Miami of Ohio Redhawks vs. Buffalo Bulls Preview and Predictions 10-30-2018 in NCAAF
NCAAF Previews 29th October 2018 By Charles Jay for Scores And Stats
by Charles Jay Scores & Stats on 10/29/2018
As Mid-American Conference football action continues on Tuesday night, we have an appetizing matchup on tap for the ESPN2 audience, as it involves two of the league's best quarterbacks, as well as a battle for first place in the East.
The Buffalo Bulls bring a lot of offense to the table in the person of Tyree Jackson, a guy with NFL size who has put together nice numbers behind an offensive line that has protected him about as well as anyone. And the Bulls look like they may be turning the corner with the program which is led by Lance Leipold, who carved out a legend at the Division III level.
The Miami of Ohio Redhawks brought back a lot of experience this season, and that includes QB Gus Ragland, who does an excellent job of taking care of the ball. This team will have to be able to rebound from a tough overtime loss to Army, but if they are in the right frame of mind, they can give anyone in the MAC a 60-minute battle.
This game takes place at UB Stadium in Buffalo, one night after the Bills played host to the New England Patriots in suburban Orchard Park.
TV: ESPN2, 8 PM ET. LINE: Buffalo -7
ABOUT MIAMI OF OHIO: Facing an Army team that had won nine consecutive games at West Point, Miami (3-5 SU, 5-3 ATS) got behind the eight-ball but then put together a great rally, outgaining the Cadets 215-12 in the final period as Army couldn't finish with first-time starter Cam Thomas at quarterback. No, they did not keep Army below its season rushing average (giving up 347 yards on the ground), but they almost won the game in the second overtime, and get points for daring, as coach Chuck Martin elected to go for a two-point conversion and a win after a TD, rather than try to force a third OT. Gus Ragland, who was so close to being tackled that the Army victory cannon went off prematurely, hit a pass, but his receiver fell short of the end zone. Final score - 31-30. Martin wanted to go for two in the waning second of regulation after Miami scored a touchdown, but unfortunately, receiver Nate Becker got flagged for excessive celebration, killing that possibility. Despite its straight-up record (which included losses to Marshall, Cincinnati, and Minnesota to start the season), Miami can tie Buffalo in the MAC East with a victory on Tuesday, which would mean they'll lead the division on the head-to-head tie-breaker. Ragland has completed 60.6% of his passes for 1769 yards. He has been intercepted only three times in 264 attempts.
ABOUT BUFFALO: Buffalo (7-1 SU, 6-2 ATS) was not nearly as competitive against Army as Miami was, having been whipped 42-13 on its own field on September 29. But they have been spotless otherwise, and now sit atop the MAC East with a 4-0 conference record. Their overall mark includes wins over Temple and Big Ten representative Rutgers. Their last outing, ten days prior to Tuesday night, was a tale of two halves. In the first half they fell behind 17-7 to Toledo, but in the second they dominated, scoring 24 unanswered points on the way to a 31-17 victory. Tyree Jackson threw for 326 yards, hitting Anthony Johnson for two touchdown passes, and the Buffalo defense did its job, limiting the Rockets to eight first downs and 33% completions. Jackson was sacked five times, but that is more like an anomaly because he had suffered just one sack in seven games prior to that. Buffalo comes in with a +9 turnover margin, which is among the nation's ten best, and they are ninth nationwide in Passing Efficiency Defense. But this is a team that really has to improve itself when getting close to the goal line; Buffalo is dead last in the country in red zone performance, converting those trips into points only 65.8% of the time. This is in stark contrast to Miami, which has scored points on 96.7% of their journeys into the red zone (fourth best).
EXTRA POINTS
1. Ragland began his career at Miami by throwing 203 passes without an interception.
2. Miami ranks seventh in the nation in kickoff returns, but interestingly enough, next to last in punt returns.
3. In every game, a different Buffalo player wears the #41 jersey to honor Solomon Jackson, a former Bull who passed away after an off-season workout in February 2016. Tyree Jackson donned the "41" jersey on October 13 against Akron.
