CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2015 Buffalo

5–⁠7 (3–⁠5 Mid-American Conference), coached by Lance Leipold.

Schedule and results

Buffalo in 2015, game by game: won vs. UAlbany 51–14; lost at Penn State 14–27; won at Florida Atlantic 33–15; lost vs. Nevada 21–24; lost vs. Bowling Green 22–28; lost at Central Michigan 14–51; won vs. Ohio 41–17; won at Miami (OH) 29–24; won at Kent State 18–17; lost vs. Northern Illinois 30–41; lost at Akron 21–42; lost vs. Massachusetts 26–31+37−37Won 51–14 vs. UAlbany+37UAlbanyLost 14–27 at Penn State-13Penn StateWon 33–15 at Florida Atlantic+18Florida AtlanticLost 21–24 vs. Nevada-3NevadaLost 22–28 vs. Bowling Green-6Bowling GreenLost 14–51 at Central Michigan-37Central MichiganWon 41–17 vs. Ohio+24OhioWon 29–24 at Miami (OH)+5Miami (OH)Won 18–17 at Kent State+1Kent StateLost 30–41 vs. Northern Illinois-11Northern Illino…Lost 21–42 at Akron-21AkronLost 26–31 vs. Massachusetts-5Massachusetts
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 5vsUAlbanyW 51–⁠1476%
Sep 12atPenn StateL 14–⁠2739%
Sep 19atFlorida AtlanticW 33–⁠1553%
Sep 26vsNevadaL 21–⁠2461%
Oct 3vsBowling GreenL 22–⁠2850%
Oct 17atCentral MichiganL 14–⁠5138%
Oct 24vsOhioW 41–⁠1749%
Oct 29atMiami (OH)W 29–⁠2468%
Nov 5atKent StateW 18–⁠1757%
Nov 11vsNorthern IllinoisL 30–⁠4138%
Nov 21atAkronL 21–⁠4244%
Nov 27vsMassachusettsL 26–⁠3176%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Massachusetts 31–⁠26; unranked in the final AP poll; 8th in the Mid-American Conference.

In program history: The 22nd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 54 on file).

Record
5–⁠7
Conference
3–⁠5 8th in Mid-American Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
320–⁠331
Coach
Lance Leipold
Elo
1392 −65 this season
SP+ rating
-10.3 No. 103 of 128; offense No. 100, defense No. 95, special teams No. 121
SRS
−8.7 No. 96 of 128 in FBS
Returning
95% of last season’s EPA, No. 7 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 118 roster talent No. 118 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Andy Kotelnicki
Defensive coordinator
Brian Borland
Captains
Okezie Alozie and Joe Licata
Offense
Multiple pro-style
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense89th of 128
  • Defense39th of 128
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted85th of 128
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted61st of 128
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0442%1.1189th of 128
Defense0.0444%1.2139th of 128
Opponent-adjusted0.06 off
0.08 def		41% off
46% def		—85th off
61st 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
Offense3.3own 293% allowed
Defense3.2own 312% 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 QB2,969 yds
Passing touchdownsJoe Licata QB16 TD
Rushing yardsAnthone Taylor RB829 yds
Rushing touchdownsJordan Johnson RB12 TD
Receiving yardsRon Willoughby WR813 yds
Receiving touchdownsRon Willoughby WR6 TD
InterceptionsAndrews Dadeboe S2 INT

Top recruits in the 2015 class

Tyree Jackson DUAL★★★No. 1567
Cameron Lewis WR★★★No. 1964
Jeremiah Dadeboe S★★★No. 1993
Matt Seybert TE★★No. 2260
K.J. Osborn WR★★No. 2424

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

The 2015 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.825
Running backs12.00.764
Receivers62.20.782
Offensive line22.00.763
Defensive line32.00.748
Defensive backs32.30.777
Whole class162.20.774

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.

Roster 120

The 2015 roster

120 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2015 line; 29 have a stat line. See the roster

2015 Mid-American Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Bowling Green7–⁠110–⁠4
Toledo6–⁠210–⁠2
Western Michigan6–⁠28–⁠5
Northern Illinois6–⁠28–⁠6
Central Michigan6–⁠27–⁠6
Akron5–⁠38–⁠5
Ohio5–⁠38–⁠5
Buffalo3–⁠55–⁠7
Ball State2–⁠63–⁠9
Miami (OH)2–⁠63–⁠9
Kent State2–⁠63–⁠9
Massachusetts2–⁠63–⁠9
Eastern Michigan0–⁠81–⁠11

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