The nation’s top passer, Matt Johnson (1,760 yards, 13 TDs), and second-leading receiver, Roger Lewis (559 yards, 5 TDs), will be on display when the Bowling Green Falcons meet the Buffalo Bulls. The Bulls and Falcons currently hold a 2-2 record. Players will take the field Saturday, Oct 3 at 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will air on ESP3.
Buffalo barely lost to Nevada 24-21 last week. Matt Weiser had a big game in the loss, totaling 10 receptions for 131 yards and one TD. Ron Willoughby also had a big game with 122 receiving yards on 10 receptions. Bowling Green is hoping for another victory like last week’s performance, when it beat Purdue 35-28. Matt Johnson had an outstanding performance passing the ball for the Falcons, completing 43 of 59 passes for 402 yards, one TD and one interception. He added 58 yards on 11 attempts. Travis Greene added 70 rushing yards and two TDs on 11 attempts.
Bowling Green is a six-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable.
Heading into Week 5 of the college football season, the Bulls are 2-2 Straight Up (SU) and 3-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Bulls may look to take advantage of a Bowling Green’s pass defense, which allows a completion percentage of 66.2% to its opponents. Bowling Green’s defense could make it easy on the Bulls coming out from halftime. The Falcons allow an average of 11.2 points in the third quarter, making them one of the worst in the country.
Across the field, the Falcons also have 2-2 SU and 3-1 ATS records this season. If earlier games are any indication, the Falcons will throw the ball a lot. They average 442.2 passing yards per game, good enough for first in Division I. The Falcons generally save their best for last, averaging 12.2 points in the fourth quarter. Bowling Green tends to run a lot of plays during games, averaging 89 offensive snaps for second-most in the country.
Predictions: SU Winner – Buffalo, ATS Winner – Buffalo
Notes
Buffalo is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games.
Buffalo is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games at home.
Buffalo is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Bowling Green.
Buffalo is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing Bowling Green.
Buffalo is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Bowling Green.
Buffalo is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Bowling Green.
Buffalo is 2-0 SU when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter this year.
When analyzing just in-conference ranks, Bowling Green has the edge in the passing game. Its passing attack (ranked first in the MAC) will face the ninth-ranked pass defense of Buffalo, while its first-ranked pass defense will look to limit the ninth-ranked passing game of the Bulls.
Buffalo also has an advantage in the run game when analyzing just conference rankings. Its eighth-ranked rushing attack will face the ninth-ranked run defense of Bowling Green, while its eighth-ranked rush defense will look to contain the ninth-ranked ground game of the Falcons.
