Buffalo's backfield has been short-handed too, with T. Shelton Jr. and J. McNeil Jr. both listed out, and Messiah Burch filled the gap at Toledo. He ran for 137 yards on 17 carries and finished it off with an 87-yard touchdown in the last minute. The kicking job was also covered: B. Sholder is out, and O. Hautanen made 3 first-half field goals. Toledo was 4-1 going into that game. Beating a team like that by 15 on the road is the best result the Bulls have had in a while.
Stonehill36-14
Sacred Heart37-10
Robert Morris31-28
Buffalo's season hasn't been pretty overall. The Bulls lost 33-20 at FIU, got blown out 55-13 at Penn State and lost 20-17 at home to Western Michigan. Their best showings have come when the defense keeps the score low. Toledo didn't score until the 4th quarter. If the Bulls can turn this into a 20-something game on Saturday, they're in the kind of game they've been able to win.
The injury report matters more than usual here. Buffalo has 3 receivers out (J. Watkins, J. Gathings and A. Jones III) on top of the running backs and the season-ending loss of their quarterback. That's a big reason the Bulls lean on the run and field goals. The early forecast for Broadview Stadium is 47 degrees with light drizzle and 15 mph wind. It's a week out, but if it holds, that kind of weather favors Buffalo's approach more than an offense that needs its quarterback to throw it 30 times.
For UMass this comes down to whether the 2 MAC losses were a dip or a sign of where the team really is. The close game against Miami (OH) suggests the Minutemen can hang with conference teams. The 38-14 loss to Eastern Michigan suggests the opposite. Buffalo, meanwhile, has to show the Toledo win is the new normal and not a one-off. It's 2 MAC teams with depth charts held together with tape, and the team whose quarterback answers come first probably has the edge.