By Missy Grimes
FOOTBALL GAME NOTES
https://libertyflames.com/sports/2023/9/2/football-game-notes
Liberty (8-3, 5-3 CUSA) will play in a bowl game for the sixth consecutive season, facing Buffalo (8-4, 6-2 MAC) in the Bahamas Bowl on Saturday.
Game Day Coverage:
TV: ESPN2 (Matt Schumacker, Play-by-Play; Dustin Fox, Analyst; Coley Harvey, Sidelines)
Radio: Liberty Flames Sports Network (Alan York, Play-by-Play; Joe Jauch, Analyst)
- 88.3 FM (Lynchburg and Roanoke | Liberty Flames Mobile App | SiriusXM Radio Channel 81)
- Pregame Starts at 9:30 a.m. – Kickoff at 11 a.m.
The Flames are 3-2 all-time in bowl games but are seeking their first bowl victory since a 56-20 triumph over Eastern Michigan in the 2021 LendingTree Bowl.
Liberty is 3-0 when facing Buffalo, including a 55-27 victory at UB Stadium last season (Sept. 16, 2023).
The Flames own a 7-10 all-time record against MAC opponents, including 5-1 in Liberty’s FBS era and 1-1 in bowl matchups.
Jamey Chadwell is 21-4 in his second year at Liberty and owns a 52-10 coaching record dating back to the start of 2020. He became the Flames’ fastest head coach ever to reach 20 victories (23 games). Chadwell is 1-2 all-time in bowl games and 3-0 coaching against Buffalo.
QB Ryan Burger will make his first start at Liberty. He started App State’s 2023 opener before sustaining a season-ending injury.
RB Billy Lucas is expected to headline the Flames’ NCAA No. 3-ranked rushing attack. He has posted a pair of 100-yard games on the ground this season, giving him 10 career 100-yard outings and putting him over the 3,000-yard mark for his career, which includes three years at Duquesne and two at Liberty.
Liberty’s tackles leader (83 stops), Joseph Carter was named the TD Club of Richmond Linebacker of the Year (Top LB in Virginia).
“4 Downs” with Buffalo
#1 Saturday will mark the first time Liberty has ever played a game outside the United States. The Flames will have not played a game in over a month (36 days, to be exact), marking the longest break between contests of any FBS football team this season. Earlier this year, Liberty had just one game in a 31-day stretch between Sept. 22 and Oct. 22).
#2 Liberty is facing Buffalo for the second straight year, making this the first time the Flames’ bowl opponent was a team they played the previous year. The Flames have matched up with Pete Lembo at two previous stops (Lehigh and Elon), and Liberty is 1-2 in those contests. This will be the first time in over two years that someone other than Kaidon Salter has started at QB for the Flames. Charlie Brewer started vs. New Mexico State on Nov. 26, 2022.
#3 Liberty ranks No. 3 nationally for rushing (258.7 yards/game) after leading the nation in 2023 (293.3 yards/game). The Flames are one of three teams (also App State and Marshall) to make a bowl game during each of their first six seasons of full eligibility following a move up from FCS. Liberty is averaging 39.0 ppg in its three meetings with Buffalo.
#4 Liberty will try to give CUSA its fourth straight Bahamas Bowl champion. The last non-CUSA winner was Buffalo, who beat Charlotte in 2019. The Flames’ three 4th quarter/OT comeback wins are tied for the third most in FBS football this season, trailing only Duke and Illinois (four each).
A LIBERTY WIN WOULD…
- Improve the Flames’ all-time record in bowl games to 4-2, snapping a two-game bowl losing streak.
- Boost both Liberty and Jamey Chadwell‘s all-time record against Buffalo to 4-0.
- Push the Flames’ all-time record vs. MAC opponents to 8-10, including 6-1 in Liberty’s FBS era and 2-1 in bowl games.
- Improve CUSA’s all-time record in the Bahamas Bowl to 7-3.
- Give the Flames a program-record two-year total of 22 wins, breaking the current mark of 21 wins between 2022 and 2023.
- Give the Flames back-to-back seasons with nine or more wins for the first time in program history and mark their seventh 9+ win campaign all-time.
