# 2017 Buffalo Bulls football team

The 2017 Buffalo Bulls football team represented the University at Buffalo in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulls were led by third-year head coach Lance Leipold and played their home games at University at Buffalo Stadium as members of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference. The Bulls finished the season 6–6, 4–4 in MAC play to finish in a tie for third place in the East Division. Despite being bowl-eligible, the Bulls did not receive an invitation to a bowl game.

## Coaching staff

| Name | Title |
| Lance Leipold | Head coach |
| Rob Ianello | Associate head coach/wide receivers coach |
| Brian Borland | Defensive coordinator/safeties coach |
| Andy Kotelnicki | Offensive coordinator/running backs coach |
| Daryl Agpalsa | Offensive line coach |
| Alan Hensell | Tight ends coach |
| Chris Simpson | Linebackers coach |
| Tim Edwards | Defensive line coach |
| Jim Zebrowski | Quarterbacks coach |
| Taiwo Onatolu | Cornerbacks coach |
| Chad Bumphis | Graduate assistant |
Source:

## Season notes
### Record setting game

On October 7, 2017, the Bulls and Western Michigan to score 139 points in a game that took a record-tying seven overtimes to settle. Buffalo lost 71–68. The game marked the highest-scoring FBS game, breaking the previous record set in 2016.

### Bowl snub

On November 24, 2017, Buffalo gained bowl eligibility for just the third time in school history. The Bulls had previously made appearances in the now-defunct International Bowl in 2008 and the Potato Bowl in 2013, then were denied bowl eligibility after a game the Bulls were likely to win was canceled due to a snowstorm and never rescheduled in 2014. The loss of one bowl game compared to the 2016 season and the distribution of wins and losses across the Bowl Subdivision meant that, unlike previous years, there were three fewer openings than there were teams to fill them, and the Bulls were one of the three teams snubbed by all of the bowls.

## Schedule

Buffalo announced their 2017 football schedule on January 23, 2017. In out-of-conference play, the Bulls will meet former Western Michigan head coach P. J. Fleck's Minnesota team, as well as the Lane Kiffin-led FAU Owls.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 7:00 p.m. | at Minnesota* | TCF Bank StadiumMinneapolis, MN | BTN | L 7–17 | 43,224 |
| September 9 | 12:00 p.m. | at Army* | Michie StadiumWest Point, NY | CBSSN | L 17–21 | 24,017 |
| September 16 | 6:00 p.m. | Colgate* | UB StadiumAmherst, NY | ESPN3 | W 33–10 | 11,546 |
| September 23 | 7:00 p.m. | Florida Atlantic* | UB StadiumAmherst, NY | ESPN3 | W 34–31 | 14,246 |
| September 30 | 3:30 p.m. | at Kent State | Dix StadiumKent, OH | ESPN3 | W 27–13 | 12,355 |
| October 7 | 3:30 p.m. | Western Michigan | UB StadiumAmherst, NY | ESPNU | L 68–71 $^{7OT}$ | 17,048 |
| October 14 | 3:30 p.m. | Northern Illinois | UB StadiumAmherst, NY | ESPN3 | L 13–14 | 12,784 |
| October 21 | 2:30 p.m. | at Miami (OH) | Yager StadiumOxford, OH | ESPN3 | L 14–24 | 13,803 |
| October 28 | 11:30 a.m. | at Akron | InfoCision StadiumAkron, OH | CBSSN | L 20–21 | 17,427 |
| November 7 | 7:30 p.m. | Bowling Green | UB StadiumAmherst, NY | ESPNU | W 38–28 | 12,205 |
| November 16 | 7:00 p.m. | at Ball State | Scheumann StadiumMuncie, IN | CBSSN | W 40–24 | 5,248 |
| November 24 | 1:00 p.m. | Ohio | UB StadiumAmherst, NY | ESPN3 | W 31–24 | 12,273 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingAll times are in Eastern time |||||||
Source:

## Game summaries
### At Minnesota

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Golden Gophers | 14 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17 |

### At Army

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 3 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Black Knights | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 21 |

### Colgate

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Raiders | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Bulls | 20 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 33 |

### Florida Atlantic

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 7 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 31 |
| Bulls | 14 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 34 |

### At Kent State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 7 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 27 |
| Golden Flashes | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 |

### Western Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | 3OT | 4OT | 5OT | 6OT | 7OT | Total |
| Broncos | 10 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 71 |
| Bulls | 14 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 68 |

### Northern Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Huskies | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Bulls | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 13 |

### At Miami (OH)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| RedHawks | 10 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 24 |

### At Akron

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 7 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
| Zips | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |

### Bowling Green

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Bulls | 21 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 38 |

### At Ball State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 10 | 13 | 14 | 3 | 40 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |

### Ohio

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bobcats | 7 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| Bulls | 24 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 31 |