing only two turnovers over the first five games, the Bulls have forced seven turnovers over the last three games with three at Toledo, two against UMass and two against Bowling Green.
• Clint Walker has three touchdown receptions in the last two games. He is looking to become the first UB tight end in program history to have a touchdown reception in three straight games. His next touchdown catch will be his fourth of the season and tie Mason Schreck (2016), Matt Weiser (2014) and Chad Bartoszek (2001) for the school record for touchdown receptions by a tight end in a season.
• Buffalo's next win will be the 20th for head coach Pete Lembo - tying him with Turner Gill (2006-09) and Jeff Quinn (2010-14) for sixth in program history.
Bulls Begin Midweek MACtion at Miami (OH) on Tuesday Night
The University at Buffalo football team will travel to Miami (OH) on Tuesday night in search of their fourth straight win.
Buffalo is 5-3 overall, 3-1 in the MAC and is coming off a 31-24 win over Bowling Green on Oct. 24. The Bulls were led by running back Messiah Burch who rushed for a career-high 184 yards and three touchdowns in the game.
Miami (OH) is 5-3 overall, 3-1 in the MAC and is coming off a 28-27 win at Central Michigan on Oct. 24. The RedHawks are led by wide receiver Scoop Smith who averages 80 all-purpose yards per game on the season.
Miami (OH) leads the all-time series, 18-9. The RedHawks won the last meeting, 37-20, at Broadview Stadium last season.
Keeping it Clean
Buffalo didn't commit a single penalty in its win over Bowling Green on October 24. The Bulls are one of just two teams this season not to commit a penalty in a game. Indiana also didn't commit a penalty in a victory over Rutgers on October 3.
Sweet Burch
Messiah Burch has come into his own as a running back in recent weeks. Over the last five games, the senior back has rushed for 745 yards - averaging 149 yards per game.
To put that in perspective, Burch rushed for a total of 294 yards over the first 22 games of his career.
He currently leads the MAC and ranks 12th in the nation in rushing, averaging 105.6 yards per game.
Burch is the first UB running back since Jaret Patterson in 2019 to rush for 100 yards in five consecutive games.
He is 145 yards shy of becoming the 15th running back in program history to rush of 1,000 yards in a season and the first since Al-Jay Henderson in 2024.
Wright on Time
On paper, quarterback Jason Wright's stats look quite pedestrian. However, the sophomore quarterback has come up clutch in the two-minute drill in four of the last five games.
With UB trailing Robert Morris, 14-7, with 1:41 left in the first half, Wright drove the Bulls 65 yards in just 32 seconds to tie the game at halftime. He had an 18-yard pass completion and three rushes for 47 yards, including a 25-yard TD.
The next week against Western Michigan, the Broncos took a 24-21 lead with 1:18 left in the game. Wright marched the Bulls down to the 2-yard line on two carries for 12 yards and completing three passes for 51 yards. Unfortunately, the drive stalled at the 2-yard line.
UMass took an 18-15 lead over UB with 1:57 left in the fourth quarter. Wright calmly marched to Bulls down the field for the game-tying field goal that sent the game to overtime where the Bulls eventually won. He completed six passes for 46 yards and added two carries for 17 yards on the drive.
Buffalo trailed Bowling Green, 14-7, with 1:55 left in the first half. Wright drove the Bulls 63 yards down the field on two runs for 47 yards and completed two passes for 17 yards, including a 14-yard TD pass to Clint Walker to tie the game at the half.
High Five
Tight end Clint Walker is putting up numbers that haven't been seen by a UB tight end in quite some time.
The fifth-year tight end has 22 receptions on the season, good for second on the team. His 22 receptions are the most by a UB tight end since Tyler Mabry had 27 receptions in 2018.
Walker had his first two touchdown catches, including the game-winner in overtime, in UB's win over UMass. He became the first UB tight end to catch a touchdown pass since Andrew Schnackenberg at Kent State in 2023. Walker was the first UB tight end to catch two touchdowns in a game since Zac Lefebvre in 2019.
He has three touchdown receptions on the season. His next touchdown will tie him with Mason Schreck (2016), Matt Weiser (2014) and Chad Bartoszek (2001) for the single-season record for touchdown receptions by a tight end.
Point Production
Since MAC play has started, the Bulls have scored points in all but one quarter over the four games. The third quarter against Western Michigan was the only of the 17 quarters of MAC play Buffalo didn't produced points.
Close Calls
Buffalo's 31-24 win over Bowling Green last week was another one-score game for the Bulls. 12 of UB's last 18 games, dating back to last season, have been decided by one score. The Bulls are 7-5 in those 12 one-score games.
OH My!
First-year starting kicker Oliver Hautanen has been very reliable for the Bulls this season. The sophomore kicker has made 13 field goals through eight games - the most of any kicker in the Mid-American Conference.
He made three field goals in wins over Toledo and UMass, becoming the first UB kicker to make three field goals in consecutive games since Alex McNulty made four at Coastal Carolina and three at Eastern Michigan in 2022.
Hautanen drilled a 52-yard field at FIU on his first career attempt. It tied for the sixth longest field goal in program history.
He was named the MAC Special Teams Player of the Week after his three field goal performance against UMass.
