UConn football vs. Buffalo preview

Location: Rentschler Field, East Hartford

Kickoff: Noon (CBS Sports Network)

Records: UConn 2-2, Buffalo 3-1

Last game: UConn beat Florida Atlantic, 48-14, Saturday; Buffalo won at Northern Illinois, 23-20 (OT), Saturday

Series: UConn leads, 16-5, losing last meeting 41-12 in 2013 at Buffalo

Players to watch: UConn, r-jr. WR Skyler Bell (15 catches, 347 yards, one TD), r-so. QB Nick Evers (30 for 60, 296 yards, two TDs, two int.), r-sr. WR TJ Sheffield (11 catches, 83 yards, 1 TD), r-fr. RB Durell Robinson (35 carries, 296 yards, three TDs), r-so. RB Cam Edwards (39 carries, 183 yards, two TDs), jr. RB Mel Brown (45 carries, 252 yards), r-jr. TE Alex Honing (four catches, 49 yards, two TDs), r-sr. LB Jayden McDonald (30 tackles, one int.), sr. LB Amir Renwick (13 tackles), r-sr. CB Jordan Wright (18 tackles, one sack), r-sr. DT Dal’Mont Gourdine (16 tackles,), jr. DB D’Mon Brinson (15 tackles), Sr. LB Tui Faumuina-Brown (32 tackles, one sack)

Buffalo, sr., QB C.J. Ogbonna (44 for 83, four TDs, 1 int.), sr. RB Jacqez Barksdale (43 carries, 194 yards, one TD), jr. RB Al-Jay Henderson (37 carries, 131 yards, two TDs), r-fr. RB Lamar Sperling (23 carries, 107 yards, one TD), r-so. WR Victor Snow (13 catches, 179 yards, one TD), grad WR Taji Johnson (four catches, 71 yards, one TD), grad LB Shaun Dolac (62 tackles, two sacks, two ints.), r-so. LB Red Murdock (41 tackles, one sack), r-jr. CB Marquis Cooper (27 tackles, one int.), r-sr. S Solomon Brown (22 tackles), sr. NICK Jalen McNair (17 tackles, one int.), r-so. K Upton Bellenfant (5 for 5 FGs, one game-winner)

Noteworthy: Buffalo won on the road last weekend at No. 23 Northern Illinois, which went to South Bend, Ind., and stunned nationally-ranked Notre Dame, 16-14, on Sept. 7.

Quotable: “When you watch them play on film, they’re physical, they’re tough, they’re gritty, they’re disciplined,” coach Jim Mora said. “They play really hard on both sides of the ball and on special teams. So it will be a really good challenge for us to go against an established team.”

Four down territory

• UConn always has to know where linebacker Shaun Dolac is lined up on defense. Dolac leads the nation in tackles (62) and tackles for loss (9.5). He also has two sacks, two interceptions and two pass break-ups. He is averaging 15.5 tackles per game.

The Bulls rank fourth in the nation in tackles for loss and have made an interception in all four games this season. They’ve allowed just 18.5 points per game

• With the above in mind, can the Huskies run the ball as well as they did last week when they piled up a school FBS record 421 yards? Highly unlikely given last week’s high success rate. Expect them to mix in a few more passes this week.

• This could be a low scoring game given that Buffalo has a stout defense and averages just 21.8 points and 267.5 yards per game. So it will be important for UConn to cash in on red zone opportunities.

• The Huskies will look to extend its home winning streak to four straight games dating back to last season. A win would match their season total from last year when they went 3-9 overall.

Extra points: This is the second of six straight home games. … Buffalo belongs to the Mid-American Conference. Huskies are 20-11 all-time vs. MAC teams. … The Bulls have never won at Rentschler Field, going 0-4. It will be their first game on grass since 2019. … Buffalo offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude grew up in Norwich and graduated from St. Bernard School and Central Connecticut State University. … UConn ranks 6th in the nation in sacks allowed with one in four games.