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2014 Buffalo

5–⁠6 (3–⁠4 Mid-American Conference), coached by Jeff Quinn, then Alex Wood (interim, final 4 games).

Schedule and results

Buffalo in 2014, game by game: won vs. Duquesne 38–28; lost at Army 39–47; lost vs. No. 8 Baylor 21–63; won vs. Norfolk State 36–7; won vs. Miami (OH) 35–27; lost at Bowling Green 35–36; lost at Eastern Michigan 27–37; lost vs. Central Michigan 14–20; lost at Ohio 14–37; won vs. Akron 55–24; won at Massachusetts 41–21+31−42Won 38–28 vs. Duquesne+10DuquesneLost 39–47 at Army-8ArmyLost 21–63 vs. No. 8 Baylor-42No. 8 BaylorWon 36–7 vs. Norfolk State+29Norfolk StateWon 35–27 vs. Miami (OH)+8Miami (OH)Lost 35–36 at Bowling Green-1Bowling GreenLost 27–37 at Eastern Michigan-10Eastern MichiganLost 14–20 vs. Central Michigan-6Central MichiganLost 14–37 at Ohio-23OhioWon 55–24 vs. Akron+31AkronWon 41–21 at Massachusetts+20Massachusetts
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Aug 30vsDuquesneW 38–⁠2877%
Sep 6atArmyL 39–⁠4762%
Sep 12vs8BaylorL 21–⁠6330%
Sep 20vsNorfolk StateW 36–⁠786%
Sep 27vsMiami (OH)W 35–⁠2781%
Oct 4atBowling GreenL 35–⁠3630%
Oct 11atEastern MichiganL 27–⁠3766%
Oct 25vsCentral MichiganL 14–⁠2051%
Nov 5atOhioL 14–⁠3744%
Nov 11vsAkronW 55–⁠2456%
Nov 28atMassachusettsW 41–⁠2153%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat Massachusetts 41–⁠21; unranked in the final AP poll; 8th in the Mid-American Conference.

In program history: The 17th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 54 on file).

Record
5–⁠6
Conference
3–⁠4 8th in Mid-American Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
355–⁠347
Coach
Jeff Quinn, then Alex Wood (interim, final 4 games)
Elo
1436 −49 this season
SP+ rating
-7.7 No. 95 of 128; offense No. 75, defense No. 100, special teams No. 109
SRS
−12.0 No. 109 of 128 in FBS
Returning
54% of last season’s EPA, No. 79 of 125
Recruiting class
No. 100
Offensive coordinator
Alex Wood
Defensive coordinator
Lou Tepper
Captains
Andre Davis, Joe Licata, Cortney Lester, Adam Redden, Trevor Sales and Lee Skinner
Offense
Multiple
Defense
3–⁠4

How good, play by play

  • Offense28th of 128
  • Defense105th of 128
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted49th of 128
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted120th of 128
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.2244%1.3528th of 128
Defense0.2342%1.44105th of 128
Opponent-adjusted0.18 off
0.25 def		41% off
44% def		—49th off
120th def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense3.9own 322% allowed
Defense4.1own 311% caused

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsJoe Licata QB2,647 yds
Passing touchdownsJoe Licata QB29 TD
Rushing yardsAnthone Taylor RB1,403 yds
Rushing touchdownsAnthone Taylor RB12 TD
Receiving yardsRon Willoughby WR771 yds
Receiving touchdownsRon Willoughby WR9 TD
InterceptionsBoise Ross CB1 INT

Top recruits in the 2014 class

Corey Henderson ILB★★★No. 1598
Chris Merchant PRO★★★No. 1704
Nolan Jackson-Daniel WR★★★No. 1770
Terrance Wilson CB★★No. 2211
Andy Fidler OT★★No. 2259

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2014 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks22.50.791
Receivers22.50.774
Offensive line42.00.767
Defensive line32.00.763
Linebackers22.50.783
Defensive backs52.00.765
Athletes and specialists12.00.767
Whole class192.20.771

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Drafted in 2015

The 2015 draft
Rd 6Kristjan Sokoli DESeattle Seahawks

Roster 108

The 2014 roster

108 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2014 line; 24 have a stat line. See the roster

2014 Mid-American Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Northern Illinois7–⁠111–⁠3
Toledo7–⁠19–⁠4
Western Michigan6–⁠28–⁠5
Bowling Green5–⁠38–⁠6
Central Michigan5–⁠37–⁠6
Ohio4–⁠46–⁠6
Ball State4–⁠45–⁠7
Buffalo3–⁠45–⁠6
Akron3–⁠55–⁠7
Massachusetts3–⁠53–⁠9
Miami (OH)2–⁠62–⁠10
Kent State1–⁠62–⁠9
Eastern Michigan1–⁠72–⁠10

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.