Miami Gets ESPN. Buffalo Gets a Vote

Miami has won three straight. Now comes the part where my friends and family can find the game without asking me which streaming service they need.

Buffalo. Tuesday. 8 p.m. ESPN.

The Bulls arrive at Yager Stadium with the same 5–3 record, 3–1 MAC mark and three-game winning streak as Miami. Somebody leaves with six wins. Somebody gets a much less enjoyable Wednesday morning.

Offense: Give Heavner room to keep growing

Caleb Heavner looked like more than a quarterback holding things together at Central Michigan. He threw for 221 yards, ran for 58, and helped Miami answer when the game demanded it. For someone who entered the season as QB3, he is giving me plenty to get excited about.

I want Miami to build on that confidence. Give him early completions, move the pocket and keep his legs involved. He doesn’t need to turn every third down into an audition for SportsCenter, but Buffalo should have to defend more than the handoff.

Maleek Huggins is my first receiver to watch after his seven-catch, 122-yard performance. Damarion Witten is the other: his ability to stretch a defense gives Miami a way to score without needing twelve things to go right on the same drive.

H&H projections.

The caution: Buffalo has forced seven turnovers in its last three games. Miami can win this matchup, but handing the Bulls short fields would be a generous interpretation of hospitality.

Defense: Stop the run. Then actually leave the field

This is the matchup I’m most interested in. Buffalo wants to run, and Miami’s defense has made that difficult for opponents.

• Buffalo rushing offense

  176.4 yards per game

• Miami rushing defense

  97.1 yards allowed per game

Burch has 845 yards, 5.6 per carry, and he has rushed for more than 100 yards in five straight games. He deserves Miami’s attention, and Blayne Myrick and CJ Young should have busy evenings finding him. Roosevelt Andrews III can help by disrupting plays before Burch gets comfortable.

But selling out against the run creates another problem. Chance Morrow has six receiving touchdowns, and tight end Clint Walker has three over Buffalo’s last two games. Miami needs to win early downs without losing track of the receivers who can punish that attention.

My target is under 125 rushing yards allowed and at least one takeaway. And when Miami earns a stop, please keep it. The defense has enough work without offering complimentary first downs.

Special Teams: Scoop gets a national audience, too

Scoop Smith is worth watching whenever Buffalo gives him a return opportunity. One burst can change field position, wake up Yager and make the people who just tuned in ask who that was.

Kellan McLaughlin enters with eight consecutive made field goals. Buffalo’s Oliver Hautanen is 13-for-17, so this could become a game where settling for three feels acceptable until the other team gets seven. I’d prefer Miami make its kicker’s evening mostly extra points.

Prediction: Miami 27, Buffalo 23

I’m picking Miami because I trust the run defense to make Buffalo work, and I think Heavner can create enough offense to finish at home. That includes using his legs when the opportunity is there, rather than asking the running backs to manufacture everything between the tackles.

H&H projections, not reported statistics.

This is a chance to reach six wins, stay in the MAC race and give a bigger audience a reason to keep watching. I’m excited to see Miami in that window. I’d be even more excited to finish the night talking about Heavner, Huggins and the defense instead of explaining a flag.