UB Horns Up! Road to CFB Visits A Buffalo Football Game Day

If you search anything related to Buffalo football, chances are you’ll be directed to all NFL content. The Bills dominate the Buffalo football market so thoroughly that some searches recommend changing Buffalo Bulls to Buffalo Bills. But tucked away in Amherst are the UB Bulls – the home football team of the University at Buffalo (not of!).

Despite being tucked away, UB has produced some significant football talent, namely Khalil Mack, albeit with sparing success in the MAC. So, I hit the road for Buffalo wings and Buffalo football.

This weekend, I met up with Andrew Bauhs of College Football Tour – an annual tradition that dates back to 2018. Andrew is nearing completion of the FBS journey and is a must-follow on his website, Instagram, and Twitter.

Check out my game day guide for UB football below. What are some of the must-sees, must-dos, and must-eats?

An All America City

This bronze buffalo statue provides a great photo op on campus.

When in buffalo!

The Murchie Family Fieldhouse serves as a dramatic contrast to UB Stadium.

Hungry mid-game? Check out the mac and cheese truck in the south end zone.

Fall foliage leads up to UB Stadium.

The UB band and cheerleaders prepare for the team walk.

New York’s Flagship

Buffalo UB — The University at Buffalo campus wore October fall foliage well this day.

Few places are as pleasant as the Great Lakes in October. A particularly dry fall led to muted foliage, but the color that did break through dazzled in upstate New York this afternoon. The State University of New York at Buffalo offers an array of dark brick buildings and (thankfully) not many hills. It’s easy to stroll and view the colors that painted campus’ trees.

Typically, I arrive on-site at least five hours before kickoff. A particular distain for traffic and plenty of things to see and do before heading into the stadium leads me to park my car as early as allowed and explore the city and campus at a leisure. Due to a 1:00 p.m. kickoff, I arrived at UB Stadium four hours before kick. It was a ghost town – College Football Tour and myself were the only non-employees there at 10:20 a.m.

During band warm-ups, we walked the main stretch of campus and visited the bronze bull statue. This is a great photo op for fans and visitors alike.

Beyond that, there’s just not much to see or do pregame. Campus is in Amherst, not Buffalo proper, and most of the must-dos in the area are a drive away. We were offered up a Sabres NHL game the night before or (when at home) a Bills game the day after. Niagara Falls isn’t too far away and neither is Toronto, but none of these things are associated with UB itself.

There’s no tailgating to speak of–despite it being a bit chilly, it was a pristine Saturday for tailgates, but we didn’t see so as much as one tent–so it’s best to arrive on-time for the game and not much earlier.

Buffalo is famous for its chicken wings and dozens of places compete for the top spot in town. Most of these spots are a distance from UB. I’ve visited Doc Sullivan’s a handful of times (10/10, absolutely worth it) and this time we hit Sonny Red’s. It’s a tough race between the two, but I’d choose Doc Sullivan’s, perhaps to the disdain of native Buffalonians.

Let’s Go Buffalo!

Buffalo’s football team is ushered into UB Stadium two hours before kickoff in the northwest corner near the Murchie Family Fieldhouse. The cheer squad and band are there to welcome them in, alongside a flood of parents and family members. Is it worth dropping everything to get here in time for the team walk? Not if you have something set up, but if you’re wandering, it’s worth the short walk.

Getting to the gates at open is worth while, though. Buffalo opens up the doors to the fieldhouse for one of the best fan zones I’ve seen, especially for a game day of this scale. There’s giveaways, games, competitions, and Buffalo’s mascot, Victor E. Bull. Football uniforms and helmets are available for photo ops and kids can even sport the uniform. You can spend the majority of pregame in here, especially if bringing a little one.

If you’re hungry while at the game, be sure to check out the mac and cheese truck in the south end zone for some really good food.

UB Stadium is one of two remaining FBS venues to have a track around the field. Not only is it unsightly, but it sits fans entirely too far from the action, even in Row 1. Sitting in the end zone stands is about as useless as you can get. You’re better off sitting in the upper deck for a view. You’ll likely have a choice of seats as attendance isn’t typically strong here.

Buffalo Bills fans are among the most dedicated and passionate in the NFL. But virtually none of that passion translates to the school, which is 20 miles further north. Fans arrived in sparing numbers (despite a jersey giveaway to kids) and bolted at halftime. Tickets aren’t the cheapest in the MAC, which likely contributes to the struggling numbers. The game day experience itself doesn’t justify the price, even when Buffalo is winning games. It’s just a tough product to sell.

