Buffalo needed two long touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to catch Miami (Ohio). Ball State needed one of its own to catch UMass. Both made it to overtime, but they got there in different ways. Jason Wright and Chance Morrow kept Buffalo moving through the air, and Jalen Bonds gave Ball State a steady option on the ground. If Bonds can keep the Cardinals out of long third downs Wednesday, they can make Wright wait for his next chance.
Two ways to put together a drive
Wright threw for 358 yards and accounted for four touchdowns in Buffalo’s 34–31 win over Miami (Ohio). Morrow caught 12 passes for 199 yards and both passing touchdowns. His second touchdown capped an 11-play, 75-yard drive. Wright ran in from two yards out to finish the next drive after Buffalo went 80 yards in 12 plays. The Bulls made up a 15-point deficit by putting together two full drives.
DraftKings had Buffalo favored by 1.5 in the pregame snapshot. The Bulls have won four straight, but Ball State has scored at least 30 in each of its last three games. Bonds ran for 132 yards on 17 carries in the 31–30 loss to UMass, and Keldric Luster capped a 75-yard drive with the tying touchdown in the final minute of regulation. The other side of that game matters here, too. UMass threw for 302 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown before halftime. Ball State can use the run to keep the game close, but its defense still has to end drives when Wright starts finding Morrow.
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What the overtime scores hide
Buffalo and Miami had already combined for 62 points before overtime. Ball State and UMass were at 48 at the end of regulation, below the 51.5 DraftKings posted for Wednesday. A long Ball State drive can take time away from Buffalo and still push the score up if it ends in a touchdown. The thing to watch is what the Cardinals get once those drives reach scoring range. A touchdown can make Buffalo play from behind, while a field goal gives Wright room to erase the work of a long drive in one possession.
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