Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl Gameday Guide
Photo Credit: Fox News
The beginning of the 2019-20 College Football Bowl season is upon us and starts with our hometown Charlotte 49ers, as they take on the Buffalo Bulls in the Bahamas. Vegas has the Buffalo Bulls favored at (-6.5) and the over/under for the event is at 52.5. Wind is said to possibly play a factor in this one, so I do not predict an “air raid” game. Expect this game to have both teams hanging in the 40’s for the total. Charlotte will be making their first bowl appearance in school history. Buffalo is entering their 4th Bowl game in program history, but they look to get their first bowl victory (0-3) in Nassau.
Photo Credit: Hustle Belt
Buffalo will be representing the MAC Conference in this one. The Bulls finished the regular season with a (7-5) record, that included a big win against Temple (8-4). Their schedule was decently tough, as they also played Penn State. Running the football will be the main objective for this squad…as they have a star Running Back named Jaret Patterson who has amassed 1,626 rushing yards to go along with 17 TD’s. He is coming fresh off of a game against Bowling Green where he gained 298 yards and hit pay dirt 6 times! Wow! Kevin Marks (Running Back) also has 1,008 rushing yards as well. Their Quarterback is Kyle Vantrease, who is a Sophomore out of Stow, OH. They do not rely on him for electrifying the offense it appears, but he does not turn the ball over very often with 7 TD’s and 1 INT on the year. I see Buffalo running the ball quite a bit. The Bulls defense is what sets them apart from Charlotte. Opponents average 22.3 points a game against them and they have only gave up more than 30 points once this season.
Photo Credit: Charlotte49ers.com
Niner Nation has a lot to be proud of with this team. Will Healy has turned a young, underachieving program into a winner. If you look up his enthusiasm and the impact it has had on UNC-Charlotte…you will understand what I am talking about. I could be a little biased being that it is my alma matter…but I saw how the program was pre-Healy…and it was a joke. To be quite honest with you, I am not sure they are more talented that Buffalo, but the will have a coaching and grit edge. Benny LeMay returns from an injury and actually played in their last outing against Old Dominion. LeMay is averaging 5.7 yards per carry on the year and the 49ers Quarterback Chris Reynolds can run it too. Even though Charlotte is labeled a run-first team, they can pass it. Reynolds has 21 TD’s on the year and has thrown for 2,366 yards. Defensively, they do give up 32.5 points per game, so that is something to keep an eye on. “Char-Lit” is riding a 5 game winning streak, so Buffalo will be catching them at their hottest.
My prediction for this affair will be Charlotte 28 Buffalo 26. This game will come down to who can run the ball the best, and I believe Charlotte will surprise Buffalo a little. As far as the competitive edge, I don’t know if there is a college team out there with more fire and passion than the 49ers right now.
AustYn
References: ESPN, Action Network, CBS Sports
Photo Credit: UNC Charlotte Twitter @unccharlotte