Bahamas Bowl will match two high-powered running games in Charlotte and Buffalo
Friday’s Bahamas Bowl might come down to which team’s star running back performs best.
In senior Benny LeMay, the Charlotte 49ers have a back who has rushed for 1,037 yards and nine touchdowns in just 10 games this season. LeMay, who missed two games with an Achilles tendon injury, averages 103.7 yards per game, second best in Conference USA.
Buffalo sophomore Jaret Patterson has rushed for 1,626 yards and 17 touchdowns. He has run for 490 yards and 10 touchdowns in the Bulls’ past two games.
LeMay and Patterson have a few things in common. They average 5.8 yards per carry and are similar in size (LeMay is 5-foot-9, 218 pounds; Patterson is 5-9, 195)
“They’re both highly productive, physical, can take the hits, make people miss,” Buffalo coach Lance Leipold said. “They have outstanding balance, so there are probably a lot of similarities there. I’m sure they feel the same way about (LeMay) as we do about Jaret.”
Which team stands the best chance of slowing LeMay and Patterson down?
Buffalo’s defense is fourth nationally in run defense (95.3 yards per game), and the Bulls have allowed just one 100-yard rusher this season.
Charlotte’s run defense hasn’t been as stout. The 49ers allow 190.8 yards per game, 10th in Conference USA.
Something else for the 49ers to consider: The Bulls have another 1,000-yard rusher in Kevin Marks (1,008 yards).
Leipold said he’s just as worried about 49ers sophomore quarterback Chris Reynolds, who has thrown for 1,214 yards and nine touchdowns and rushed for 531 yards and three touchdowns during Charlotte’s five-game winning streak.
“They do a lot with him to get (Reynolds) out of the pocket,” Leipold said. “There’s not consistent launch points that you’re looking for. He can deliver the ball from all different arm angles, and he can run the ball. So you’ve got to account for him.”
Bahamas Bowl notes
▪ The Bahamas Bowl — officially known as the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl — is actually sponsored by a town.
Elk Grove Village, Illinois, which is located near Chicago, is home to the nation’s largest industrial park and is using exposure from the bowl to hopefully lure (hence the Makers Wanted slogan) business. Businesses from Elk Grove Village also recently donated nearly $50,000 in supplies to a youth home in the Bahamas, which was hit by Hurricane Dorian in September.
▪ Wednesday’s early National Signing Day — which produced the highest-rated class in program history — nonetheless came with some disappointments for the 49ers. Buddy Mack, a defensive back from Duncan (South Carolina) Byrnes High who had verbally committed to Charlotte, switched and signed with Pittsburgh. Jason Brownlee, a receiver from East Mississippi Community College who had also verbally committed to the 49ers, decided instead to attend Conference USA rival Southern Mississippi.
▪ Thursday was rainy and windy in the Bahamas. The 49ers practiced in the elements on an artificial turf field near the national stadium, their first and only practice in pads of the week. The forecast calls for the wind and rain to continue Friday morning, before clearing sometime in the afternoon.
▪ Buffalo starting cornerback Aapri✓ Washington is from Charlotte and played at Mountain Island Charter. Washington, a sophomore, has two interceptions this season.
▪ Charlotte coach Will Healy pointed out Thursday that Leipold, who won six Division III national championships at Wisconsin-Whitewater before going to Buffalo in 2015, was ranked 78th in a recent listing by ESPN.com of the 150 greatest college football coaches in history. Leopold’s career record is a sparkling 139-38 (30-32 at Buffalo).
“I don’t even know if I was in the top 2 million,” said Healy, who is in his fourth season as a head coach and has a career record of 20-26.