MAC Championship Preview: Northern Illinois v. Buffalo

Northern Illinois-Buffalo Series:

• Game will be held at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan
• Game will start at 7:00 PM ET on 10/30
• Series is led by Buffalo 11-1
• Northern Illinois holds current win streak of 11

Offensive Players to Watch:

Northern Illinois: RB Tre Harbison is the leading rusher for the Huskies and looks to get to 1,000 rushing yards this game. The shown ability to break off for big runs works for Harbison against a Buffalo defense that gives up 170 yards a game. On the season, Tre Harison has ran up 950 rushing yards and pushed 4 touchdowns into the endzone. I think we’ll see Northern Illinois try to exploit Buffalo’s weaker rush defense.

Buffalo: When we watch Buffalo play we know they like to air it with QB Tyree Jackson. Jackson knows how to air it out against opposing defenses and will most likely do the same with Northern Illinois giving up 237 passing yards a game. This year, Jackson has thrown 2,605 passing yards, tossed 25 touchdowns, and has lobbed 11 interceptions. If Buffalo doesn’t take the passing approach with Jackson, it will be a surprise. 

Defensive Players to Watch:

Northern Illinois: I think Northern Illinois feels extremely comfortable with LB Kyle Pugh running the middle of the defense. Pugh can get to receivers quick and stop runners from break-aways. Kyle Pugh has 90 total tackles, 5.0 tackles-for-loss, and 1.5 sacks. Watch for this junior to have a great game in another MAC Championship game.

Buffalo: DE Charles Harris wants to end off his senior MAC season with the title. Harris is consistently getting into the backfield and causing problems for teams that run the RPO. Harris has amounted 40 total tackles, 7.0 tackles-for-loss, and 6.0 sacks for the season. The Buffalo defense is definitely going to want to cause havoc in the backfield of Norther Illinois and cause some turnovers to secure the MAC Championship.

The Basics:

Buffalo has been absolutely dominant all year with only tripped up once as of recently. However, I don’t think that Northern Illinois can produce the offense needed to beat the Bulls. Northern Illinois sits at 318.0 total yards of offense a game, which is slim compared to the Bull’s 419.4 offensive yards. Also, Northern Illinois can’t compete with the passing arm of Tyree Jackson that will press them all game long.

Score Prediction:

45-21 Buffalo

Photo Credits: https://www.capperspicks.com/free-picks/college-football/buffalo-bulls-vs-northern-illinois-huskies-10222016-betting-prediction/