Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Buffalo Bulls season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Buffalo Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 10-4 overall, 7-1 in MAC
Head Coach: Lance Leipold, 4th season, 23-27
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BUFFALO OFFENSE
– There isn’t a whole lot of sexy happening with the returning starters – at least compared to last season – but even after losing a whole lot of stars, the O that averaged 415 yards and 35 points per game should be fantastic thanks to the infrastructure up front.
– The Bulls led the MAC and were 11th in the nation in sacks allowed, and was ninth in fewest tackles for loss given up. Four of the five starters are back, they’re experienced, and cohesive, and really, really good despite losing all-star C James O’Hagan. 6-6, 315-pound senior Even Ksiezarczyk is the star to work around at left tackle, and veteran G Jacob Gall is more than capable of shining at center.
Behind this line, sophomore backs Jaret Patterson and Kevin Marks – they combined for close to 2,000 yards with 27 touchdowns – should blow up again as the O relies more on the ground attack. That’s the good …
– And now for the bad. 1,000-yard receiver Anthony Johnson is done, and running mate KJ Osborn is off to the Miami Hurricanes. Sophomore Charlie Jones averaged 22 yards per catch on his 18 grabs – he transferred out, too. Junior Antonio Nunn is an okay returning option, but he’s not Johnson or Osborn. First Team All-MAC TE Tyler Mabry is done, too – he defected to Maryland.
– QB Tyree Jackson was about to bolt for another team, and then he left for the NFL and went undrafted – the Bills picked him up. Junior Kyle Vantrease has a little experience, and 6-5, 220-pound Dominic Johnson fills the UB quarterback mold. Neither one is Jackson, but the production won’t fall off the map.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BUFFALO DEFENSE
– The defense that finished third in the MAC allowing 355 yards and 26 points per game took a back seat to the great offense, but it was good enough to allow 17 points or fewer in six games – and went 0-4 when giving up 30 points or more. Five starters are gone including LB Khalil Hodge and three of the top four tacklers, but there’s talent returning.
James Patterson was second on the team with 77 stops, and now he’s the leader of the linebacking corps with 230-pound, 31-tackle Matt Otwinsowski the likely replacement for Hodge on the inside. This group will be okay, but Hodge – he made 143 tackles last season – was a star.
– Leading sacker Chuck Harris is gone from one end spot, but he is backup Taylor Riggins is back after finishing second on the team with five sacks. Getting back junior Chibueze Onwuka at tackle after he got knocked out hurt is a massive plus. His loss led to the emergence of 340-pound Eddie Wilson as part of a promising rotation in the interior.
– The corners are questionable, but the safeties will be a plus. The combination of Tyrone Hill and Joey Banks will partly make up for the inexperience on the outside. Junior Roy Baker is a big option at one corner spot and Aapri Washington saw starting time, but the Bulls have to rely on a few parts to come back healthy and for a few untested prospects to be ready for primetime right away.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP BUFFALO PLAYERS
Best Buffalo Offensive Player
RB Jaret Patterson, Soph.
On a team full of stars for the passing game, the 5-9, 195-pound Patterson made plenty of noise with 1,013 yards and 14 touchdowns – averaging 5.5 yards per carry – and he caught seven passes, too. He’s not big and he won’t bring the power, but combining with Kevin Marks, and with the playmakers gone from the passing attack, he’ll make the UB O go.
2. RB Kevin Marks, Soph.
3. OT Evin Ksiezarczyk, Sr.
4. C/G Jacob Gall, Jr.
5. QB Kyle Vantrease, Jr.
Best Buffalo Defensive Player
LB James Patterson, Jr.
The twin brother of star UB RB Jaret Patterson, the 6-0, 235-pound James has the size and the thump to go along with a bit of his brother’s quickness. A tackling machine, he was second on the team with 77 stops with a sack and nine tackles for loss in his first year. Watch out or him to flirt with the triple-digit mark.
2. S Tyrone Hill, Jr.
3. LB Matt Otwinowski, Sr.
4. DT DeShondrick Foxworth, Sr.
5. CB Aapri Washington, Soph.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Buffalo Offense
Find receivers. The quarterback play will be more than fine with Kyle Vantrease and Dominic Johnson two promising passers who should be able to replace Tyree Jackson. However, the receiving corps lost the top five pass catchers – it would’ve been a killer group of WRs KJ Osborn and Charlie Jones and TE Tyler Mabry didn’t transfer – and have to rely on a whole lot of young players to make the new starting quarterback shine. There’s one game to get ready for the trip at Penn State.
Biggest Key To The Buffalo Defense
The line has to pass protect in key spots. The Bull front five was terrific all year, but it struggled to keep Troy’s defensive front out of the backfield, allowing three sacks in the Dollar General Bowl loss.
UB was dominating the MAC Championship, and then the NIU velociraptors at defensive end attacked, finished with four sacks, and the game changed. With a new starting quarterback and a whole new group of receivers, the veteran O line has to be even stronger.
Key Player To A Successful Season
WR Antonio Nunn, Jr.
To belabor the wide receiver point, the Bulls desperately need someone to turn into a No. 1 target right out of the gate. The 5-11, 200-pound Nunn is the leading returning receiver with 12 catches for 146 yards and a score, but he showed up in the bowl loss to Troy with four grabs. He might not be a volume catcher, but he can stretch the field.
Key Game To The Buffalo Season
Ohio, Oct. 5
There might be some rebuilding to do, but this is still the class of the MAC East going into the season … if it beats the Bobcats. Ohio roasted the Bulls 52-17 last season, but the home team has won every game in the series going back to 2009. It might be midway through the season, but win, and the East should be there for the taking.
– Buffalo Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Buffalo Fun Stats
– 1st Quarter Scoring: Buffalo 144 – Opponents 65
– Sacks: Buffalo 35 for 196 yards – Opponents 15 for 89 yards
– Penalties: Opponents 106 for 1,087 yards – Buffalo 69 for 572 yards
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. BUFFALO WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
The lines are going to be among the best in the MAC, the defensive back seven will grow into a strong group. Even with all the transfers and departures from the passing game parts, and despite the loss of so much linebacker talent, this will still be among the league’s best teams.
It’s not going to be the powerhouse that ripped through most of last year – before gagging away the MAC Championship and losing the bowl game to Troy – but it should be the star of the East, or second-best team behind Ohio.
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 8
There are just enough problem games to keep from winning ten regular season games again, but the team will be just good enough to avoid an ugly drop-off.
The trip to Penn State is the only almost-certain loss. The Temple game is in Amherst, and so are the key MAC showdowns against Ohio and Toledo.
The Bulls won’t be so good that they’ll avoid getting tripped up by a Miami University and/or a an Eastern Michigan on the road, but even if there’s a clunker along the way, shooting for eight wins is just fine, even with all of the big personnel losses.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