PREDICTION: Buffalo 28, Miami of Ohio 27
NCAAF Previews 29th October 2018 By Charles Jay for Scores And Stats
by Charles Jay Scores & Stats on 10/29/2018
As Mid-American Conference football action continues on Tuesday night, we have an appetizing matchup on tap for the ESPN2 audience, as it involves two of the league's best quarterbacks, as well as a battle for first place in the East.
The Buffalo Bulls bring a lot of offense to the table in the person of Tyree Jackson, a guy with NFL size who has put together nice numbers behind an offensive line that has protected him about as well as anyone. And the Bulls look like they may be turning the corner with the program which is led by Lance Leipold, who carved out a legend at the Division III level.
The Miami of Ohio Redhawks brought back a lot of experience this season, and that includes QB Gus Ragland, who does an excellent job of taking care of the ball. This team will have to be able to rebound from a tough overtime loss to Army, but if they are in the right frame of mind, they can give anyone in the MAC a 60-minute battle.
This game takes place at UB Stadium in Buffalo, one night after the Bills played host to the New England Patriots in suburban Orchard Park.
TV: ESPN2, 8 PM ET. LINE: Buffalo -7
ABOUT MIAMI OF OHIO: Facing an Army team that had won nine consecutive games at West Point, Miami (3-5 SU, 5-3 ATS) got behind the eight-ball but then put together a great rally, outgaining the Cadets 215-12 in the final period as Army couldn't finish with first-time starter Cam Thomas at quarterback. No, they did not keep Army below its season rushing average (giving up 347 yards on the ground), but they almost won the game in the second overtime, and get points for daring, as coach Chuck Martin elected to go for a two-point conversion and a win after a TD, rather than try to force a third OT. Gus Ragland, who was so close to being tackled that the Army victory cannon went off prematurely, hit a pass, but his receiver fell short of the end zone. Final score - 31-30. Martin wanted to go for two in the waning second of regulation after Miami scored a touchdown, but unfortunately, receiver Nate Becker got flagged for excessive celebration, killing that possibility. Despite its straight-up record (which included losses to Marshall, Cincinnati, and Minnesota to start the season), Miami can tie Buffalo in the MAC East with a victory on Tuesday, which would mean they'll lead the division on the head-to-head tie-breaker. Ragland has completed 60.6% of his passes for 1769 yards. He has been intercepted only three times in 264 attempts.
ABOUT BUFFALO: Buffalo (7-1 SU, 6-2 ATS) was not nearly as competitive against Army as Miami was, having been whipped 42-13 on its own field on September 29. But they have been spotless otherwise, and now sit atop the MAC East with a 4-0 conference record. Their overall mark includes wins over Temple and Big Ten representative Rutgers. Their last outing, ten days prior to Tuesday night, was a tale of two halves. In the first half they fell behind 17-7 to Toledo, but in the second they dominated, scoring 24 unanswered points on the way to a 31-17 victory. Tyree Jackson threw for 326 yards, hitting Anthony Johnson for two touchdown passes, and the Buffalo defense did its job, limiting the Rockets to eight first downs and 33% completions. Jackson was sacked five times, but that is more like an anomaly because he had suffered just one sack in seven games prior to that. Buffalo comes in with a +9 turnover margin, which is among the nation's ten best, and they are ninth nationwide in Passing Efficiency Defense. But this is a team that really has to improve itself when getting close to the goal line; Buffalo is dead last in the country in red zone performance, converting those trips into points only 65.8% of the time. This is in stark contrast to Miami, which has scored points on 96.7% of their journeys into the red zone (fourth best).
EXTRA POINTS
1. Ragland began his career at Miami by throwing 203 passes without an interception.
2. Miami ranks seventh in the nation in kickoff returns, but interestingly enough, next to last in punt returns.
3. In every game, a different Buffalo player wears the #41 jersey to honor Solomon Jackson, a former Bull who passed away after an off-season workout in February 2016. Tyree Jackson donned the "41" jersey on October 13 against Akron.
PREDICTION: Buffalo 28, Miami of Ohio 27