I Love the 70s
70 seems to be the magic number for the Buffalo offense this season. All four of UB's wins have come when it runs 70 plays in a game. The Bulls are 4-0 when they run 70 plays and 1-3 when they run less than 70 plays.
Buffalo ran 80 plays against UAlbany, 91 plays against Robert Morris, 78 against Toledo and 79 against UMass.
Not So Fast
The UB defense has been stout against the run this season, especially lately.
In their first two conference games, the Bulls held Western Michigan and Toledo, two of the league's top offenses, to 115 and 110 yards, respectively.
Penn State's Quinton Martin (100) is the only player to rush for 100 yards against the Bulls this season.
Take a Chance
Wide receiver Chance Morrow is off to a tremendous start to the season. The fifth-year transfer from Louisville, now in his fourth season with the Bulls, has 41 receptions for 480 yards and six touchdowns so far on the season. He leads the MAC in receptions per game (5.13).
It's truly a breakout season for Morrow who had 16 receptions for 258 yards and two touchdowns over his first three seasons at Buffalo combined.
Against Albany, Morrow became the first Buffalo player to total three touchdown catches in a game since All-MAC receiver Anthony Johnson had three touchdown receptions against Miami (OH) in 2018.
His 11 receptions at FIU were the most by a UB player since Justin Marshall had 11 against Georgia Southern in the 2022 Camellia Bowl. His 173 receiving yards were the eighth most for a single game in Buffalo's FBS era (since 1999).
Running Down a Dream
Buffalo rushed for 302 yards in its victory over Robert Morris. It was just the second time in the last five seasons the Bulls eclipsed 300 yards rushing in a game. They rushed for 370 yards against St. Francis in 2025.
All 302 yards were gained by just three players. Messiah Burch (146), Jason Wright (95) and Nino Hill (64) all rushed for career highs in the game.
Ethan Punt
Punter Ethan Stumpf is off to a record-breaking start to the season. The junior punter leads the MAC in punting, averaging 45.4 yards per punt. Of his 47 punts, 12 have sailed over 50 yards, including a season-long 72-yard punt against Western Michigan.
The program record for single-season punt average is 44.7, set by Dylan Drennan in 2025.
New Faces
Buffalo has 54 new players on the roster from a season ago. Of the new faces, 23 are transfers and 31 are freshmen.
There were 22 newcomers on the week-one depth chart.
Elijah Holmes (QB), Clint Walker (TE), Logan Goodwin (Edge), Zach Bergmann (LB), Stevie Bracey (LB) and Joseph Stoever (LS) all started the season opener.
New Coordinators
Coach Lembo has new coordinators on offense, defense and special teams entering this season. Offensive coordinator Tony Tokarz and special teams coordinator Garrett McLaughlin are new to the staff while defensive coordinator Brian Dougherty was elevated from safeties and nickels coach.
Tokarz came to Buffalo from Florida State where he spent the past six seasons, including the previous four as quarterbacks coach. Prior to Florida State, Tokarz was tight ends coach at Memphis where he coached with Lembo.
A native of Orchard Park, McLaughlin returned to Western New York after spending the past two seasons as special teams coordinator and defensive line coach at Columbia.
Dougherty is in his third season on Lembo's staff and first as defensive coordinator. He previously served as defensive coordinator at both the University of Indianapolis and Valparaiso.
Six Bulls Named to Phil Steele's Preseason All-MAC Team
Six University at Buffalo football players have been named to Phil Steele's Preseason All-MAC Team.
Wide Receiver Jasaiah Gathings was named to the first team. Safety Miles Greer was named to the second team. Defensive tackle Cornell Evans and nickel SaVeon Brown were named to the third team. Tight end Clint Walker and cornerback Kobi Blackwell were named to the fourth team.
Gathings is in his second year with the program after transferring from UConn. The graduate receiver had 36 catches for 410 yards and three touchdowns in 2025.
Greer is also in his second year with the program after transferring from Shepard University. In 2025, he ranked third on the team in tackles with 74 and added three tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
Evans, who has started 16 games over the last two seasons, had 14 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss in 2025.
Brown had 52 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and two sacks in 2025.
Walker is a newcomer to the program after transferring from Davenport University. He spent four seasons with the Panthers and was an All-Conference selection in 2025.
Blackwell had a breakout season for the Bulls in 2025. The redshirt-sophomore had a team-high seven pass breakups in 2025 and added 20 tackles and an interception.
It's Broadview Stadium Now
Thanks to a partnership with Buffalo Athletics and Broadview Federal Credit Union, Broadview Stadium is the new name of the former UB Stadium. The landmark agreement will have the Broadview name on both the stadium and arena for the next 15 years.
Bulls Picked Sixth in Preseason Poll
Buffalo was picked to finish sixth in the Mid-American Conference preseason poll according to the MAC head coaches.
Western Michigan was picked first with 138 points, followed by Miami (134), Toledo (115), Ohio (107), Central Michigan (101), Buffalo (81), Eastern Michigan (76), Kent State (64), Bowling Green (59), Akron (52), Ball State (34), Sacramento State (28) and Massachusetts (25).
Western Michigan 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. Calling all the play-by-play action of Bulls football for his 27th year, and 19th consecutive, will be Paul Peck. Scott Wilson is back for his 10th season as analyst. Brad Riter also returns as game host.
The UB Football postgame show will once again be hosted by Bob Gaughan.
