# 2024 Buffalo Bulls football team

The 2024 Buffalo Bulls football team represented the University at Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulls were led by Pete Lembo in his first year as head coach. The Bulls played their home games at University at Buffalo Stadium, located in Amherst, New York.
Buffalo beat 23rd ranked Northern Illinois for their second win over a ranked opponent in school history and first since 2008.

## Preseason
### Preseason polls
#### Coaches Poll

On July 19 the MAC announced the preseason coaches poll. Buffalo was picked to finish tenth in the conference. They received zero votes to win the MAC Championship.
MAC Coaches poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Miami | 119 (9) |
| 2 | Toledo | 109 (3) |
| T3 | Bowling Green | 92 |
| T3 | Northern Illinois | 92 |
| 5 | Ohio | 81 |
| 6 | Eastern Michigan | 64 |
| 7 | Western Michigan | 60 |
| 8 | Central Michigan | 59 |
| 9 | Ball State | 42 |
| 10 | Buffalo | 37 |
| 11 | Akron | 24 |
| 12 | Kent State | 13 |
Coaches poll (MAC Championship) :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes |
| 1 | Miami | 10 |
| 2 | Toledo | 2 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 29, 2024 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 17 (FCS) Lafayette* | UB StadiumAmherst, NY | ESPN+ | W 30–13 | 16,400 |
| September 7 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 9 Missouri* | Faurot FieldColumbia, MO | SECN+/ESPN+ | L 0–38 | 62,621 |
| September 14 | 1:00 p.m. | UMass* | UB StadiumAmherst, NY | CBSSN | W 34–3 | 15,204 |
| September 21 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 23 Northern Illinois | Huskie StadiumDeKalb, IL | ESPN+ | W 23–20 $^{OT}$ | 18,688 |
| September 28 | 12:00 p.m. | at UConn* | Rentschler FieldEast Hartford, CT | CBSSN | L 3–47 | 20,347 |
| October 12 | 12:00 p.m. | Toledo | UB StadiumAmherst, NY | ESPNU | W 30–15 | 13,996 |
| October 19 | 3:30 p.m. | Western Michigan | UB StadiumAmherst, NY | ESPN+ | L 41–48 | 18,487 |
| October 26 | 12:00 p.m. | at Ohio | Peden StadiumAthens, OH | CBSSN | L 16–47 | 16,048 |
| November 2 | 12:00 p.m. | at Akron | InfoCision StadiumAkron, OH | CBSSN | W 41–30 | 4,610 |
| November 12 | 7:00 p.m. | Ball State | UB StadiumAmherst, NY | CBSSN | W 51–48 $^{OT}$ | 12,708 |
| November 20 | 7:00 p.m. | at Eastern Michigan | Rynearson StadiumYpsilanti, MI | ESPNU | W 37–20 | 12,004 |
| November 26 | 7:00 p.m. | Kent State | UB StadiumAmherst, NY | ESPN+ | W 43–7 | 11,916 |
| January 4, 2025 | 11:00 a.m. | vs. Liberty | Thomas Robinson StadiumNassau, The Bahamas (Bahamas Bowl) | ESPN2 | W 26–7 | 4,610 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Game summaries
### No. 17 (FCS) Lafayette

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 17 (FCS) Leopards | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 13 |
| Bulls | 13 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 30 |
at UB Stadium • Amherst, New York
* Date: Thursday, August 29, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 76 °F (24 °C); Sunny
* Game attendance: 16,400
* Referee: Jeremy Valentine
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Anthony Lima (play-by-play) and Jordan Reid (analyst)
* Boxscore
| Statistics | LAF | UB |
| First downs | 14 | 23 |
| Plays–yards | 63–225 | 69–403 |
| Rushing yards | 28–45 | 45–208 |
| Passing yards | 180 | 195 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 24–35–2 | 14–24–0 |
| Time of possession | 28:47 | 31:13 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Lafayette | Passing | Dean DeNobile | 23/33, 162 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Lafayette | Rushing | Troy Bruce | 4 carries, 29 yards |
| Lafayette | Receiving | Chris Carasia | 8 receptions, 83 yards, TD |
| Buffalo | Passing | C.J. Ogbonna | 14/24, 195 yards, 2 TD |
| Buffalo | Rushing | Jacqez Barksdale | 14 carries, 99 yards, TD |
| Buffalo | Receiving | Nik McMillan | 5 receptions, 76 yards, TD |

