When Buffalo (5-6, 4-3 MAC) and Ohio (7-4, 5-2 MAC) clash this Friday, there will be more going on than just a hard-fought battle among squads from the MAC’s upper echelon.
For the Bulls, a win over the ‘Cats locks up bowl eligibility, while Ohio is still in the hunt for a MAC title bid with a win and some favorable outcomes in Week 14’s remaining scheduled games.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at some of what each team brings to the table in this week’s matchup.
Game notes
- Time and date: Friday November 28, 2025, 12 p.m. Eastern time
- Location: UB Stadium in Amherst, New York
- TV network options: ESPNU (a valid subscription is required)
- Radio Options: Paul Peck (play-by-play) and Scott Wilson (color) provide the call on The Varsity Network App for Buffalo, whileMarty Bannister (play-by-play) and Rob Cornelius (color) will provide the Ohio call for WXTQ-FM 105.5 and Varsity Network.
- Gambling Considerations: FanDuel has Ohio favored by 6.5 points, with an over/under of 44.5.
- All-Time Series: Ohio lead the all-time series 14-7 in 21 meetings. Their last game was on Oct. 26, 2024, when Ohio handily defeated UB 47-16.
- Special Event: Senior Day
About the Buffalo Bulls
Buffalo looks to bounce back from some tough losses the past few weeks to top MAC competition, including Miami (37-20) and a vastly improved Central Michigan squad (38-19). They’ve also had some inexplicable performances against teams they were better than on paper, including a one-score loss to Akron.
These recent scores alone may mislead about how talented this team is though. Watching the games, the Bulls can clearly compete with any MAC team this year, but also have a nasty habit of committing turnovers and self-inflicted wounds which they must work on if they want to win this upcoming week.
To wit: in their three conference losses this year, Buffalo posted 13 combined turnovers— including 8 in the last two games.
The turnovers have been a mixed bag, ranging from a few regrettable decisions in the passing game last week to being victim to a defense on fire (like in the game against CMU). Whatever the reasons, keeping the turnovers low will be key to the Bulls’ fortunes this week.
Offensively on the year, the squad boasts a productive passing game starting at wideout with Victor Snow and Nik McMillan. So far, the dynamic duo has combined for 115 catches, 1,592 yards, and 11 receiving touchdowns (eight by Snow). A hard-working walk-on who developed into a star in the league, Snow is the kind of guy the MAC prides itself on. Buffalo gets Snow the ball in multiple ways too, including on sweeps and punt returns, where he has recorded a score this year on special teams.
Quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson is the man getting the ball to Snow and McMillan this year, passing for 2,250 yards with a touchdown to interception ratio of 15:11. Roberson does not make a living running the ball but can run if the situation warrants.
The offensive line has had more than its share of injuries this year and has rotated a lot of guys around, but is still getting the job done with some regularity.
Operating behind that line in the run game, expect to see leading rusher Al-Jay Henderson, who has 724 yards rushing this year and five touchdowns. In the mix will be fellow backs Terrance Shelton Jr. and Lamar Sperling.
Defensively, on the season, the Bulls rank in the top half of the MAC by allowing just under 23 points per game on average. The Royal Blue and White specialize in wreaking havoc on opposing offenses, leading the conference in sacks (34) while pacing fourth in forced fumbles (10).
The group starts with some talented players in the front half of the defense including the centerpiece in linebacker Red Murdock, who has a knack for creating turnovers as he is second best in the country in forcing fumbles with six this year. Murdock is also actively involved in tackling with the second most in the MAC this year with 128.
Working in front of Murdock is a big underclassmen from Brampton, Ontario in defensive tackle Junior Poyser, who leads the squad with 5.5 sacks this year.
Buffalo rounds out its squad with some notables on special teams where the punt return team is ranked second nationally this year with four blocks. Placekicker Jack Howes is having a notable year, perfect on 28 extra points while converting 14 of 17 field goals.
About the Ohio Bobcats
The ‘Cats head into this one with only two in-conference losses, each by less than a score and will need a win and some help to punch their ticket to Detroit for the MAC championship.
Last week in a waterlogged affair in Athens, the Bobcats defended home turf— affectionately termed “The Frank”— against a winless UMass squad in a 42-14 rout. The Minutemen kept in it for a while but could not ultimately stop the league’s leading ground attack, surrendering 363 yards (6.4 yards a carry) and six rushing touchdowns in the loss.
The run game is a key component of what the Bobcats do, led by running back Sieh Bangura. This Bobcat began his Ohio career with a bang on a 40-yard touchdown run on his first career carry on October 9, 2021 and never looked back. Bangura leads the MAC in both rushing touchdowns (13) and yards (1,123) on the year after the career best 196 yards posted last week.
Duncan Brune has proved an effective complement to Bangura, ranking fifth in the conference with eight rushing touchdowns while dual-threat quarterback Parker Navarro has joined the red zone rushing party with seven scores of his own.
Owing in part to all the rain against UMass, the ‘Cats have only thrown 27 passes in the past few weeks, but can certainly do so as shown by their body of work this year. So far in 2025, Navarro has completed 63 percent of his passes for 2,085 yards, and a touchdown to interception ratio of 12:9. The nine picks are a bit misleading as several were in situations when there was not much to lose.
Navarro’s main targets are wideouts Chase Hendricks and Rodney Harris II and tight end Mason Williams, who have 62, 25, and 24 receptions respectively.
The teams should be well versed in the defenses they face, as both defensive coordinators John Hauser (Ohio) and Joe Bowen (Buffalo) both spent some time working on similar schemes with Miami before joining current teams.
The results for both teams on the year have been virtually identical in the scoring department, with Ohio and Buffalo averaging around 22 points per game. The ‘Cats defense has been overall impressive against the league’s best teams recently, allowing a total of 37 points versus the rival RedHawks and the MAC’s first place team in 6-1 Western Michigan.
Setting the tone are several defensive backs including safety Adonis Williams Jr., corner Tank Pearson, and nickel Jalen Thomeson. Pearson leads the squad with eight passes defensed and holds the joint-lead with two interceptions. Thomeson and the rest of the secondary will need to bring their “A-game” to try to contain the Bulls’ talented wideouts.
On special teams, the ‘Cats have some crucial contributions in the return game this year. Bangura and company’s 97-yard kickoff return was critical against the win over the rival RedHawks, while wideout Chase Hendricks also has a 52-yard punt return to his credit. Placekicking has been a weakness, with Ohio’s kickers combining for a 55 percent field goal rate. Expect the Bobcats to be aggressive on offense to make up for it.
Final Thoughts
Both teams are completely capable of winning this one.
For the Bulls, it’s about embracing the old medical adage; “first, do no harm.” Like against the Chips and the RedHawks in recent weeks, it will be tough to win against a quality opponent if turnovers and self-inflicted wounds dominate the day.
That aside, Buffalo has everything it takes to best Ohio if it can hold the visitors to a reasonable number of yards on the ground and win short yardage situations on defense.
For the ‘Cats, it’s about continuing to create turnovers like it did last week, when they forced three to doom a UMass rally. They also need to finish drives offensively with as many points as possible. That of course sounds obvious, but against a unit which is just as capable on both sides of the ball, getting points will be a priority when even one possession can be the difference.
