Liberty (2-0, 1-0 CUSA) and Buffalo (0-2, 0-0 MAC) will meet Saturday in New York with kickoff scheduled for Noon. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
The Flames lead the all-time series with the Bulls, 2-0. The most recent meeting came during the 2019 season when Liberty picked up the win, 35-17, the first win for Hugh Freeze as head coach of the Flames.
Current Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell and his staff are very familiar with the Bulls, having faced them the last two years while at Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers and Bulls met last September in Conway, South Carolina, with Coach Chadwell and his team taking the victory, 38-26. The two also met in September 2021 in Buffalo, with Coastal also winning that game, 28-25.
“They are very tough-minded,” Chadwell said of Buffalo. “They are a physical team on both sides of the ball, they are coached that way. They do a lot of different things to try to confuse you.”
Maurice Linguist is in his third season as head coach for the Bulls. It’s the first head coaching job for the Baylor alum as he has been a long-time defensive assistant, most recently for the Dallas Cowboys. Linguist was on staff at Buffalo early in his career as a position coach and returned as head coach in May 2021.
After a 4-8 season in 2021, Linguist’s first as head coach, Buffalo improved to 7-6 a season ago, including a 5-3 mark in conference play. That allowed Linguist and the Bulls to advance to the Camellia Bowl where they defeated Georgia Southern, 23-21.
“They’re not going to be intimidated,” said Chadwell of the Bulls. “No matter what their record is they are going to play hard. Last year, they started 0-3 and then won 6 out of 7 or 7 out of 8, whatever it was. I think they won a bowl game. He knows how to get the ship right.”
Things have gotten off to a slow start for Buffalo in 2022, beginning the season at 0-2. The Bulls dropped the season opener at No. 19 Wisconsin, 38-17, and being upset at home this past Saturday by Fordham, 40-37. Against the FCS opponent in their home opener, Buffalo jumped out to a 21-3 lead before Fordham game roaring back. Fordham scored the game winning touchdown with just over 2 minutes remaining in the game.
“If you look at the Wisconsin game they played them really well for three whole quarters and it got away in the fourth,” Chadwell said. “Then last week, they just had some unfortunate penalties at some bad times that really allowed the other team to win or they would have won that game. We’ve got to be ready to go.”
Buffalo’s quarterback is Cole Snyder who has completed 50 of 71 passes for 459 yards and 5 touchdowns with 0 interceptions so far this season. This past week against Fordham, Snyder finished the game 24 for 30 passing for 265 yards and 3 touchdowns.
“He is really good at executing,” Chadwell said of Snyder. “What I mean by that is they get it out quick. He makes good decisions. They have a really good scheme of what they do. He knows what to do with it. He’s an experienced guy. They show you a bunch of different things, different formations to try to make you think and motions and stuff. He knows how to use those motions and knows where to go with the ball.”
Marlyn Johnson has 11 receptions for 134 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead the way at receiver for the Bulls. Cole Harrity also has 11 catches going for 104 yards and 2 scores. 12 different receivers have caught at least one pass through the first two games.
Buffalo utilizes two primary running backs in their backfield in Mike Washington, Jr. and Ron Cook, Jr. Washington has rushed for 109 yards and 2 touchdowns on 25 carries through two games. Cook has toted the ball 23 times for 103 yards.
“We’ve shared with our team that, one, it’s hard to go on the road, and, two, they are the most talented team we have played regardless of their record,” Chadwell said. “They have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. They are bowl champions. They understand what it takes to be in a conference. This is a big challenge for us. If we’re not ready to go, they will smack us in the face and beat us.
PREDICTION
Liberty 34, Buffalo 23
Line: Liberty -3.5
Picks results this year:
Straight-up: 2-0
ATS: 2-0