- Mark Liberty’s first-ever victory in the month of January.
- Make the Flames’ Saturday record 8-0 this season and 16-0 under Jamey Chadwell.
3-0 vs. Buffalo
Liberty is 3-0 all-time against Buffalo in football, defeating the Bulls 27-24 (OT) on Oct. 24, 1998 and giving Hugh Freeze his first win as the Flames’ head coach, 35-17 over Buffalo on Sept. 14, 2019. The Flames then won a 55-27 shootout at Buffalo on Sept. 16, 2023.
Current Liberty Head Coach Jamey Chadwell is also 3-0 against Buffalo and will face the Bulls for the fourth year in a row. His Coastal Carolina team earned a 28-25 win at Buffalo on Sept. 18, 2021 before the Chanticleers defeated the Bulls 38-27 on Sept. 17, 2022.
Comeback Kids
Liberty has trailed at some point in all 11 games so far this year. The Flames have overcome deficits of 17 (Sept. 21 versus East Carolina), 14 (Sept. 7 at New Mexico State) and 13 points (Nov. 16 at UMass), in wins.
Liberty is the only FBS team to overcome deficits of 13 points or more in three games this season. The last time an FBS team overcame 13-point or more deficits in three games was 2022 (Houston and LSU).
The Flames’ eight come-from-behind wins this year are the most by any FBS team this season.
Saturday Superstars
Liberty is 7-0 this season and 15-0 under second-year Head Coach Jamey Chadwell on Saturday.
Every other FBS team has lost at least one Saturday game since Liberty’s last Saturday loss, Nov. 26, 2022 against New Mexico State.
Liberty, Oregon and UNLV are the only FBS teams without a Saturday loss this season.
MAC History
During its FBS era, Liberty is 5-1 versus the MAC, with its only setback coming to Toledo in the 2022 Boca Raton Bowl. Liberty is 7-10 overall against the MAC.
Liberty is 1-1 against MAC teams in Bowl games, defeating Eastern Michigan 56-20 in the 2021 LendingTree Bowl and falling 21-19 to Toledo in the 2022 Boca Raton Bowl.
The Flames have also faced two Sun Belt schools, so the MAC will now be Liberty’s most frequently played conference in bowl games.
Conference USA teams are 6-3 all-time in the Bahamas Bowl, including 5-3 against MAC teams.
First-Year Feats
Pete Lembo is in his first year as Buffalo’s head coach. Liberty is 4-0 this season against first-year head coaches, with wins over Campbell, New Mexico State, UTEP and Middle Tennessee.
Liberty went 1-1 against Elon when Lembo was head coach (L 42-14 on Sept. 22, 2007; W, 26-3 on Nov. 22, 2008). The Flames also fell to a Lembo-coached Lehigh team, 34-26 on Sept. 18, 2004.
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GAME NOTES
https://ubbulls.com/documents/2024/12/25/2024-Bahamas-Bowl-Guide.pdf
Buffalo (8-4, 6-2 MAC) vs. Liberty (8-3, 5-3 CUSA)
January 4, 2025
Thomas Robinson Stadium – 11:00 am
Bulls on the Air
Radio
Buffalo – ESPN 1520
Rochester – Fox Sports 1280
Television
ESPN2
Storylines
• Buffalo is playing in the Bahamas Bowl for the second time in program history. The Bulls defeated Charlotte, 31-9, in 2019.
• UB is playing in its seventh bowl in program history and fifth in the last seven years. The Bulls have won their last three bowl games (2022 Camellia, 2020 Camellia, 2019 Bahamas).
• The Bulls played Liberty just last season and are 0-3 all-time against the Flames.
• The Bulls are in search of their ninth win of the season for just the third time in program history and the second as a FBS program (since 1999). The Bulls won 10 games in 2018 and nine games in 1986.
• Pete Lembo is the first UB head coach to win eight games in his debut season. The previous record was seven wins by C.W. Dibble in 1897.
• Linebacker Shaun Dolac is the program’s first Consensus All-American.
• Linebackers Shaun Dolac (159) and Red Murdock (143) rank first and second in the nation in tackles, respectively.
