Ohio's (6-3, 3-2 Mid-American Conference) loss against Miami may have put a damper on some of the team's preseason goals, but Ohio could salvage its year with three straight wins to end the season to get to 9-3. To do so, the Bobcats will need to handle a road test against an opponent that has excelled since the beginning of MAC play in Buffalo (3-6, 3-2 MAC).
Head Coach
At just 39 years old, Maurice Linguist is one of the MAC's youngest coaches. Linguist spent a couple of seasons with the Bulls in 2012-13 as the team's DB coach. Linguist then bounced around several locations under a similar title, including being the cornerback coach at Texas A+M and the DB's coach at the Dallas Cowboys. Linguist was named Buffalo's head coach in 2021 and had a seven-win season as the leader of the team in 2022.
Quarterback
Cole Snyder a graduate senior, leads the Bulls' offense as the team's Quarterback. Snyder had an incredible start to the season against Wisconsin, Fordham and Liberty. Since, however, Snyder has thrown for just four touchdown passes against six interceptions. In his most recent game against Toledo, Snyder completed less than 40% of his passes and threw for 151 yards.
Running back
Ron Cook Jr. is Buffalo's leading running back this season, and although Cook hasn't broken the 100-yard rushing mark in any single game this season, he had his best game most recently against Toledo. In the Toledo game, Cook ran for 97 yards while receiving 35 yards. In total, Cook accounted for 132 of Buffalo's 324 yards against Toledo. Mike Washington Jr. is another solid running back for the Bulls who has run for 320 yards on 80 carries this season.
Receiver
Buffalo's receiver room is one of the deeper receiver cores in the conference. The Bulls have four receivers with over 200 yards on the season including Marlyn Johnson, Darrell Harding Jr., Cole Harrity and Boobie Curry. Johnson leads the team with 322 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. Harding Jr. has gone for 310 receiving yards with three touchdowns. What makes the Bulls' receiver room unique is its height. Three of the Bulls' top four receivers stand at 6'2 or taller, with Johnson and Harding Jr. measuring in at 6'4.
Defense
Devin Grant is Buffalo's leading playmaker on defense. Grant's five interceptions so far this season lead the conference. The 6'4 sophomore safety also ranks second on the team in tackles. Graduate Senior defensive end Max Michel has also led the Bulls with four sacks and four forced fumbles.