Game day parking is free nearly anywhere on campus. Follow the signage for a sweat-free entrance and egress and enjoy the free convenient parking!

Akron 24, Buffalo 16

Buffalo QB Ty’Quan Roberson lines up as the Bulls trail 3-2 early in the game. Roberson tossed four interceptions in the loss.

That tough-to-sell product became even tougher to sell as Buffalo brought its worst game of the season that day. Quarterback Ty’Quan Roberson tossed four interceptions–including two when the game was on the line–and running back Ay-Jay Henderson fumbled a touchdown opportunity near the goal line on another possession. The 2-6 Zips stifled the Bulls’ offense that day.

Five turnovers does lead to ample opportunities to check out Akron’s Turnover Tire, though, which was among the highlights of the day (sadly for Buffalo fans). It was an ugly beatdown that wasn’t totally reflected in the 24-16 final score.

One thing that was disappointing to see, though, was the behavior of the Buffalo student section. Waning in numbers, about a dozen students showed up to berate and heckle Akron players on the sidelines. They called Zips out by number and by name to talk down on a team already struggling with bowl in-eligibility due to a poor Academic Progress Rate. Trash talk is one thing, these were personally-curated verbal attacks and it was an ugly light cast on UB students. Akron fired back with downright inexcusable return fire that should have been stopped by the coaching staff, but alas.

Some fan interactions are enough to disrupt the enjoyment of game day and this was certainly the case here.

The eight combined turnovers between Buffalo and Akron are the most I’ve seen in a game live. It’s a hard record to topple for teams to be this sloppy. Two other fumbles hit the deck, but were recovered by the offending team and UB sacked Akron’s punter on a bad snap for a safety.

UB Football Game Day Picks

Pregame meal: Sonny Red’s. A dynamite pizza place with elite chicken wings. It’s located in Lackawanna, about 20 minutes south of campus, but for those coming in from the west or south, it’s a convenient location for entry/egress.
Top game day tip: All parking for game day is free. School lots open up to the general public and you can take your pick of where to park. There’s not even a paid option anywhere around.
Chicken wings: Doc Sullivans. There’s dozens of opinions on wings in Buffalo, but Doc Sullivan’s is my personal favorite.
Under-the-radar: Buffalo’s Coca-Cola Fan Zone is seriously worth visiting. It’s located inside the Murchie Family Fieldhouse between gates open and kickoff and closes down once the game actually starts. There’s games, Buffalo swag to be won, and the team mascot roaming around.

UB Football Game Day Grades

Stadium: F. UB Stadium is one of two FBS venues remaining with a track around the playing surface (Nevada). That sets fans far away from the field and further disengages them from the action. The stadium doesn’t have an obvious press box, instead opting for a mini pro-style venue. The large set of stands in the south end zone sit vacant. This just isn’t a good FBS venue, sadly.

Tradition: D-. To be fully transparent, I struggled to find traditions to document on game day. Researching these was a nightmare with almost no information available. Turns out, it’s because Buffalo just lacks obvious football traditions. There’s a hand sign (shown above), a mascot, a fight song… but nothing unique to UB. The Bulls’ traditional rival, Temple, not only plays in a different conference, but the two rarely meet and they’ve met 18 total times.

Atmosphere: D. To be fair to UB fans, there wasn’t anything to get up for. Buffalo was thoroughly beaten with almost no explosive plays or anything to get the juices flowing. It was a graveyard for much of the game, aside from the handful of students who consistently berated and heckled the Akron sideline (oftentimes with personal, targeted attacks which was way uncalled for).

Tailgating: F. There’s minimal tailgating, even on Saturdays. This Saturday, a brisk but beautiful afternoon, we saw a grand total of zero tailgating tents. Unless you plan on bringing your own tent and materials, tailgating isn’t an option here. It was a major disappointment.

Fans: C. I’m truly shocked that none the ride-or-die passion that Buffalo carries for the Bills bleeds over to UB. The fans in attendance either, (a) were kids who benefitted from a jersey promo, (b) were parents of players, or (c) left at halftime. The fans in attendance were passionate, but there were so few of them it was hard to be impressed.

Extracirriculars: B-. Buffalo is a good Great Lakes city with the Bills and Sabres also in town. Niagara Falls, one of the world’s natural wonders, sits nearby. Northeast Ohio and Erie, Pa., both offer extensive winery options and vineyards to visit. There’s not much around the campus itself, but there’s plenty to do within a reasonable driving distance.

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