The University at Buffalo football team is back on the road this week following a 42-10 victory over Miami (OH) at home last Tuesday night. The Bulls (2-0) will travel to Bowling Green for a matchup with the winless Falcons (0-2), a group that will be looking to bounce back from a 62-24 loss to Kent State last week.
Buffalo and Bowling Green have had nearly polar opposite starts to their respective seasons.
UB is off to a 2-0 start following a pair of wins over the last two Mid-American Conference champions and has now won eight of its last nine games dating back to last season.
The Falcons, on the other hand, have given up 100 total points through the first two games this season, while also losing both games by 30-plus points. They have dropped seven of their last eight contests dating back to 2019.
Bowling Green’s bad stretch goes much deeper than a multi-week skid and a pair of blowout losses, though. Currently holding both the lowest offensive and defensive efficiencies amongst all MAC teams, it’s clear that the Falcons have troubles on both sides of the ball, and that has led to some historical issues to start the 2020 season.
Buffalo has won its last three matchups with Bowling Green, the most recent being a 49-7 victory at UB Stadium last season. Bulls running back Jaret Patterson was the star of that game, rushing for 298 yards and six touchdowns.
Patterson is off to a great start this season with four touchdowns and 210 rushing yards through the first two games. The junior also became the fastest player to reach 3,000 rushing yards in school history, getting to the mark in just his 29th career game. Patterson is currently tied for fourth with Alan Bell (1989-92) on Buffalo’s all-time rushing list with 3,022 yards.
Just ahead of Patterson and Bell are Anthony Swan (1994-97), who ran for 3,103 yards in his career; and then Starks, whose 3,140 career yards are second-all time in UB history. It’s very possible Patterson could pass Starks on the list before the end of Tuesday night. With Bowling Green’s defense averaging 302.5 rushing yards-against through the first two games this season, his chances of passing Starks in this game are pretty high.
While most eyes will likely be on Patterson, it may be time for teams to start respecting Bulls quarterback Kyle Vantrease a little more. The junior played the best game of his career last week against Miami (OH), throwing for a career-high 353 yards and four touchdowns in the win.
On Monday, Vantrease was named the MAC East Offensive Player of the Week following his great performance. He became the second UB player to be given that honor already this season; Patterson was the first recipient after his two-touchdown performance against Northern Illinois in the opener.
Vantrease’s 292 passing yards per-game is currently the best in the MAC, and that’s not a good sign for the Falcons, who have given up an average of 293 passing yards-against so far this season.
Averaging 45.5 points per-game so far though two games, the Buffalo offense will give the struggling Falcons plenty to worry about.
However, this UB defense could be keeping Bowling Green players up late Monday night as well. The unit has forced six turnovers through the first two games (four fumbles and two interceptions), despite missing four starters in last week’s contest against the RedHawks. The Bulls also scored three defensive touchdowns in the opener against Northern Illinois, putting them tied for second in the country in defensive scores. Last week against Miami (OH), UB held the RedHawks to just 258 total yards after they put up 422 against Ball State in the season opener.
Opening kickoff between the Bulls and Falcons is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Nov. 17. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
You can also listen to the action, with pregame and postgame coverage on the radio home of the UB Bulls - ESPN 1520.