Ohio (4-3, 2-1 Mid-American Conference) is quickly approaching its biggest game of the year to date. Coming off a loss against rival Miami, Ohio is looking to get back on track against one of the better teams in the MAC, Buffalo (4-3, 2-1 MAC).
Against the Bulls, the Bobcats need to overcome one of the conference's best linebackers and a dual-threat quarterback.
After three straight weeks on the road, Ohio will finally be back on its home turf. During his weekly press conference, Ohio coach Tim Albin expressed his excitement for being back at Peden Stadium at Frank Solich Field.
Here is all you need to know about Buffalo before Saturday:
Head coach
Pete Lembo is the newest head coach in the MAC after being hired in late January.
Despite being new to Buffalo, Lembo entered his new position with 30 years of coaching experience at Lehigh, Elon and Ball State. At the FCS level, Lembo amassed an impressive record of 79-36 as a head coach with two different schools.
From 2011 to 2015, Lembo tallied a record of 33-29 at Ball State, including a 10-win season in 2012. While at Ball State, Lembo went 2-1 against Ohio.
Most recently, Lembo was the associate head coach and special teams coordinator at South Carolina in the Southeastern Conference.
Quarterback
C.J. Ogbanna has had little issue running the Buffalo offense in his second year with the team. The senior from Atlanta, Georgia, hasn’t put up the stats that other MAC quarterbacks have in 2024 but has been just what Buffalo needs in a run-first offense.
Currently, Ogbanna has seven touchdown passes to only one interception through seven starts for the Bulls. He has also shown his ability to run the ball with three rushing touchdowns already.
Running backs
Much like Ohio, Buffalo has a two-running back system that has carried the offense in the early part of the season.
Al-Jay Henderson has been the leading man for Buffalo with 374 total rushing yards and three touchdowns this season.
Jacquez Barksdale is the rusher that Ohio is familiar with after appearing in last year's game, in which Ohio won 20-10. In the loss for Buffalo, Barksdale was held to six rushes for only 19 yards. In the current season, Barksdale has 58 carries for 250 yards.
Wide receivers
Buffalo has had little success passing the ball this season, but when it has, sophomore Victor Snow has been hauling in a majority of the passes. Snow has two receiving touchdowns in addition to 300 yards, both of which lead the Bulls.
JJ Jenkins and Taji Johnson are the supporting cast behind Snow, averaging around 25 yards per game receiving.
Defense
Buffalo’s success has mainly come from its incredible defense. Led by one of the best linebacker duos in the country, Ohio will need to be at its best on offense.
Shaun Dolac is currently the favorite for MAC Defensive Player of the Year, with a conference-leading 50 solo tackles and three sacks. Dolac’s 98 total tackles are the second most of any player in the nation.
Dolac’s partner in the linebacker room is Red Murdoch, who would lead the conference in tackles if it weren’t for his teammate. Murdoch’s 82 total tackles rank third in the nation.
Albin quickly compared Buffalo’s current defense to Ohio’s 2023 defense, led by two incredible linebackers: Bryce Houston and Keye Thompson.
