25 Questions for Mo

 What is their body of work?

UB was the worst team in the MAC when they joined the conference.  In fact, their win over BG in the first meeting resulted in the resignation of Gary Blackney shortly thereafter.

They improved, especially under Turner Gill, underperformed under Jeff Gill and then hit their stride under Lance Leipold, going 24-10 the last 3 years, though without a league title. He left and took guys with him, and Mo Linquist came in.  They were 4-8 last year and were picked third in the East this year.  They are 2-3 this year, losing their FBS game to Holy Cross and to Maryland and Coastal Carolina, before winning their last 2 over EMU and Miami, in an upset.

Until last year, UB had won the last 4 against BG, with the last 3 being blowouts with record-setting rushing efforts by Jaret Patterson.  BG won last season, riding perhaps Matt McDonald's best game at BG to a 56-44 win.  The two teams scored 7 4th Q TDs---it was pure #MACTION,

UB is a 2-point road favorite, down from 3.5 earlier in the week.

How experienced are they?

They have 37 plays who are Juniors or above on the depth chart, an astounding number. There are 13 graduate students.  They brought in 25 transfers this year, 13 from P5 programs.

Who are their nationally ranked players?

Alex McNulty is #3 in FG/Game

Shaun Dolac leads the nation in solo tackles.

What is their turnover ratio? 

They are +1.

Offense

How is their QB play?

Their QB is Cole Snyder, a Rutgers transfer who BG recruited as well.  His QBR is 128, #6 in the MAC. He's completing 60%, 8/3 ratio and 11 yards per completion, all of which are solid if not great numbers. He runs sometimes but is not great.

What is their scoring and yards per play

They are scoring 28 PPG which is 6th in the MAC.  They are gaining 4.8 yards per play, which is 8th in the MAC.  This is an OK offensive team.

Can they run the ball?

They gain 3.1 per carry, which is 11th in the MAC. Their two lead backs gain only about 3.7 per carry collectively.

Do they pass the ball?

As seen above, they are 8th in the MAC in pass efficiency. They have a few big passing plays, but their top receiver is just at 13 yards per reception.

How is their run/pass balance?

Run/pass is essentially 50/50.

Do they convert on 3rd Down?

Not bad.  At 37% they are 6th in the MAC.

Do they score in the red zone?

Pretty good, 5.3 per trip.

Do they protect the quarterback?

Pretty good at 5.7% of their passing attempts.

Defense:

Topline: Scoring and yards per play

They allow 31 PPG which is 5th in the MAC. but 11th in yards per play allowed at 7.1. 

Do they defend the run effectively?

They are worst in the MAC at 5.8 per carry.

Can they be passed on?

They are 7th in passing efficiency.  They allow 63% completions, which is about average, 7 TDs over 3 INT and a big 14 per completion.  Teams run on them a lot.

Do they get off the field on 3rd down?

They are 5th, allowing 38%.

Do they defend in the red zone?

Not great, 5.6 points per trip.

Do they pressure the QB?

Not really.  Sacks on 4.5% of passing attempts.

Special Teams:

Punting?

They are #6 in the MAC.  No blocks and no TDs allowed.

Punt Return?

They've only had 3...nothing huge, no blocks, no TDs.

Placekicking? 

He's really good.  Made 10-11 this year, long of 52, 5-6  past 40.

Kickoff? 

Teams start on the 28.

Kickoff Return?

They start on the 29.

Intangible Miscellany

This has the potential to be a good game.  BG, with a MAC win under its belt, needs to string some quality games together.  There's probably no 6-win season without a win tomorrow.  To me, the key is running the ball.  BG was improved at UA but not great and they need to run the ball effectively in this one.  BG's defense was a disappointment against a weak UA offense and we are 11th in scoring defense right now.  Hopefully, that will get squared around and see BG tackle better and guard the running lanes out of the pocket....and win those long 3rd down conversion battles.