• After averaging 125 yards passing over the first six games, quarterback C.J. Ogbonna has averaged 249 passing yards over the last six games, including a career-best 309 yards against Western Michigan. He has thrown 14 touchdown passes over that same six-game stretch, including three touchdown passes in each of the last three games.
• Running back Al-Jay Henderson has averaged 146 yards of total offense over the last seven games. He is 41 yards shy of becoming the 11th player in program history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
• The Bulls are facing Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell for the fourth straight season. Along with playing Liberty last season, UB played Coastal Carolina in 2021 and 2022.
Bulls Face Liberty in Bahamas Bowl
The University at Buffalo football team will face Liberty in the Bahamas Bowl at Thomas Robinson Stadium on January 4.
Buffalo finished the regular season 8-4 overall and 6-2 in MAC play. The Bulls are led by linebacker Shaun Dolac who was named a Consensus All-American after leading the nation in tackles.
Liberty finished the regular season 8-3 overall and 5-3 in Conference USA play.
Liberty leads the all-time series, 3-0. The Flames won the last meeting, 55-27, at UB Stadium last season.
Bowling Bulls
Buffalo is playing in a bowl game for the seventh time in program history and the fifth in the last seven years. The Bulls most recently played in the 2022 Camellia Bowl, defeating Georgia Southern, 23-21.
Buffalo’s bowl history includes the 2008 International Bowl (L, UConn), 2013 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (L, San Diego State), 2018 Dollar General Bowl (L, Troy), 2019 Bahamas Bowl (W, Charlotte), 2020 Camellia Bowl (W, Marshall) and 2022 Camellia Bowl (W, Georgia Southern).
The Bulls are in search of their fourth straight bowl win.
Quick Turnaround
Buffalo has come a long way from its 3-9 record a season ago. The Bulls finished the regular season 8-4, marking just the third time since joining the FBS ranks in 1999 they had an eight-win regular season (2013, 2018).
The +5-win turnaround tied for fourth-best in the nation this year.
Team 2023 2024 +
Indiana 3-9 11-1 +8
Arizona State 3-9 10-2 +7
Sam Houston 3-9 9-3 +6
Buffalo 3-9 8-4 +5
East Carolina 2-10 7-5 +5
Baylor 3-9 8-4 +5
UConn 3-9 8-4 +5
Army 6-6 11-1 +5
Colorado 4-8 9-3 +5
BYU 5-7 10-2 +5
November Reign
Buffalo finished the season 4-0 in the month of November for just the second time in their FBS era. 2020 was the only other season they had four November wins and due to a delayed start to that season because of COVID, those were the first four games of the year.
Prior to this season, Buffalo hadn’t won a game in November since the 2020 campaign.
Shaun Stars
Linebacker Shaun Dolac is putting together a historic season for the Bulls. He has 159 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss and five interceptions. He leads the nation in tackles and ranks fourth in interceptions.
He became the first Consensus All-American in program history after being named a first-team All-American by Walter Camp, AP, FWAA and The Sporting News.
He was also one of three finalists for the Burlsworth Trophy, given annually to the best player who started his career as a walk-on.
The 2024 MAC Defensive Player of the Year, Dolac was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week a program-record five times this season.
Dynamic Duo
Linebackers Shaun Dolac and Red Murdock have been tackling machines this season. The duo ranks first and second in the nation with 159 and 143 tackles, respectively.
The pair have combined for 302 tackles and 30.5 tackles for loss on the year.
It marks the first time two UB players had 100 tackles in a season since 2022 when Shaun Dolac had 147 and James Patterson had 120. Prior to that, you have to go back to 2015 when Nick Gilbo had 113 and Brandon Berry had 104.
Okay Al-Jay
After a running-back-by-committee approach early in the season, Al-Jay Henderson has emerged as the Bulls bell cow down the stretch of the season.
He has averaged 118 rushing yards over the last seven games, including a career-best 185 yards against Kent State in the regular-season finale. He has also been a productive receiver and has gone over 100 yards of total offense in seven straight games, averaging 146 yards of total offense.