### at No. 9 Missouri

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 9 Tigers | 3 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
at Faurot Field • Columbia, Missouri
* Date: Saturday, September 7, 2024
* Game time: 6 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C); Sunny; Wind at NE9 MPH
* Game attendance: 62,621
* Referee: Kyle Olson
* TV announcers (SECN+/ESPN+): Lowell Galindo (play-by-play) and Fozzy Whittaker (analyst)
* Pregame line: MIZZ −34.5 Over/Under: 53.5 · Boxscore
| Statistics | UB | MIZZ |
| First downs | 9 | 28 |
| Plays–yards | 52–169 | 83–518 |
| Rushing yards | 114 | 255 |
| Passing yards | 55 | 263 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 6–20–1 | 34–42–1 |
| Time of possession | 21:39 | 38:21 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Buffalo | Passing | C.J. Ogbonna | 6/20, 55 yards, INT |
| Buffalo | Rushing | Jacqez Barksdale | 15 carries, 67 yards |
| Buffalo | Receiving | Victor Snow | 4 receptions, 41 yards |
| Missouri | Passing | Brady Cook | 28/36, 228 yards, INT |
| Missouri | Rushing | Nate Noel | 12 carries, 73 yards, TD |
| Missouri | Receiving | Theo Wease | 13 receptions, 149 yards |

### UMass

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Minutemen | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Bulls | 7 | 3 | 17 | 7 | 34 |
at UB Stadium • Amherst, New York
* Date: Saturday, September 14, 2024
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C); Sunny
* Game attendance: 15,204
* Referee: Andrew Speciale
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Jordan Kent (play-by-play) and Logan Ryan (analyst)
* Boxscore
| Statistics | UMASS | UB |
| First downs | 11 | 15 |
| Plays–yards | 66–193 | 60–314 |
| Rushing yards | 37–72 | 38–129 |
| Passing yards | 121 | 185 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 14–29–1 | 14–22–0 |
| Time of possession | 44:00 | 27:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UMass | Passing | Taisun Phommachanh | 14/29, 121 yards, INT |
| UMass | Rushing | Brandon Campbell | 8 carries, 36 yards |
| UMass | Receiving | Jacquon Gibson | 4 receptions, 58 yards |
| Buffalo | Passing | C.J. Ogbonna | 14/22, 185 yards, TD |
| Buffalo | Rushing | Lamar Sperling | 16 carries, 86 yards, TD |
| Buffalo | Receiving | JJ Jenkins | 2 receptions, 44 yards, TD |

### at No. 23 Northern Illinois

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Bulls | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 23 |
| No. 23 Huskies | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 20 |
at Huskie Stadium, DeKalb, Illinois
* Date: Saturday September 21, 2024
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 88 °F (31 °C) • Wind: N 9 mph
* Game attendance: 18,688
* Referee: David Siegle
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Jason Ross Jr. (play-by-play) and Tyoka Jackson (analyst)
* Boxscore
| Statistics | UB | NIU |
| First downs | 9 | 24 |
| Plays–yards | 54–184 | 85–359 |
| Rushing yards | 37–77 | 42–165 |
| Passing yards | 107 | 194 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 10–17–0 | 23–43–1 |
| Time of possession | 23:47 | 36:13 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Buffalo | Passing | C. J. Ogbonna | 10/17, 107 yards, TD |
| Buffalo | Rushing | Al-Jay Henderson | 11 carries, 56 yards, TD |
| Buffalo | Receiving | Victor Snow | 3 receptions, 72 yards, TD |
| Northern Illinois | Passing | Ethan Hampton | 23/43, 194 yards, INT |
| Northern Illinois | Rushing | Antario Brown | 24 carries, 73 yards, 2 TD |
| Northern Illinois | Receiving | Cam Thompson | 3 receptions, 49 yards |

