The 2020 Buffalo Bulls football team represented the University at Buffalo in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulls were led by sixth-year head coach Lance Leipold and played their home games at the University at Buffalo Stadium as members of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference. In a limited season, which was initially canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic before being reinstated, the Bulls finished the season 6–1, 5–0 in MAC play to win the East Division. They lost to Ball State in the MAC Championship. They received an invite to the Camellia Bowl where they defeated Marshall.
| 2020 Buffalo Bulls football | |
|---|---|
Camellia Bowl champion MAC East Division champion | |
MAC Championship Game, L 28–38 vs. Ball State | |
Camellia Bowl, W 17–10 vs. Marshall | |
| Conference | Mid-American Conference |
| East Division | |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 25 |
| AP | No. 25 |
| Record | 6–1 (5–0 MAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Andy Kotelnicki (6th season) |
| Co-offensive coordinator | Jim Zebrowski (4th season) |
| Offensive scheme | Multiple pro-style |
| Defensive coordinator | Brian Borland (6th season) |
| Co-defensive coordinator | Chris Simpson (1st season) |
| Base defense | 4–3 |
| Home stadium | University at Buffalo Stadium |
Uniform | |
 | |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| East Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 25 Buffalo xy | 5 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kent State | 3 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ohio | 2 | – | 1 | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Miami (OH) | 2 | – | 1 | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Akron | 1 | – | 5 | 1 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling Green | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| West Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 23 Ball State xy$ | 5 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Michigan | 4 | – | 2 | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Toledo | 4 | – | 2 | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Central Michigan | 3 | – | 3 | 3 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Michigan | 2 | – | 4 | 2 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northern Illinois | 0 | – | 6 | 0 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Ball State 38, Buffalo 28 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rankings from AP Poll.
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Following the season, Leipold left the team to coach at Kansas on April 30, 2021.[2] A few days later, the school named Michigan co-defensive coordinator Maurice Linguist the team's new head coach.[3]
Preseason
editAward watch lists
editListed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chuck Bednarik Award[4] | Taylor Riggins | DE | SR |
| Doak Walker Award[5] | Kevin Marks Jr. | RB | JR |
| Jaret Patterson | RB | JR | |
| Jim Thorpe Award[6] | Tyrone Hill | S | SR |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy[7] | Malcolm Koonce | DE | SR |
| Taylor Riggins | DE | SR | |
| Outland Trophy[8] | Kayode Awosika | OL | SR |
| Wuerffel Trophy[9] | Max Michel | DE | SO |
| Maxwell Award[10] | Jaret Patterson | RB | JR |
| East Division | ||
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio | 144 (24) |
| 2 | Miami | 107 |
| 3 | Buffalo | 100 |
| 4 | Kent State | 62 |
| 5 | Akron | 54 |
| 6 | Bowling Green | 37 |
Season recap
editThe Bulls played their first game of 2020 against Northern Illinois in Dekalb, Illinois, on November 4 after a delayed start to the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jaret Patterson ran for 137 yards including for two touchdowns. Quarterback Kyle Vantrease recorded his first two touchdowns of the season with a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown to Antonio Nunn. The Buffalo defense scored 3 touchdowns on their own with 2 fumble recoveries returned for touchdowns by Tim Terry Jr. and Isaiah King and an interception returned for a touchdown by Kadofi Wright en route to the Bulls 49–30 win.[11]
The Bulls home opener at UB Stadium occurred six days later against the Miami Redhawks. Kevin Marks Jr. ran for 109 yards compared to Jaret Patterson's 73, but with Patterson rushing for 2 touchdowns. Kyle Vantrease completed 4 touchdown passes as Buffalo defeated Miami 42–10. Buffalo received 1 vote in week 12's AP Poll, their first vote received in the poll of the season.[12]
A week later Buffalo went back on the road traveling to Doyt L. Perry Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio, to take on the Bowling Green Falcons. Jaret Patterson erupted for 301 yards while scoring 4 touchdowns on 31 carries with fellow Buffalo running back Kevin Marks Jr. and quarterback Kyle Vantrease also recording a rushing touchdown each in Buffalo's 42–17 win in Bowling Green. Buffalo received 3 votes in week 13's AP Poll.[13]