Henderson leads the Bulls with 959 rushing yards on the season. He is 41 yards shy of becoming the 11th player in program history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
Henderson was a third-team All-MAC selection this season.
Let it Snow
Wide receiver Victor Snow has become a reliable target for the Bulls this season. He leads the team with 51 receptions for 610 yards and six touchdowns. He has had a knack for making big plays as he has had a reception of 25 or more yards in seven different games this season, including three different games with catches of 40 yards or more.
In 12 games a season ago, Snow only registered one catch for 12 yards.
Snow is a native of Webster, NY and transferred to Buffalo from Nevada prior to the 2023 campaign. He came to UB as a walk-on and was awarded a scholarship after the Bulls’ win over Kent State. He was named third-team All-MAC at the conclusion of the regular season.
Sacktrick Stewart
Kobe Stewart has made an immediate impact with the Bulls since transferring from Samford in the offseason. The junior edge leads the team and the Mid-American Conference with 9.5 sacks. It is the most sacks by a UB players since Khalil Mack had 10.5 in 2013. Stewart has had seven sacks over the last seven games. The program record for sacks in a season is 12.5 by Vince Canosa in 1993.
Stewart was a second-team All-MAC selection.
7 Up
C.J. Ogbonna has settled in as Buffalo’s starting quarterback and continues to improve as the season progresses.
His 19 touchdown passes are fifth in program history for a single season and the most since Tyree Jackson threw 28 in 2018.
Over the last six games, he has averaged 249 yards passing after averaging just 125 yards over the first six games. He has thrown 14 touchdown passes over the last six games.
In addition, Ogbonna has rushed for 311 yards and eight touchdowns on the season. His eight rushing touchdowns are the most by a UB quarterback in its FBS era. Cliff Scott holds the overall school record with nine in 1992.
He is the first UB quarterback since Chazz Anderson in 2011 to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 300 yards in a season.
Against Western Michigan, he had the best game of his career, throwing for a career-best 309 yards and two touchdowns. He became the first UB quarterback to throw for 300 yards in a game since Cole Snyder threw for 305 yards against Holy Cross in 2022. Kyle Vantrease was the last UB quarterback to throw for 300 yards against an FBS program (365 vs. Ball State, Dec.18, 2020).
The well-traveled Obgonna began his career at Hutchinson Community College where he helped lead the Blue Dragons to a national title in 2020. From there, he transferred to Southeast Missouri State where he was a two-year starter for the Redhawks. His best season came in 2021 when he threw for 1,521 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushed for 357 yards and another three scores en route to being named to the Ohio Valley Conference All-Newcomer Team.
Seeing Red
After a solid season for the Bulls in 2023, linebacker Red Murdock has taken his game to new heights in 2024. The redshirt-sophomore had the best game of his career against UMass, totaling 12 tackles and three tackles for loss. He earned MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts.
A first-team All-MAC selection this season, Murdock ranks second in the nation to only teammate Shaun Dolac in tackles (143) and has added 14 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles.
He is equally impressive in the classroom as he was named Academic All-MAC and Academic All-District last season. He was named the MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Week following UB’s win at Akron.
J.J. is Dyn-o-mite
Wide receiver J.J. Jenkins has emerged as a valuable weapon in latter stages of the season. He has gone over 100 yards receiving in two of the last three games with eight catches for 131 yards and a touchdown against Ball State and five catches for 120 yards and a score at Eastern Michigan. He is the first UB receiver to have back-to-back 100-yard receiving games since Quian Williams in 2021.
He had a 90-yard touchdown reception at Eastern Michigan. It tied the third-longest touchdown catch in program history.
Over the last five games, the Columbia grad transfer has 23 catches for 368 yards and three touchdowns. He had 13 receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown over the first seven games.
Turnover Margin of Victory
The Bulls forced a season-high four turnovers in their win at Akron (three fumbles/interception). Buffalo is 6-0 on the season when it wins the turnover battle. UB is a +6 on the year in turnover margin to lead the MAC.
Red Murdock has played a big role in turnovers as he leads the MAC and is tied for third in the nation with five forced fumbles on the year. He is one shy of the program record for forced fumbles in a season. He has nine career forced fumbles to rank second in program history. The record is 16 held by Khalil Mack which is also the NCAA record for career forced fumbles.
