The University at Buffalo football team welcomes division rival Miami (OH) to town Tuesday night for its 2020 home opener.
Both the Bulls and RedHawks picked up victories last Wednesday on opening night of the Mid-American Conference football season. Buffalo’s defense scored three touchdowns and running back Jaret Patterson rushed for another two in a 49-30 win over Northern Illinois. Miami scored four touchdowns in the second half, erasing a two-score deficit, to down Ball State 38-31.
Buffalo and Miami were two of the preseason favorites to win the MAC East Division in 2020. In fact, UB was named the favorite by the media, while the coaches voted Miami. The Bulls will be looking to not only establish themselves as the team to beat in the division, but also avenge a 34-20 loss in Oxford, Ohio last season.
There’s no doubt that Patterson will be the player to watch Tuesday night in Amherst. The junior has received a lot of hype coming into this season following a 2019 campaign, where he rushed for 1,799 yards and 19 touchdowns. In the season opener against NIU last week, Patterson picked up right where he left off, running 20 times for 137 yards and two scores, while also becoming Buffalo’s all-time leader in rushing touchdowns.
Patterson’s 137 yards were the most by any MAC running back last week. The next-closest rusher, ironically, played against Miami; Ball State’s Caleb Huntley ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. The RedHawks’ defense ranked third in the MAC last season in rushing yards allowed per-game, but Patterson has shown he can have success against anyone in the conference. In the matchup with Miami last season, Patterson ran for 183 yards and a touchdown.
The Bulls’ defense, like Patterson, has brought momentum over from a strong end to 2019 into this season. The unit forced five turnovers (four fumbles and one interception) and scored three defensive touchdowns against NIU. They’ll go up against a Miami team that’s ranked third in the MAC in scoring, just behind UB, after rattling off five touchdowns against Ball State. Quarterback A.J. Mayer is in his first full season as the starter under center at Miami. The red-shirt sophomore didn’t even attempt a pass last season. So, despite the RedHawks’ offensive success last week, Buffalo will still be seeing a relatively green quarterback.
Miami gave up over 478 total yards to Ball State, with 309 coming via the pass game. Buffalo quarterback Kyle Vantrease didn’t necessarily turn any heads against NIU, finishing 11-for-17 for 175 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but he played and called a solid game. The junior also appears to have built some chemistry with Antonio Nunn. The Bulls’ No. 1 receiver caught six passes for 102 yards and a touchdown in the opener.
Vantrease may look to throw to Nunn or other receivers quite a bit on Tuesday. Ball State’s 309 passing yards against Miami were the most by any MAC team last week, so Vantrease may be able to air it out a bit more than he did in the opener.
Opening kickoff between the Bulls and RedHawks is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The game will be televised on ESPN.
You can also listen to the action, with pregame and postgame coverage on the radio home of the UB Bulls - ESPN 1520.