### at UConn

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Huskies | 10 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 47 |
at Rentschler Field, DeKalb, Illinois
* Date: Saturday September 28, 2024
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 73 °F (23 °C) • Wind: E at 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
* Game attendance: 20,347
* Referee: Riley Johnson
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Jordan Kent (play-by-play), Logan Ryan (color analyst) & Keiana Martin (sideline)
* Boxscore
| Statistics | UB | CONN |
| First downs | 12 | 28 |
| Plays–yards | 63–198 | 79–537 |
| Rushing yards | 27–75 | 46–257 |
| Passing yards | 123 | 280 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 16–36–1 | 19–33–0 |
| Time of possession | 25:40 | 34:20 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Buffalo | Passing | CJ Ogbonna | 12/25, 82 yards |
| Buffalo | Rushing | CJ Ogbonna | 14 carries, 38 yards |
| Buffalo | Receiving | JJ Jenkins | 5 receptions, 32 yards |
| UConn | Passing | Joe Fagnano | 11/19, 217 yards, 3 TD |
| UConn | Rushing | Cam Edwards | 10 carries, 97 yards, TD |
| UConn | Receiving | Skyler Bell | 6 receptions, 153 yards, 3 TD |

### Toledo

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rockets | 0 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 15 |
| Bulls | 7 | 0 | 14 | 9 | 30 |
at UB Stadium, Amherst, New York
* Date: Saturday October 12, 2024
* Game time: 12:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 58 °F (14 °C)
* Game attendance: 13,996
* Referee: Greg Sujack
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Rene Ingoglia (analyst)
* Boxscore
| Statistics | TOL | UB |
| First downs | 21 | 19 |
| Plays–yards | 75–418 | 72–357 |
| Rushing yards | 46 | 230 |
| Passing yards | 372 | 127 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 30–49–0 | 11–20–0 |
| Time of possession | 26:08 | 33:52 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Toledo | Passing | John Richter | 16/23, 227 yards, 2 TD |
| Toledo | Rushing | Tucker Gleason | 6 carries, 20 yards |
| Toledo | Receiving | Jurjuan Newton | 7 receptions, 159 yards, 2 TD |
| Buffalo | Passing | CJ Ogbonna | 11/20, 127 yards, TD |
| Buffalo | Rushing | Al-Jay Henderson | 18 carries, 142 yards |
| Buffalo | Receiving | JJ Jenkins | 2 receptions, 43 yards |

### Western Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 7 | 21 | 7 | 13 | 48 |
| Bulls | 10 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 41 |
at UB Stadium, Amherst, New York
* Date: Saturday October 19, 2024
* Game time: 3:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 66 °F (19 °C)
* Game attendance: 18,487
* Referee: Billy Williams
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Anthony Lima (play-by-play) and Je'Rod Cherry (analyst)
* Boxscore
| Statistics | WMU | UB |
| First downs | 26 | 23 |
| Plays–yards | 74–489 | 73–551 |
| Rushing yards | 209 | 242 |
| Passing yards | 280 | 309 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 20–31–0 | 22–34–0 |
| Time of possession | 33:22 | 26:38 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Michigan | Passing | Hayden Wolff | 20/31, 280 yards, 3 TD |
| Western Michigan | Rushing | Jaden Nixon | 14 carries, 112 yards, 3 TD |
| Western Michigan | Receiving | Blake Bosma | 6 receptions, 85 yards, 3 TD |
| Buffalo | Passing | C.J. Ogbonna | 22/34, 309 yards, 2 TD |
| Buffalo | Rushing | Al-Jay Henderson | 12 carries, 97 yards, TD |
| Buffalo | Receiving | Victor Snow | 7 receptions, 84 yards, TD |

