Bahamas Bowl 2019: 3 takeaways from Buffalo’s blowout of Charlotte
By Zach Bigalke
Buffalo made short work of Charlotte in the first bowl game of the 2019-2020 postseason. Here are three things we learned from the Bahamas Bowl.
The first bowl game of the 2019-2020 college football postseason took place outside American borders, as it has the past few years. Buffalo headed to Nassau to play in the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl hoping to claim their first bowl victory in their fourth try. Charlotte was looking for instant success as the 49ers went bowling for the first time in school history.
Experience paid off, as Lance Leipold’s charges walked away from Thomas Robinson Stadium with a decisive 31-9 victory. Passing offense was never Buffalo’s strong suit this season. That trend continued as Bulls quarterback Kyle Vantrease finished just 8-of-17 for 77 yards, with one interception and one touchdown pass rounding out the stat sheet.
It did not matter for the Bulls, as they had little trouble with their Conference USA counterpart. The MAC opened the bowl season 1-0, a sterling start in a year where the league was downgraded among Group of Five conferences.
Buffalo finished the year 8-5 with their win over the 49ers. Charlotte dropped to 7-6 in the final standings. What else did we learn about these teams on Friday night in the Bahamas? Here are three lessons to take away from Nassau as bowl season now that bowl season is officially underway.