2020 Buffalo
6–1 (5–0 Mid-American Conference), coached by Lance Leipold, finished No. 25 in the AP poll. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Akron 56–7Dec 12
By 49 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Northern Illinois 49–30Nov 4
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 4 | at Northern Illinois | W 49–30 | 59% |
| Nov 10 | vs Miami (OH) | W 42–10 | 67% |
| Nov 17 | at Bowling Green | W 42–17 | 79% |
| Nov 28 | vs Kent State | W 70–41 | 70% |
| Dec 12 | vs Akron | W 56–7 | 92% |
| Dec 18 | vs Ball StateMid-American Championship Game | L 28–38 | 64% |
| Dec 25Bowls & playoff | vs MarshallCamellia Bowl | W 17–10 | 55% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Marshall 17–10 in the Camellia Bowl; No. 25 in the final AP poll; first in the Mid-American Conference.
In program history: The best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 54 on file).
AP poll, week by week
- Wk 15: 24
- Wk 16: 23
- Final: 25
MAC East champions5–0 in the conference
Led the nationJaret Patterson: points per game (19.0)
- Record
- 6–1
- Conference
- 5–0 first in Mid-American Conference
- AP final
- No. 25 peak No. 23
- Points
- 304–153
- Coach
- Lance Leipold
- Elo
- 1622 +69 this season
- SP+ rating
- 1.4 No. 61 of 130; offense No. 79, defense No. 47
- Returning
- 100% of last season’s EPA, No. 3 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 130 roster talent No. 119 in FBS
- Offensive coordinators
- Andy Kotelnicki and Jim Zebrowski
- Defensive coordinators
- Brian Borland and Chris Simpson
- Captains
- Kayode Awosika, Jake Molinich, James Patterson, Jaret Patterson and Taylor Riggins
- Offense
- Multiple pro-style
- Defense
- 4–3
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 0.33 | 48% | 1.35 | 5th of 127 |
| Defense | 0.04 | 40% | 1.16 | 37th of 127 |
| Opponent-adjusted | 0.24 off 0.07 def | 46% off 41% def | — | 12th off 45th 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 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 4.8 | own 30 | 9% allowed |
| Defense | 3.1 | own 28 | 16% caused |
CORE rating 16.8, 9th of 127 (offense 13.3, 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 yards | Kyle Vantrease QB | 1,323 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Kyle Vantrease QB | 7 TD |
| Rushing yards | Jaret Patterson RB | 1,072 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Jaret Patterson RB | 19 TD |
| Receiving yards | Antonio Nunn WR | 579 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Trevor Wilson WR | 3 TD |
| Tackles | James Patterson LB | 63 tkl |
| Sacks | Malcolm Koonce DE | 5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Cory Gross Jr. CB | 1 INT |
Top recruits in the 2020 class
| George Wolo DT | ★★★ | No. 1368 |
| Bryce Johnson-Maith WDE | ★★★ | No. 1735 |
| Jalen McNair S | ★★★ | No. 2243 |
| Casey Case DUAL | ★★★ | No. 2243 |
| Kolbe Burrell RB | ★★★ | No. 2382 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2020 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.819 |
| Running backs | 2 | 2.5 | 0.797 |
| Receivers | 1 | 2.0 | 0.786 |
| Offensive line | 4 | 2.5 | 0.793 |
| Defensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.830 |
| Defensive backs | 3 | 2.7 | 0.800 |
| Whole class | 14 | 2.6 | 0.804 |
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 2021
The 2021 draft| Rd 3 | Malcolm Koonce OLB | Las Vegas Raiders |
Roster 144
The 2020 roster144 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2020 line; 58 have a stat line. See the roster
2020 Mid-American Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 Buffalo | 5–0 | 6–1 | 25 |
| Ball State | 5–1 | 7–1 | 23 |
| Kent State | 3–1 | 3–1 | |
 Toledo | 4–2 | 4–2 | |
 Western Michigan | 4–2 | 4–2 | |
 Ohio | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
| Miami (OH) | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
 Central Michigan | 3–3 | 3–3 | |
 Eastern Michigan | 2–4 | 2–4 | |
| Akron | 1–5 | 1–5 | |
| Northern Illinois | 0–6 | 0–6 | |
| Bowling Green | 0–5 | 0–5 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.