The University at Buffalo football team football started their season on the right hoof as they defeated the Northern Illinois Huskies 49-30.
However, the Bulls will face a much tougher task in the defending MAC Champion Miami (OH) Redhawks. UB and Miami (OH) are the two favorites to win the MAC East as UB was chosen by the media and Miami (OH) by the coaches.
The polls have this matchup as a dead heat and the betting line has continued to move towards this being a close game. UB opened as 12.5-point favorites and that number has shrunk to 7.5.
This contest could very well determine the MAC East Champion as it has the past two seasons. Let’s dive into the matchup:
How to Watch
- The Miami (OH) @ UB game will air on ESPN at 8 PM
- Matt Barrie will be on play-by-play with Mike Golic Jr. as the analyst and Paul Carcaterra as the reporter
- The game will also air locally on ESPN 1520 with Paul Peck and Scott Wilson on the call
- The Lockport Drive-In will also be hosting a watch party for the game. Fans can begin arriving at 6 PM for tailgating. To register follow this link.
UB-Miami (OH) History
Miami (OH) leads the all-time series 15-7 including a 34-20 win last season. The Bulls dominated the Redhawks on the ground last year, but fell victim to four untimely turnovers. UB out-gained Miami (OH) by 133 total yards including a season-high 309 rushing yards.
The teams have generally traded wins over the past few seasons as the home team is 5-1 in their last six matchups.
Getting off on the right hoof
The Bulls started their 2020 season off right with a decisive 49-30 win over NIU. Jaret Patterson led the way with 137 rushing yards and two scores as the defense added three scores of their own.
The defense did not have their best performance overall, but timely plays from Tim Terry, Isaish King, and Kadofi Wright helped UB to the dub. NIU was able to put up 397 total offensive yards against a banged up defense. The Bulls were without the services standout defensive end Taylor Riggins and starting cornerbacks Ali Abbas and Aapri Washington.
While the defensive performance was different, the UB offense picked right up from where they finished the 2019 season. The rushing game led the way as Patterson broke the school-record for career rushing touchdowns with 35 while quarterback Kyle Vantrease made enough plays to keep the defense on their heels.
Vantrease was able to find Antonio Nunn for a nice catch-and-throw on a fade route. Nunn high-pointed the ball to “Moss” the opposing defender en route to a six catch for 102 yard performance.
The offensive line continued their stout play as they did not allow a sack for the fifth-straight game. They also led the way for 179 yards on the ground.
Key Matchup: UB secondary vs Miami passing
UB’s secondary left some cause for concern in Bulls fans’ minds.
The Redhawks came in with a ton of question marks on the offensive side of the ball, but figured things out quickly against the injury riddled Bulls defense. Miami (OH) trailed by just one-score at half.
The Bulls defense made the most of the opportunities that the Redhawks gave them including three touchdowns in less than five minutes during the third quarter. Do not expect these sort of mistakes from a well-coached Miami (OH) team.
The Redhawks’ starting quarterback Brett Gabbert is likely out with a head injury, so it should be AJ Mayer leading the Miami (OH) offense. In relief, Mayer was 16-of-24 for 214 yards with three touchdowns.
Redshirt senior Jack Sorenson leads the Redhawks’ receiving corps. Sorenson had 7 grabs for 139 yards which was good for 19.9 yards per catch. In 2019, Sorenson had 44 grabs for 568 yards and was named Offensive Player of the Game in the 2019 MAC Championship.
Another guy to watch is redshirt freshman tight end Jack Coldiron. The 6′ 5″ tight end only saw action in one game in 2019, but already has two touchdowns this year. It is likely that Coldiron will get another good look against the Bulls with starting tight end Andrew Homer still out with injury.
The Bulls will not get Washington back and Abbas’ status is still questionable. Miami (OH)’s passing game should be more refined than NIU’s and the Bulls got gashed a few times. Isaish King, Roy Baker and company will need to cut down on those plays or the game could turn into a shootout.
Tone Money
There’s not much to say about the above Antonio Nunn touchdown except “YOU GOT MOSSEDDD!!”
The 5′ 11″ senior from Tampa made a name for himself with some highlight reel catches in 2019. Nunn finished the season with 49 snags for 687 yards and six touchdowns. His 49 receptions were good for 32% of the Bulls’ catches and Nunn caught 43% of the Bulls’ passing touchdowns.
It is very easy to see the influence in Nunn’s game from former Bulls receiver Anthony Johnson whose #1 receiver shoes Nunn now fills.
Nunn uses his speed and dynamic footwork to generate separation from defensive backs. Then Nunn times his jumps perfectly to high-point the ball which gives him the greatest chance of coming down with the catch.
If Nunn continues to perform the way he did in the Bulls’ first game, then he allows Kyle Vantrease to relax a bit more knowing he can have full confidence in Nunn. It should allow for some other guys to get involved, but like a true #1, Nunn craves the ball as he should.
Next Runner Up
The loser of this matchup has finished as the MAC East runner-up in each of the past two seasons, but this is about Miami (OH)’s backfield.
Miami (OH) will be without their dynamic running back duo in Tyre Shelton and Jaylon Bester. Paired with a very solid offensive line, the two backs were supposed to give Patterson and Marks a run for their money.
However, it will be Davion Johnson who will lead the Redhawks’ running back group. Johnson averaged 5.3 yards per carry in Miami (OH)’s opener leading the way with 11 carries.
Expect to see a decent dose of former walk-on Zach Kahn as well. Kahn featured as their red zone back with two short-yardage touchdowns.
Miami (OH) leaned on the pass a bit against Ball State, but after the Bulls struggled to stop the run, could the Redhawks look to attack UB on the ground?
Bold Predictions
Antonio Nunn wins the MAC East Offensive Player of the Week after a standout performance on ESPN.
Nunn has all the tools to just dominate a game at the receiver position and if the Redhawks try keying into the rising game, then there will be favorable matchups for Nunn. If the one-on-one looks are there, then Vantrease should take them because Nunn has proven his ability to win in those situations.
Miami (OH) gave up 309 passing yards to a Ball State passing game that does not really scare anyone. This is the perfect time for Nunn to come out and put up north of 150 yards and two touchdowns.
Betting Lines & Trends
- UB -7.5
- Over/Under 56.5
- The over is 6-1 in the last seven H2H’s
- The over is also 6-1 in UB’s last seven games
- Miami (OH) is 6-1 ATS in their last seven games as underdogs and are 15-4 ATS in their last 19 MAC games
- The under is 6-0 in Miami (OH)’s last six games following an ATS win
- The favorite has covered in nine of their last 11 meetings
- The home team is 5-1 in their last six meetings
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