Marshall football looks finish season strong in Camellia Bowl vs. Buffalo

With both teams coming off championship game losses, expect this years Camellia Bowl to be a thriller as both teams hope to finish strong heading into 2021.

It’s safe to say that both teams had higher aspirations at some point this season, but Marshall and Buffalo are two of the best Group of Five teams in the country and will be looking to finish off the 2020 season with a victory in the Camellia Bowl.

The Buffalo Bulls were riding high on the their potent ground attack, led by Jarrett Patterson, who has over 1,000 yards in just six games this season. Patterson will be going against one of the best defenses in the country, as Marshall’s run defense is potent and will be looking to slow down the talented running back to win the game.

Both teams have had similar trajectories this season. Marshall started out 7-0 and won every game by double digits, including a win over Appalachian State. Marshall was a part of the first college football playoff rankings this year, but that is when things started to go bad, particularly for the Marshall offense.

Marshall was defeated by Rice, who was a 24-point underdog, and it was because freshman quarterback Grant Wells threw five interceptions and the Thundering Herd were shut out. The Thundering Herd then lost last weekend to UAB in the C-USA Championship and they are looking to be the team that was 7-0 instead of the one we have seen for the past two games.

Buffalo was also riding high coming into the MAC title game against Ball State. The Bulls’ offense had been running through everyone in the conference and they entered the game as a 13.5-point favorite. The game was bad from the start and the Bulls could not get going in time to save their undefeated season and were upset by the Cardinals.

This has a chance to be one of the most competitive bowl games this year and should be a fun one to watch.

Here is how you can watch Marshall vs. Buffalo on Friday:

Date: Friday, Dec. 25
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Cramton Bowl
Location: Montgomery, AL
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

For the Buffalo offense, the key is simple, they must dominate on the line of scrimmage. Marshall has one of the best defenses in the country and have done really well stopping the run this year. Patterson is one of the best running backs in the country and is the key to the Bulls’ offense, as he opens up things down the field for the passing attack.

For the Buffalo defense, they need to force Wells to make mistakes and turn the ball over, because that is how this Thundering Herd have been stopped on offense this season, and is a main reason why they could not defeat Rice a few weeks ago. If the Bulls win the turnover battle, they should defeat Marshall.

For the Marshall offense, they need to get back to throwing the football with some success. Wells is only a freshman, but he has shown flashes of being more than capable of carrying an offense this year. Wells must cut down on the turnovers for the Thundering Herd to win this game.

For the Marshall defense, they have to slow down the Bulls’ ground game. Buffalo is an explosive running team that is going to look to break off big chunks of yards at a time and Marshall has to cut down on the explosive plays allowed.

Betting Odds

All odds are provided courtesy of The Action Network

Spread: Buffalo -5
Over/Under: 54

Prediction

I think that this will be one of the most entertaining games of the entire bowl season and will feature two of the best Group of Five players in the country in Buffalo’s Patterson and Marshall’s Wells.

This game will be low-scoring, as both defenses are solid and I think that Buffalo is going to win a close win because of Patterson and the Bulls’ defense will force Marshall to turn the ball over and give that rushing attack more possessions. Give me the Bulls in a fun game.

Final Score: Buffalo 27, Marshall 21