CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2018 Buffalo

10–⁠4 (7–⁠1 Mid-American Conference), coached by Lance Leipold.

Schedule and results

Buffalo in 2018, game by game: won vs. Delaware State 48–10; won at Temple 36–29; won vs. Eastern Michigan 35–28; won at Rutgers 42–13; lost vs. Army 13–42; won at Central Michigan 34–24; won vs. Akron 24–6; won at Toledo 31–17; won vs. Miami (OH) 51–42; won vs. Kent State 48–14; lost at Ohio 17–52; won at Bowling Green 44–14; lost vs. Northern Illinois 29–30; lost vs. Troy 32–42+38−35Won 48–10 vs. Delaware State+38Delaware StateWon 36–29 at Temple+7TempleWon 35–28 vs. Eastern Michigan+7Eastern MichiganWon 42–13 at Rutgers+29RutgersLost 13–42 vs. Army-29ArmyWon 34–24 at Central Michigan+10Central MichiganWon 24–6 vs. Akron+18AkronWon 31–17 at Toledo+14ToledoWon 51–42 vs. Miami (OH)+9Miami (OH)Won 48–14 vs. Kent State+34Kent StateLost 17–52 at Ohio-35OhioWon 44–14 at Bowling Green+30Bowling GreenLost 29–30 vs. Northern Illinois-1Northern Illino…Lost 32–42 vs. Troy-10Troy
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 1vsDelaware StateW 48–⁠1090%
Sep 8atTempleW 36–⁠2935%
Sep 15vsEastern MichiganW 35–⁠2861%
Sep 22atRutgersW 42–⁠1361%
Sep 29vsArmyL 13–⁠4256%
Oct 6atCentral MichiganW 34–⁠2455%
Oct 13vsAkronW 24–⁠671%
Oct 20atToledoW 31–⁠1743%
Oct 30vsMiami (OH)W 51–⁠4272%
Nov 6vsKent StateW 48–⁠1487%
Nov 14atOhioL 17–⁠5246%
Nov 23atBowling GreenW 44–⁠1473%
Nov 30vsNorthern IllinoisMid-American Championship GameL 29–⁠3059%
Dec 22Bowls & playoffvsTroyDollar General BowlL 32–⁠4244%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Troy 42–⁠32 in the Dollar General Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; first in the Mid-American Conference.

In program history: The 3rd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 54 on file).

MAC East champions7–⁠1 in the conference

Record
10–⁠4
Conference
7–⁠1 first in Mid-American Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
484–⁠363
Coach
Lance Leipold
Elo
1547 +81 this season
SP+ rating
-1.1 No. 82 of 130; offense No. 47, defense No. 82, special teams No. 126
SRS
−0.4 No. 72 of 130 in FBS
Returning
74% of last season’s EPA, No. 47 of 130
Recruiting class
No. 136 roster talent No. 106 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Andy Kotelnicki
Defensive coordinator
Brian Borland
Captains
Khalil Hodge and James O’Hagan
Offense
Multiple pro-style
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense45th of 130
  • Defense66th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted52nd of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted95th of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.1344%1.2445th of 130
Defense0.1141%1.2466th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.12 off
0.14 def		43% off
43% def		—52nd off
95th 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
Offense4.2own 3213% allowed
Defense3.5own 3016% caused

CORE rating -1.5, 78th of 130 (offense 1.9, defense 3.5).

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. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsTyree Jackson QB3,131 yds
Passing touchdownsTyree Jackson QB28 TD
Rushing yardsJaret Patterson RB1,013 yds
Rushing touchdownsJaret Patterson RB14 TD
Receiving yardsAnthony Johnson WR1,011 yds
Receiving touchdownsAnthony Johnson WR11 TD
TacklesKhalil Hodge LB132 tkl
SacksCharles Harris DE6.5 sacks
InterceptionsBrandon Williams CB3 INT

Top recruits in the 2018 class

Eddie Wilson DT★★★No. 2107
Dylan McDuffie RB★★★No. 2163
Cory Gross CB★★★No. 2296
LeMaro Smith WR★★No. 2681
Dan Fedor OT★★No. 2700

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

The 2018 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks12.00.780
Running backs13.00.805
Receivers32.00.768
Offensive line22.00.772
Defensive line13.00.806
Linebackers12.00.780
Defensive backs13.00.800
Whole class102.30.782

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 110

The 2018 roster

110 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2018 line; 68 have a stat line. See the roster

2018 Mid-American Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Buffalo7–⁠110–⁠4
Ohio6–⁠29–⁠4
Northern Illinois6–⁠28–⁠6
Miami (OH)6–⁠26–⁠6
Toledo5–⁠37–⁠6
Western Michigan5–⁠37–⁠6
Eastern Michigan5–⁠37–⁠6
Ball State3–⁠54–⁠8
Akron2–⁠64–⁠8
Bowling Green2–⁠63–⁠9
Kent State1–⁠72–⁠10
Central Michigan0–⁠81–⁠11

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