Buffalo vs Georgia Southern Football: 3 reasons to Watch the Camellia Bowl

The overlooked post-Christmas bowl game pitting the Georgia Southern Eagles against the Buffalo Bulls shapes up to be a nice lunchtime delight.

On December 27th, the Cranston Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama will host the Camellia Bowl showcasing teams represented by the Sun Belt and MAC conferences. The 6-6 Georgia Southern Eagles take flight against the 6-6 Buffalo Bulls.

The Eagles, under first-year head coach Clay Helton, earned their invitation with an exciting double-overtime win vs Appalachian State in their last game. The Bulls erased a 16-point deficit en route to clinching eligibility over Akron in their respective conclusion to the regular season. At first glance, this bowl game lacks…..shall we say, panache. On paper, you have two schools that finished with mediocre records, needing a last-gasp effort to just become bowl eligible. On top of that, they reside in two of the smaller, less publicized conferences: the Sun Belt & MAC. Finally, the bowl game itself doesn’t even have name recognition like the Sugar and Rose bowls, among others.

Despite all of this, you might want to tune into ESPN at noon on December, 27th; you might be pleasantly surprised. Here are three reasons to watch the Camellia Bowl.

3. Kyle Vantrease aims to tame the Bulls

Georgia Southern’s signal caller, Kyle Vantrease is no stranger to University at Buffalo. In fact, his college career commenced with the Bulls in 2017, where he started 25 games as their QB. In December of 2021, Vantrease decided to enter the transfer portal, giving his explanation to The Montgomery Independent.

“A lot of the people I came in with had either transferred or graduated, most of them graduated,” he said. “I had spent five years there and I wanted to get into a different system where I could show a little more with my arm. Just a change of scenery for my last year.”

Kyle has made the most of his final collegiate season, passing for more than 3,901 yards, averaging an impressive 325.1 passing yards per game, ranking him 4th in the nation for the aforementioned statistic.

The cherry on top would be for Vantrease to cap off his career with a bowl win; he would also pick up his third postseason victory (2019 Bahamas Bowl, 2020 Camellia Bowl).

The win would be even sweeter if he defeats his old squad in the very same bowl game in which he lead Buffalo to victory a mere two years ago.

"“It’s kind of neat to be able to play in it again,” Vantrease said. “We played in it in 2020 during COVID and we were staying at the other hotel, where Buffalo is staying this year. It was during COVID so some of the things were shut down but we’re going to able to go and see some of the history here. I’m familiar with the stadium. I’m familiar with the atmosphere there, so that’s always an added bonus for me. I’m excited to be back here. It’s a cool town, it’s a cool game. I’m excited to compete.”"

He’s not the only one who has the added motivation to defeat his old friend. Brandon Bailey, the UB Bulls defensive coordinator is a 2016 graduate of Georgia Southern University, and he may have the weapons that can keep Vantrease and company in check.

A trio of playmakers strengthens the herd

For the Bulls to win, their defense is the key. Allowing a little more than 27 points per game (74th in the nation) and allowing 391 plus total yards per game is not ideal for Buffalo. Fortunately for Buffalo, they have three very talented defenders waiting to ground the Eagles.

The one glaring hole in Vantrease’s game is his predisposition to turn the ball over. For the season, Kyle has thrown 15 interceptions to his 25 touchdowns. UB has just the ball hawk to thwart the Eagles. AP 3rd team All-American safety, Marcus Fuqua, leads the nation with seven picks to go with his 59 tackles on the year. The junior from Southfield, Michigan aims to put an exclamation point on his impressive season in the Camellia Bowl.

Local (West Seneca, NY) standout Shaun Dolac walked onto the team two years ago, and now leads the nation with 90 solo tackles.

As an imposing linebacker, the 6’1″ junior has added 4.5 sacks this season. He is one of the keys to a strong linebacker presence, hoping to stop Georgia Southern’s rushing attack. In addition, Dolac was a semi-finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, awarded to the most outstanding football player in America who began his career as a walk-on.

Perhaps the most important piece of the Bulls’ defense is the 5th year senior, linebacker, James Patterson. He’s regarded as one of the best defensive players in UB football history, let alone linebackers. His leadership is undeniable, as he has been a team captain since 2019. More importantly, it shows in the influence he’s had on his teammates, especially Dolac. An article published by the UB reporter illustrates the brotherhood that these two athletes have formed.

Patterson has 65 solo tackles to go with his 1.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles on the year. He will finish his career as the leader in career starts for the Bulls. Nothing would be better for James than winning the Camellia Bowl and going out a 3-time bowl game winner.

Points, points, and more points

If you’re an old-school football aficionado who enjoys a tight chess match of a game, you might want to stay away. With a current over/under of 67, this bowl game has the makings of a points explosion. On the Georgia Southern side, you have an offense that averages almost 470 total yards per game, but a defense that surrenders almost 500 yards. UB averages 376.4 yards per game on offense, while it gives up 391.5 on defense.

The Eagles’ passing game should be the focus when Georgia Southern is on offense. Vantrease has a multitude of weapons that he can distribute the ball to.

Khaleeb Hood, Derwin Burgess Jr., Amare Jones, and Jeremy Singleton have all contributed through the air giving defenses fits all year with their explosiveness and ability to stretch the field. Unfortunately, Burgess and Jones are both injured and unavailable for the game. Even so, the versatility of Vantrease, along with familiarity with the venue and Bulls, shouldn’t hamper him too much.

Jalen White is another name to watch as the Eagles’ starting running back has rushed for over 100 yards with 10 scores. The Buffalo rush defense has given up 23 touchdowns on the ground, allowing a whopping 175 yards per game.

For Buffalo, Cole Snyder doesn’t have the numbers as Vantrease, but he does have the consistency. Snyder has been as steady as they come this year, utilizing his top 2 wide receivers, Justin Marshall and Quien Williams with success. Snyder loves to spread the ball around; he has completed passes to at least 7 different receivers in every game this season.

Unlike the Eagles, the Bulls get their running backs more involved in the passing game as their top 2 backs have combined for 39 receptions and 342 yards. Ron Cook, Jr. and Mike Washington have also combined for over 1200 yards on the ground, and they should have no trouble against an Eagles run defense, who has surrendered 240 yards per game.

Georgia Southern’s explosive play offense can lead to some quick scores but can be filled with mistakes, leading to turnovers. The Bulls’ balanced attack is more methodical, but they could be forced into an inevitable shootout. One can expect a high-octane Camellia Bowl filled with many opportunities for scoring plays on both sides of the ball.