Recap: Jaret Patterson sets MAC record with 6 TDs in Buffalo’s 49-7 win over Bowling Green

Jaret Patterson’s career performance against Toledo was just a teaser for his grand finale. Last Wednesday night, the true sophomore rushed for a career-high 192 yards and scored five touchdowns, tying a MAC record for most scored in a single game.

But those numbers pale in comparison to the unfathomable stat-line the running back posted in a 49-7 win over Bowling Green. Patterson attained 298 rushing yards (most by any FBS player this season) and scored a MAC-record six touchdowns on the Bowling Green defense — all on 26 carries.

It was clear from the first play of the game that it would be a special performance from Patterson. On the opening play from scrimmage, he blitzed past the opposing defense for an 81-yard touchdown run to put the Bulls ahead 7-0. His next two rushing touchdowns, also in the first quarter, came from 35 and 30 yards. Patterson posted 166 yards and a hat trick on six carries in the opening quarter alone, and Buffalo held a lopsided 21-0 lead.

In the last six minutes of the second quarter, Patterson contributed two more touchdowns, one from nine yards out and one from the 1-yard line on the final play of the half. With the star tailback accounting for all five touchdowns, Buffalo entered halftime with a 35-7 lead.

After a surprisingly scoreless third quarter, Buffalo picked up steam again in the fourth quarter with two more rushing touchdowns. Patterson rushed for the first, while sophomore Kevin Marks added the final one.

Marks rushed for 107 yards, surpassing the 1,000 yards on the season. With Patterson and Marks both above the century mark, Buffalo becomes the first team in the FBS to have two 1,000-yard rushers in 2019.

With an effective ground game posting a season-best 455 yards on one of the bottom 10 rushing defenses in the nation, Buffalo passed sparingly. But when the Bulls elected to go through the air, quarterback Kyle Vantrease displayed efficiency. He completed 10/14 passes for 131 yards, winning his fifth game in six starts this season.

Under first-year head coach Scot Loeffler, Bowling Green finishes the season 3-9, missing out on bowl eligibility for the fourth-consecutive season. On the other hand, Buffalo finishes the season strong with back-to-back wins and a 5-1 home record, securing bowl hopes with a seventh win. Buffalo has never gone bowling in back-to-back seasons, but with the hot start to finish the season and a 7-5 record, the Bulls should have precedence over the four 6-6 MAC teams for bowl placement.