Working Overtime
Buffalo beat Ball State, 51-48, in overtime for its second overtime win of the season. UB also beat Northern Illinois in OT earlier in the year. In both games, the Bulls rallied from double-digit second-half deficits.
It marks just the second time in program history UB has won two overtime games in a season. The Bulls won three overtime games in 2008.
Upton Funk
Upton Bellenfant earned the starting kicker job in week three and all he has done since is make nearly every one of his kicks. He had the best game of his career in Buffalo’s win at Northern Illinois as he made all three of his field goal attempts, including a 37-yarder to win the game in overtime.
On the year, the redshirt-sophomore is 14-for-16 on field goals and 28-for-28 on extra points.
He was named to the 2024 All-MAC Third Team.
Duane Oh!
New punter Ethan Duane has been a nice addition to the Bulls’ special teams unit. The Old Dominion transfer is averaging 42.6 yards per punt to rank second in the Mid-American Conference. Nine of his punts have sailed over 50 yards. He was named the MAC Special Teams Player of the Week following UB’s win over Toledo as six of his seven punts were downed inside the 20-yard line.
He became the first punter in program history to be named All-MAC as he was named to the All-MAC Third Team this season.
Air Defense
The Bulls lead the Mid-American Conference with 12 interceptions and pick sixes with two. The Bulls had seven interceptions over the last five games of the regular season with at least one interception in all five.
Shaun Dolac has five interceptions to rank fourth in the nation. He and Marquis Cooper have pick sixes for the Bulls.
Consistency on the Offensive Line
The Bulls have had the luxury of starting the same five on the offensive line every game this season.
The Bulls have started Henry Tabansi at left tackle, Trevor Brock at left guard, Dom Polizzi at center, Tyler Doty at right guard and Caelan Shepard at right tackle.
Doty and Brock were both named All-MAC Third Team this season.
The offensive line has only been called for holding twice this season.
Hanging with Mr. Cooper
Former walk-on Marquis Cooper earned the starting cornerback job out of camp and has been impressive this season. In fact, he seems to one-up himself every game. After registering a career-high 12 tackles, including eight solo stops and a TFL at Missouri, the Colgate transfer had eight tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and an interception against UMass. He returned the interception 100 yards for a touchdown to break the record for longest interception return in program history. The previous record was 90 yards set by Gerry LaFountain against Delaware in 1965.
In UB’s win at Northern Illinois, Cooper blocked the potential go-ahead field goal in overtime.
Cooper was awarded a scholarship prior to the start of the season.
Taji Johnson Wins 1-MAC Award
Wide receiver Taji Johnson has won the Mid-American Conference’s 1-MAC Award – given annually to those that have shown tremendous impact & excellence in inclusion efforts.
Johnson, who joined the Bulls in Spring 2024 for his final year of eligibility, quickly made a lasting impact by organizing the “A Day in the Life” event for at-risk middle school students. Through his partnership with TheTeam.org, a nonprofit focused on civic engagement and voter participation in college athletics, Johnson helped provide critical resources and support to students and their families. His efforts included arranging school supplies and connecting families with local services, addressing the diverse needs of the community.
In addition to organizing the event, Johnson fostered collaboration among student-athletes from various sports, creating a network that shared strategies and experiences to collectively support at-risk students. By emphasizing unity and teamwork, Johnson and his fellow student-athletes inspired resilience, leadership, and academic excellence among the students they mentored.
International Flavor
The Bulls have five international players on this year’s roster.
Buffalo has three players who hail from Canada, including offensive lineman Jackson Bellamy (Ontario), defensive tackle Jordan Poyser (Ontario) and edge Nick Roy (Quebec). In addition, punter Ethan Duane is from Australia and edge Luke Yau Gayle hails from England.
Bulls vs. Conference USA
Buffalo doesn’t have a lot of history against the new-look Conference USA.
The Bulls have only ever faced Liberty and UTEP. UB is 0-3 against Liberty, but is 2-0 against UTEP.
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