### at Ohio

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 0 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 32 |
| Bobcats | 3 | 21 | 9 | 14 | 47 |
at Peden Stadium, Athens, Ohio
* Date: Saturday October 26, 2024
* Game time: 12:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 58 °F (14 °C)
* Game attendance: 16,048
* Referee: Greg Sujack
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Dave Ryan (play-by-play) and Adam Brenemen (analyst)
* Pregame line: Ohio -6.5; O/U 45.5 •
| Statistics | UB | OHIO |
| First downs | 22 | 22 |
| Plays–yards | 72–383 | 60–489 |
| Rushing yards | 33–126 | 41–258 |
| Passing yards | 257 | 231 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 24–39–1 | 14–19–1 |
| Time of possession | 29:29 | 30:31 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Buffalo | Passing | C. J. Ogbonna | 24/39, 257 yards, TD, INT |
| Buffalo | Rushing | Al-Jay Henderson | 14 carries, 81 yards |
| Buffalo | Receiving | Victor Snow | 5 receptions, 75 yards, TD |
| Ohio | Passing | Parker Navarro | 14/19, 231 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Ohio | Rushing | Rickey Hunt Jr. | 9 carries, 89 yards, TD |
| Ohio | Receiving | Coleman Owen | 6 receptions, 146 yards, 2 TD |

### at Akron

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 14 | 10 | 14 | 3 | 41 |
| Zips | 7 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 30 |
at InfoCision Stadium, Akron, Ohio
* Date: Saturday November 2, 2024
* Game time: 12:00 p.m.
* TV announcers (CBSSN): John Sadak (play-by-play) and Randy Cross (analyst)
| Statistics | UB | AKR |
| First downs | 19 | 23 |
| Total yards | 390 | 452 |
| Rushing yards | 180 | 74 |
| Passing yards | 210 | 378 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 17-29-0 | 23-43-1 |
| Time of possession | 32:56 | 27:04 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Buffalo | Passing | C.J. Ogbonna | 17/29, 210 yards, 2 TD |
| Buffalo | Rushing | Al-Jay Henderson | 18 carries, 107 yards, TD |
| Buffalo | Receiving | JJ Jenkins | 5 receptions, 57 yards, TD |
| Akron | Passing | Ben Finley | 23/42, 378 yards, 4 TD, INT |
| Akron | Rushing | Jordon Simmons | 14 carries, 68 yards |
| Akron | Receiving | Adrian Norton | 6 receptions, 98 yards, 2 TD |

### Ball State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Ball State | 7 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 48 |
| Buffalo | 7 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 6 | 51 |
at UB Stadium, Amherst, New York
* Date: Tuesday November 12, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 41 °F (5 °C)
* Game attendance: 12,708
* Referee: Matt Packowski
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Dave Ryan (play-by-play) and Adam Breneman (analyst)
| Statistics | BALL | UB |
| First downs | 24 | 26 |
| Plays–yards | 74–520 | 78–470 |
| Rushing yards | 37–193 | 41–206 |
| Passing yards | 327 | 264 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 25–37–1 | 19–37–2 |
| Time of possession | 33:13 | 26:26 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ball State | Passing | Kadin Semonza | 25/37, 327 yards, 4 TD, INT |
| Ball State | Rushing | Kadin Semonza | 4 carries, 53 yards |
| Ball State | Receiving | Justin Bowick | 7 receptions, 148 yards, 2 TD |
| Buffalo | Passing | C.J. Ogbonna | 19/37, 264 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| Buffalo | Rushing | Al-Jay Henderson | 27 carries, 126 yards, 2 TD |
| Buffalo | Receiving | JJ Jenkins | 8 receptions, 131 yards, TD |

