Weekday MACtion is here!

Preview 

The first week of midweek MACtion kicks off Tuesday, November 3, with the Buffalo Bulls traveling to Oxford, Ohio, to take on Miami (OH).  

Both teams enter the matchup with 5-3 records and have gotten off to strong starts in conference play, each holding a 3-1 record in MAC play. With both teams looking to gain ground in the conference standings, I expect this game to have some potential chaos as most mid-week MAC games do.  

Buffalo head coach Pete Lembo has found his offensive weapon in Senior running back Messiah Burch, who has been outstanding in MAC play this season. Burch has rushed for 845 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 105.6 yards per game. Burch has surpassed the 100-yard mark in five consecutive games and is coming off a dominant performance against Bowling Green, where he totaled 184 rushing yards and three touchdowns. 

Not only has the offensive side of the ball been producing, but Lembo's defense has been making plays of its own, forcing seven turnovers in its last three games.  

Miami (OH) and head coach Chuck Martin have dealt with significant quarterback injuries throughout the season. Both Thomas Gotkowski and Dequan McComb have been ruled out for the year, forcing the RedHawks to turn to Caleb Heavner to lead the offense. Since taking over the offense, Heavner has thrown for 615 yards, three TDs and added 217 rushing yards with two TDs in 5 games played.  

This Miami defense has some problems, but they all reside in the secondary. The RedHawks are allowing just 3.3 yards per carry and fewer than 95 rushing yards per game.  

My Prediction

First off, Pete Lembo and Chuck Martin are two of my favorite coaches in the MAC. I think this game is going to be a chess match. With both teams coming off a bye, there has been plenty of time to develop a game plan around one another.

I expect Pete Lembo to try to try and establish the run early and often. With that being said, I give the edge to Chuck Martin. I think he will be more than happy to stack the box and take away Buffalo's running game, forcing the Bulls into third-and-medium and third-and-long situations. Martin will be willing to take his chances with Miami's secondary and force Jason Wright to beat the RedHawks through the air. I like the RedHawks to take this matchup and head to 6-3 on the season.

MACtion is back!