The Buffalo Bulls visit the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Saturday afternoon from Brooks Stadium in an intriguing non-conference matchup. The Bulls come in 0-2 and have struggled to get much going this season after back-to-back successful campaigns. For the Chanticleers, they've established themselves as one of the top Group of Five teams over the last few seasons, and with the Bulls coming to town, they'll feel good about the chances to get off to a 3-0 start. Last season, Coastal Carolina came away with a three-point win on the road and they'll be looking to replicate that this season.
Buffalo has been one of the better teams in the MAC over the last few seasons but 2022 already looks like it'll be a rough season for the Bulls. Beyond losing to Maryland by 21 points in the opener, they were stunned at home last week against an FCS foe. Holy Cross won on a hail mary in the final seconds, setting back any confidence and momentum that this team might have. Now that the Bulls have to head south to one of the better Group of 5 teams and a team with strong home advantage, they might be destined for an 0-3 start.
The Bulls at least don't have any injuries to worry about in this one, which could serve as an advantage. Depth could be key in this one and with Coastal Carolina battling some injuries themselves, it could even be the playing field.
Now in his second season with the Bulls, All-MAC receiver @Quian1of1 has embr aced becoming a leader on the team.#UBhornsUP | #PoundTheRock pic.twitter.com/8sALP2e3iD
— UB Football (@UBFootball) September 14, 2022
The Bulls have had one of the best running games in the country over the last few seasons but it has seemed to drop off this go-around. They rank 91st nationally in running yards per game and with a passing offense that is only marginally better, they only have the nation's 90th best offense overall. Adding to that is the nation's 108th-ranked scoring offense, which could prove to be challenging to keep up with their opponent on Saturday. Cole Snyder leads the way at quarterback and with three touchdowns and no interceptions on the season, he'll need to continue to take care of the ball in this one.
While difficult to achieve, Buffalo's defense has actually been worse than its offense this season. They rank outside the top 100 nationally in nearly every defensive category and without the ability to force tams into turnovers, it has been a struggle. Coastal Carolina has been one of the nation's most balanced offenses over the last few years and the inconsistency on both sides of the defense for the Bulls could lead to some trouble.