2025 Buffalo
5–7 (4–4 Mid-American Conference), coached by Pete Lembo. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Saint Francis 45–6Sep 6
By 39 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingBeat Eastern Michigan 31–30Oct 4
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28 | at Minnesota | L 10–23 | 34% |
| Sep 6 | vsSaint Francis | W 45–6 | 86% |
| Sep 13 | at Kent State | W 31–28 | 72% |
| Sep 20 | vs Troy | L 17–21 | 63% |
| Sep 27 | vs UConn | L 17–20 | 57% |
| Oct 4 | vs Eastern Michigan | W 31–30 | 74% |
| Oct 18 | at Massachusetts | W 28–21 | 76% |
| Oct 25 | vs Akron | L 16–24 | 77% |
| Nov 1 | at Bowling Green | W 28–3 | 46% |
| Nov 12 | at Central Michigan | L 19–38 | 50% |
| Nov 19 | vs Miami (OH) | L 20–37 | 49% |
| Nov 28 | vs Ohio | L 26–31 | 35% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Ohio 31–26; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 6th in the Mid-American Conference.
In program history: The 19th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 54 on file).
- Record
- 5–7
- Conference
- 4–4 tied for 6th in Mid-American Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 288–282
- Coach
- Pete Lembo
- Elo
- 1423 −98 this season
- SP+ rating
- -7.5 No. 95 of 136; offense No. 118, defense No. 70, special teams No. 12
- SRS
- −14.2 No. 119 of 136 in FBS
- Returning
- 66% of last season’s EPA, No. 17 of 134
- Recruiting class
- No. 92 roster talent No. 112 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Dave Patenaude
- Defensive coordinator
- Joe Bowen
- Offense
- Pro spread
- Defense
- Multiple
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | -0.02 | 38% | 1.19 | 114th of 136 |
| Defense | 0.05 | 40% | 1.26 | 43rd of 136 |
| Opponent-adjusted | -0.06 off 0.12 def | 34% off 44% def | — | 131st off 83rd def |
Passing and running
| Pass success | Depth of target | Deep throws | Line yards | Stuffed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 40% | 10.6 yds | 17% | 2.90 | 16% |
| Defense | 42% | 10.6 yds | 17% | 3.20 | 14% |
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. Passing and running: depth of target is how far downfield passes traveled in the air; deep throws are the share thrown deep, of the passes whose depth and direction the play-by-play describes (about half); line yards are the running yards per carry credited to the blockers; stuffed is the share of carries stopped at or behind the line. The defense’s line is what its opponents did. From CollegeFootballData.com, 2025 on.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 3.5 | own 30 | 16% allowed |
| Defense | 3.1 | own 29 | 15% caused |
CORE rating -17.6, 122nd of 136 (offense -16.1, defense 1.5).
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 | Ta’Quan Roberson QB | 2,520 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Ta’Quan Roberson QB | 17 TD |
| Rushing yards | Al-Jay Henderson RB | 755 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Al-Jay Henderson RB | 6 TD |
| Receiving yards | Nik McMillan WR | 975 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Victor Snow WR | 8 TD |
| Tackles | Khalil Murdock LB | 142 tkl |
| Sacks | Khalil Murdock LB | 5 sacks |
| Interceptions | Jalen McNair S | 2 INT |
Top recruits in the 2025 class
| Phillip Folmar WR | ★★★ | No. 1503 |
| Alvin Jones III WR | ★★★ | No. 1540 |
| Thomas Barr OL | ★★★ | No. 1881 |
| Dwayne Early Jr. WR | ★★★ | No. 1929 |
| Jackson Small CB | ★★★ | No. 1960 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2025 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 3.0 | 0.845 |
| Running backs | 1 | 3.0 | 0.830 |
| Receivers | 4 | 3.0 | 0.847 |
| Offensive line | 3 | 3.0 | 0.840 |
| Defensive line | 2 | 3.0 | 0.837 |
| Linebackers | 2 | 3.0 | 0.843 |
| Defensive backs | 3 | 3.0 | 0.835 |
| Whole class | 16 | 3.0 | 0.840 |
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 2026
The 2026 draft| Rd 7 | Red Murdock LB | Denver Broncos |
Roster 114
The 2025 roster114 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2025 line; 51 have a stat line. See the roster
Transfers in 8
The 2025 portal
Transfers out 10
 Matt Pajuste OL | ★★★ | to  Kent State |
| Upton Bellenfant K | ★★★ | to  Texas Tech |
| Ja’Mori Coard DL | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Jayden Oliver CB | ★★★ | to  South Dakota State |
| Pershaun Fann LB | ★★★ | no new school on file |
| Jack Shields QB | ★★ | to Albany |
| Javien Cuff WR | ★★ | to Texas–Rio Grande Valley |
| Byron Floyd LS | to  Youngstown State | |
| C.J. Ogbonna QB | no new school on file | |
| Kobe Stewart DE | returned to  Buffalo |
2025 Mid-American Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
 Western Michigan | 7–1 | 10–4 | |
| Ohio | 6–2 | 9–4 | |
 Toledo | 6–2 | 8–5 | |
| Miami (OH) | 6–2 | 7–7 | |
| Central Michigan | 5–3 | 7–6 | |
| Kent State | 4–4 | 5–7 | |
| Akron | 4–4 | 5–7 | |
| Buffalo | 4–4 | 5–7 | |
| Eastern Michigan | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
 Ball State | 3–5 | 4–8 | |
| Bowling Green | 2–6 | 4–8 | |
 Northern Illinois | 2–6 | 3–9 | |
| Massachusetts | 0–8 | 0–12 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.