Most teams that go to bowl games these days must deal with multiple opt-outs and players hitting the transfer portal, thinning out the depth chart for the year’s last game.
Not so at Buffalo.
“Our team is largely intact going into the bowl game,” first-year coach Pete Lembo said. “Very few guys going into the portal, so that’s great. I think it’s a sign that the guys have bought into what we’re doing.”
So is the Bulls’ 8-4 record, which is why they got the call to take on Liberty (8-3) in Saturday’s Bahamas Bowl in Nassau.
Buffalo went 6-2 in the Mid-American Conference, highlighted by a 23-20 overtime win on Sept. 21 at then-No. 23 Northern Illinois. The Huskies were two weeks removed from their stunning upset at Notre Dame, which won 12 straight games after that, including Thursday’s Sugar Bowl victory over No. 2 Georgia in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
The Bulls rolled through November with four straight high-scoring wins, closing the regular season with a 43-7 rout of winless Kent State. Senior quarterback C.J. Ogbonna, who started his career at Southeast Missouri State, nearly doubled his yards-per-game average over the season’s second half from 125 to 249 — with 14 touchdown passes in that span.
But the marquee names on Buffalo’s roster belong to the defense. Linebackers Shaun Dolac and Red Murdock combined for a whopping 302 tackles, ranking 1-2 in FBS. Dolac collected 159 stops to become the program’s first consensus All-America pick.
While the Bulls will end the year with most of their key faces still on their roster, the Flames must take the field without their star quarterback. Kaidon Salter hit the portal after the regular season to join Colorado, where he might get the chance to replace Shedeur Sanders next year.
After leading Liberty to its first New Year’s Six bowl berth last season, Salter encored by throwing for 1,886 yards and 15 touchdowns while rushing for 587 yards and seven scores on the ground. He’ll be replaced by Ryan Burger, an Appalachian State transfer who will make his first start since getting the call for the Mountaineers’ season opener in 2023.
Burger will at least have the comfort of the nation’s second-ranked rushing attack at his disposal. While Quinton Cooley (and his 1,254 yards and 13 touchdowns) opted out, Billy Lucas is sticking around. Lucas rushed for 663 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
Coach Jamey Chadwell said his team has scrimmaged frequently and done a lot of individual work in the four weeks leading up to the game to keep them sharp.
“I think we’re in a pretty good place as far as guys looking at the opportunity to get better,” Chadwell said. “But everybody’s going to the bowl games with a shell of a team, except our opponent. That’s just the way it is.
“Everybody’s lost players, and that’s not the best look for college football.”
The Flames have won all three prior meetings with Buffalo, including a 55-27 decision last year in Buffalo.
–Field Level Media