### at Eastern Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 8 | 9 | 6 | 14 | 37 |
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 13 | 7 | 20 |
at Rynearson Stadium, Ypsilanti, Michigan
* Date: Wednesday November 20, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 40 °F (4 °C) • Wind: SW 9 miles per hour (14 km/h)
* Game attendance: 12,004
* Referee: David Siegle
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Justin Kutcher (play-by-play) and Rene Ingoglia (analyst)
* Boxscore
| Statistics | UB | EMU |
| First downs | 20 | 20 |
| Plays–yards | 69–396 | 70–445 |
| Rushing yards | 136 | 70 |
| Passing yards | 260 | 375 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 18–28–0 | 27–39–3 |
| Time of possession | 31:48 | 28:12 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Buffalo | Passing | C. J. Ogbonna | 18/28, 260 yards, 3 TD |
| Buffalo | Rushing | Al-Jay Henderson | 25 carries, 86 yards, TD |
| Buffalo | Receiving | JJ Jenkins | 5 receptions, 120 yards, TD |
| Eastern Michigan | Passing | Cole Snyder | 24/33, 351 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| Eastern Michigan | Rushing | Delbert Mimms III | 12 carries, 49 yards |
| Eastern Michigan | Receiving | Markus Allen | 9 receptions, 187 yards, TD |

### Kent State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Flashes | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Bulls | 13 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 43 |
at UB Stadium, Amherst, New York
* Date: Tuesday November 26, 2024
* Game time: 7:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 41 °F (5 °C) • Wind: SW 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
* Game attendance: 11,916
* Referee: Rich Edwards
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Michael Reghi (play-by-play) and Ryan Cavanaugh (analyst)
| Statistics | KENT | UB |
| First downs | 10 | 26 |
| Plays–yards | 54–208 | 74–446 |
| Rushing yards | 106 | 253 |
| Passing yards | 102 | 193 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 10–18–1 | 14–22–1 |
| Time of possession | 28:41 | 31:19 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kent State | Passing | Tommy Ulatowski | 7/12, 91 yards, TD |
| Kent State | Rushing | Jahzae Kimbrough | 14 carries, 65 yards |
| Kent State | Receiving | Jay Jay Etheridge | 6 receptions, 64 yards |
| Buffalo | Passing | C. J. Ogbonna | 14/22, 193 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Buffalo | Rushing | Al-Jay Henderson | 30 carries, 185 yards, TD |
| Buffalo | Receiving | Victor Snow | 8 receptions, 99 yards, TD |

### vs. Liberty (Bahamas Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulls | 6 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 26 |
| Flames | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
at Thomas Robinson Stadium, Nassau, Bahamas
* Date: Saturday January 4, 2025
* Game time: 11:00 a.m.
* Game weather: Partly cloudy • Temperature: 72 °F (22 °C) • Wind: NNE at 15 miles per hour (24 km/h)
* Game attendance: 4,610
* Referee: Darryl DeBerry
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Matt Schumacker (play-by-play), Dustin Fox (analyst) and Coley Harvey (sideline)
* Box score
| Statistics | UB | LIB |
| First downs | 18 | 11 |
| Total yards | 359 | 242 |
| Rushing yards | 222 | 162 |
| Passing yards | 137 | 80 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 9–19–0 | 6–21–1 |
| Time of possession | 37:01 | 22:59 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Buffalo | Passing | C.J. Ogbonna | 9/19, 137 yards |
| Buffalo | Rushing | Al-Jay Henderson | 21 carries, 199 yards, TD |
| Buffalo | Receiving | Victor Snow | 4 receptions, 41 yards |
| Liberty | Passing | Nate Hampton | 2/9, 40 yards, TD, INT |
| Liberty | Rushing | Billy Lucas | 3 carries, 57 yards |
| Liberty | Receiving | Reese Smith | 1 reception, 36 yards, TD |