The football team (3-2, 1-0 MAC) is coming off a 35-27 win against Miami Ohio (0-5, 0-1 MAC) to begin conference play. The Bulls travel to Bowling Green (3-2, 1-0 MAC) to take on the Falcons Saturday. Bowling Green holds an 8-3 all-time record against the Bulls, including three straight wins and last year’s 24-7 win in what was essentially a MAC East championship game. Buffalo and Bowling Green both average more than 33 points a game, but also allow their opponents to score more than 30 points.
Here are some of the Falcons to look out for.
James Knapke, sophomore quarterback
After preseason All-MAC first-team starting quarterback Matt Johnson suffered a season-ending hip injury, Knapke has stepped in and excelled immediately. Knapke is coming off his best game as a starter, throwing for a career-high 443 yards and three touchdowns in the Falcons’ 47-42 win against UMass.
Bowling Green asks its first-year starter to throw – a lot. He has 191 pass attempts in just four games. He threw 73 times in a 45-42 win over Indiana. Knapke has thrown for 1,238 yards and seven touchdowns to go along with six interceptions. Although it may be his first season, he looks perfectly capable of controlling the game and the Falcons’ high-tempo offense.
Roger Lewis, freshman wide receiver
The Bulls have already faced one freshman speedster wide receiver, in Baylor’s KD Cannon. After allowing Cannon to catch an 89-yard touchdown pass, Buffalo will hope for better results against Lewis, who has recorded a team-best 44 receptions, 583 yards and three touchdowns in his first five career games. His name has been mentioned with the Biletnikoff Award watch list, which recognizes the country’s best receiver.
The true freshman has been making opposing defenses look unskilled this season. Lewis had 16 receptions for 149 yards and the game-winning touchdown in a 45-42 win over Indiana on Sept. 13. He currently leads the MAC in receptions and yards and is clearly Knapke’s favorite target.
His ability to get open is what makes him so dangerous. His speed in undeniably impressive and will be an issue for the Bulls’ secondary. If Lewis consistently gets open, the Bulls will be looking at a long day.
Brian Sutton, senior defensive back
Sutton played in all 14 games last year and finished with 43 tackles. This year, he has already matched that production through the first five games of the season.
The senior safety has 2.5 tackles for loss in addition to his team-leading 43 tackles. He is one of the Falcons best open-field tacklers and plays much bigger than his 5-foot-11 frame suggests.
Key matchup: James Knapke vs. Courtney Lester
The Bulls’ secondary surrendered just three and 12 completions to Norfolk State and Miami Ohio, respectively, the past two weeks. But the RedHawks’ 12 completions went for 238 yards and three touchdowns – an average of nearly 20 yards per completion. Senior defensive back Courtney Lester gave up some of those big plays.
Lester has not been the No. 1 shutdown corner for the Bulls he was supposed to be this season. He did record six pass breakups last week, with four coming in the fourth quarter when Buffalo was holding onto the lead.
Lester will have to step up Saturday if the Bulls are going to limit Bowling Green’s pass offense. Knapke is going to throw a lot, and he will probably go after Lester, as RedHawks’ quarterback Andrew Hendrix did last week. The key for Lester is to not allow the big play down the field, especially if he is asked to cover Rogers.
Buffalo’s ‘D’ has allowed too many big plays to opposing offenses so far this season. In four out of five games, the Bulls have given up a touchdown pass longer than 32 yards.
email: sports@ubspectrum.com
