25 Questions, 24 that don't include Jarret Patterson

 

What is their body of work?

UB was terrible in football for a very long time.  They started to come around under Turner Gill, had a very poor period under Jeff Quinn, and then blossomed under Lance Leipold, who has now vamoosed to Kansas.  Their new Coach went from the Dallas Cowboys to UM, where he was going to be an assistant but moved to UB before even coaching one game.  They were picked to be #4 in the East, and are 4-4 and 2-2.  They have beaten Wagner, Old Dominion, and then Ohio and @Akron, in the last 2 weeks.

UB has beaten BG without mercy the last four years, with a 173-66 scoring margin.  The Bulls are a 13.5 point favorite

How many seniors and juniors on the two-deep?

They have 30.  Very experienced, especially given that a number of guys left with Leipold.

Who are their statistical leaders? (Top 20 Nationally)

James Patterson is #8 in total tackles.

What is their turnover ratio? 

They are +3 so far.

Offense

How is their QB play?

He's OK. #8 in the MAC in passing efficiency on 11.5 yards per reception, signally a high percentage mix.  8 TD and 4 INT.  He can run the ball.

What is their scoring and yards per play

They are #2 in the MAC in scoring and only #6 in yards per play.

Can they run the ball?

We can all be thankful that Jarret Patterson, who gained 599 yards in his last TWO meetings with BG, is now with the WFT.  They are 4th in the MAC in yards per carry.  They have the #3 and #9 rushers in the MAC.  Dylan McDuffie is their lead rusher at 5.7 yards per carry and 7 TD.

Do they pass the ball?

They are #7 in passing efficiency.  Their top WR is Quian Williams, with 44 catches so far.  They don't have any big play WRs.

How is their run/pass balance?

They run on 59% of their overall plays, obviously a run-heavy mix.

Do they convert on 3rd Down?

So with the scoring ranked higher than yards per play, you usually see a high 3rd down conversion rate and you see it here.  They lead the MAC at 47%.

Do they score in the red zone?

The same is true on red zone, where they lead the MAC at 5.5 points per trip.

Do they protect the quarterback?

It's very good.  Sacks on 1.7% of pass attempts

Defense:

Topline: Scoring and yards per play

They are #4 is scoring defense and #5 in yards per play allowed.

Do they defend the run effectively?

They are OK.  They are #6 in yards per rush allowed.

Can they be passed on?

This is their weak point.  #10 on pass efficiency defense.  They allow only 59% completions, but 14.6 yards per completion, which is a lot.  There are 11 TDs over 3 INT.

Do they get off the field on 3rd down?

OK...they are 7th.

Do they defend in the red zone?

They are pretty good at 4.3 points per trip.  

Do they pressure the QB?

OMG.  They get sacks on 13% of opponent pass attempts, with 11 in the last game alone.  If BG doesn't manage this, nothing else will matter.

Special Teams:

Punting?

They are last in the MAC in net punting.  No TDS, they have been blocked twice.

Punt Return?

They are 6th in the MAC in punt returns.  No TDs.  No blocks.

Placekicking? 

He's ok.  He's 8 of 14, but there are 3 misses over 50.  Long of 45.

Kickoff? 

Opponents start on the 26.  No TDs.

Kickoff Return?

They start on the 29.  No TDs.

Intangible Miscellany

So UB has won 2 straight and BG has lost 3 straight.  On the road against a team that has just killed us...it's not looking great.  You mostly just want to see BG get back to being competitive.  Another butt-whupping will be tough.