The Bulls played their first Saturday game of the season on November 28 against Kent State at UB Stadium. Jaret Patterson rushed for over 400 yards, coming within striking distance of breaking the FBS record for most yards rushed for in a game. He scored 8 touchdowns which tied the record for most FBS touchdowns by one player in a single game. Patterson's massive performance was done on only 36 carries throughout the game, with teammate Kevin Marks Jr. also getting 16 carries and recording 2 rushing touchdowns on his own. Patterson's impressive performance against Kent State earned him national attention and calls for him to be added to the watchlist for the Heisman Trophy. Buffalo defeated Kent State 70–41 and received 56 votes in week 14's AP Poll, coming within striking distance of a national ranking.[14]
The following week, Buffalo was slated to play the Ohio Bobcats, but because of a COVID-19 outbreak on the Ohio football team, the game was canceled. Nevertheless, Buffalo increased their share of the vote in the AP Poll to 145, good for a No. 24 ranking in the poll. This was the first national ranking in Buffalo football program history.[15]
Buffalo finished off their regular season on December 12 against Akron at UB Stadium. Jaret Patterson was sparsely used against Akron, receiving the entire second half of the game off. Patterson and Marks Jr. each recorded 2 rushing touchdowns each as Buffalo defeated Akron 56–7 and finished the regular season undefeated at 5–0. The Bulls once again increased their share of the vote in the AP Poll up to 186, good to jump up a position in the poll to No. 23.[16]
Roster
edit| 2020 Buffalo Bulls football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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Roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Schedule
editBuffalo originally had a game scheduled against Ohio State, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[17] Buffalo played a regular season consisting of games against MAC teams only.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 4 | 7:00 p.m. | at Northern Illinois | ESPN2 | W 49–30 | 449 | |||
| November 10 | 8:00 p.m. | Miami (OH) | ESPN | W 42–10 | 0 | |||
| November 17 | 7:00 p.m. | at Bowling Green | CBSSN | W 42–17 | 1,500 | |||
| November 28 | 12:00 p.m. | Kent State |
| CBSSN | W 70–41 | |||
| December 5 | 3:30 p.m. | at Ohio | CBSSN | No contest | [18] | |||
| December 12 | 2:30 p.m. | Akron | No. 24 |
| CBSSN | W 56–7 | ||
| December 18 | 7:30 p.m. | vs. Ball State | No. 23 | ESPN | L 28–38 | 0 | ||
| December 25 | 2:30 p.m. | vs. Marshall* | ESPN | W 17–10 | 2,512 | |||
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Rankings
editIn week 12, Buffalo received votes in the AP Poll for the first time since the 2018 season. They were nationally ranked for the first time in program history when the week 15 poll was released, ranked at No.24 in the AP Poll. The following week they were raised to No. 23.
| Week | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | 24 | 23 | RV | 25 |
| Coaches | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | 25 |
| CFP | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | Not released | |||||||||||
After the season
editNFL draft
editThe following Bull was selected in the National Football League draft following the season.[20]
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 79 | Malcolm Koonce | Defensive end | Las Vegas Raiders |
References
edit- ^ Wells, Adam (September 25, 2020). "MAC Approves 6-Game College Football Schedule Beginning November 4". Bleacher Report. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ "Kansas hires Buffalo's Leipold to replace Miles". ESPN.com. April 30, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ "Buffalo hires Michigan co-defensive coordinator Maurice Linguist as coach to replace Lance Leipold". CBSSports.com. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ "2020 Chuck Bednarik Award Watch List". July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- ^ "2019 finalist Chuba Hubbard, 2018 finalist Travis Etienne two of the 76 Doak Walker Award watch listers". July 15, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- ^ "The Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame and Jim Thorpe Association are proud to reveal The Paycom Jim Thorpe Award 2020 Preseason Watch List". July 20, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- ^ "2020 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List Unveiled". July 21, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- ^ "2020 Outland Trophy Watch List Unveiled". July 21, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- ^ "The Wuerffel Trophy 2020 Watch List (Non AP)". July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- ^ "2020 Maxwell Award Watch List". July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
- ^ "Bulls vs Huskies". November 4, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
- ^ "Bulls vs Redhawks". November 10, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
- ^ "Bulls vs Falcons". November 17, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
- ^ "Bulls vs Golden Flashes". November 28, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
- ^ "Bulls vs Bobcats". December 5, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
- ^ "Bulls vs Zips". December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
- ^ Myerberg, Paul. "Big Ten football reduces season schedule to only conference games, maybe setting stage for others to follow". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ "UB at Ohio football game canceled; game declared a no contest". December 4, 2020.
- ^ "2020 Buffalo Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ "2017 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 31, 2023.