Ball State 5-1 / 5-1 vs Buffalo 5-0 / 5-0; TV: 6:30 / ESPN; Favorite: Buffalo -12
Buffalo’s HC Lance Leipold has got things going in a big way in for the Buffalo Bulls! After starting 7-17 in his 1st 2 years, he has gone 6-6, 10-4, 8-5 & in 2020, 5-0! Coach Leipold’s teams @ the University of Wisconsin -Whitewater went an amazing, 94-6 and has the best winning percentage against all current coaches at the Division II & III levels! It took him a while to get his team to the MAC Championship Game ( 2018, a 30-29 loss to NIU) and now, he is back & primed to win his 1st MAC Championship!
Ball State’s HC, Mike Neu is in his 5th year for the Cardinals (20-34), and in 2020, has posted his first winning season in Muncie, IN. Neu, a QB at Ball state in 1993, was selected as the Offensive Played of the Year in the MAC! He has spent time in the NFL as a QB coach, was a HC in the Arena Football League for 6 years, & the QB coach at Tulane!
Buffalo won the MAC rushing title, running the ball for a conference best, 344.3 YPG, while Ball State was 7th in the MAC @ 178.8 rushing YPG. The Cardinals were 4th in the MAC throwing the ball, averaging, 279.0 YPG, while the Bulls were 9th in passing @ 166.4 YPG.
Buffalo was the 2nd best defense in the MAC in Total Yards, allowing 367.2; Ball State allowed 432.2 YPG and finished 9th in the MAC on D! The Bulls were 2nd in points allowed in the conference allowing 21.0, while the Cardinals 27.5 was the 5th stingiest in the Mid-American.
SCFP Game Simulator says: Buffalo outperforms the Cardinals in 7 of the 8 categories assessed. Ball State’s only edge is in passing, the Simulator predicts State will pass for 243 yards vs the Bulls D!
The Bulls have been in their opponents Red Zone 21 times and have scored, an impressive, 20 times, yet more impressive, all the scores have been TD’s!
Individuals to watch; Buffalo’s RB, Jaret Patterson has rushed for over a thousand yards (1025) in 5 games and leads the nation at 205.0 YPG! while his running mate, Kevin Marks, is averaging 102.0 YPG. No other team in the country has 2 RB’s in the Top 25 (Patterson 1st & Marks, 23rd).
To counter, Ball State’s LB, Brandon Martin (72 Total Tackles) is 4th in the country and fellow LB, Jaylin Thomas (66 Total Tackles) is ranked 13th in the nation. Ball State is the only team in the country to have 2 players ranked in the Top 25 for Total Tackles!
Common Opponents: Miami of Ohio (The Bulls won, 42-10, Ball State’s only loss was to Miami, 38-31; Northern Illinois, Ball State beat the Huskies, 31-25, Buffalo won 49-30;
Sully Says: The Cardinals will struggle stopping the Bulls running game, take Buffalo and give Ball State the 12!
And as Always, Enjoy the Games!
Share on Twitter
Share on Facebook
Subscribe