Walking up the ramp to the visitors' locker room at Doyt L. Perry Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio, the Central Michigan football team walked off another team's field with a win for the first time in 703 days.

The Chippewas (5-3, 3-1 MAC) defeated Bowling Green, 38-20, for its first win on the road since defeating Kent State, 42-23, on Nov. 14, 2017 at Dix Stadium. That win was the fourth of five-straight wins for CMU on its way to an 8-5 record and 6-2 mark in Mid-American Conference play.

As for 2019, CMU has struggled on the road – losing to Wisconsin (Sept. 7), Miami (Sept. 21) and Western Michigan (Sept. 28). However, the Chippewas had opportunities to win over the Hurricanes and showed the ability to move the ball in the loss to the Broncos.

Against the Falcons, the Chippewas were comfortable and appeared to have control throughout all 60 minutes. The win moved first-year coach Jim McElwain's group to second in the MAC West Division standings behind Ball State.

With the program's first road win in almost two years under its belt, CMU will have to achieve another feat it has not done in nearly the same time frame — win consecutive road games.

"This is another road game we have to go take care of," said sophomore safety Devonni Reed. "These last four games are so important to us and we're taking this week a little bit at a time and taking each week one week at a time."

CMU has a chance to become bowl eligible just one season after the 1-11 campaign in 2018. All that stands between the Chippewas and bowl eligibility is a road game against Buffalo.

The Chippewas also playing for a chance at the MAC Championship Game, and a win over the Bulls would help bolster the chance to play at Ford Field in Detroit for the conference title.

Reed said that a win over Buffalo would mean a lot, especially with what is on the line for his team.

"In the back of our mind, we know it's at our fingertips," Reed said. "We control our own fate at this point. That's why I said we're going to take each week one step at a time."

Buffalo currently sits at 3-4 overall and 1-2 in MAC play. The team, led by fifth-year coach Lance Leipold, is coming off a 21-0 win over Akron, a squad which CMU defeated in the third week of the season, 45-24.

The Bulls have Kyle Vantrease at quarterback, and he has played in each game to this point. He is 33 of 51 passing for 292 yards and two touchdowns. He has yet to throw an interception.

Central Michigan and Buffalo have squared off nine times, dating back to 1999 — a 38-19 CMU win.

The Chippewas have dominated the matchup by winning seven out of the nine games. The Bulls have wins in 2004 (when they went 2-9) and 2018 (when the Chippewas went 1-11).

Buffalo's defense tops the MAC in yards allowed in the passing and running game. The Bulls have five interceptions and have allowed just 1,422 yards overall this season, which equates to 203.1 yards per game. The Chippewas have allowed 253.9 passing yards per game, which puts them at sixth in the conference.

Tryone Hill leads the team with 47 tackles (33 solo) and a team-high five pass breakups from the safety position. Fellow senior safety Joey Banks is another member of the secondary to watch out for, as he has accumulated 45 tackles (30 solo), 4.5 tackles, for a loss, one sack and one interception.

The defensive line is no slouch, either.

"Our offensive line has got their work cut out for them," McElwain said. "That's a really good group and we've got to make sure we're on our stuff to be able to do that and hopefully we can do some different stuff to slow them down here and there.

"I think it's a great challenge for our front to see where we've come."

Buffalo has allowed just eight rushing touchdowns in seven games while giving up only 95.3 yards per game. For comparison sake, CMU's run defense ranks second in the conference with 110.9 yards allowed.

Offensively, though, the Chippewas have the upper hand. McElwain's spread system ranks sixth in the MAC with 241.4 passing yards per game. Buffalo averages a league-worst 127.7 yards per game through the air.

Led by running backs Jonathan Ward and Kobe Lewis, CMU ranks third in the MAC with 187.5 yards per game on the ground. Ward, a senior, and Lewis, a sophomore, have complemented each other well in the backfield throughout the season.

"I just treat him like a little brother," Ward said of Lewis. "He's the next running back up here when I'm gone so I'm trying to leave him with the knowledge that I've learned and he can add that to his craft."

Central Michigan (5-3, 3-1) @ Buffalo Bulls (3-4, 1-2)

Time: 3:30 p.m.

Date: Oct. 26, 2019

Stadium: University of Buffalo Stadium

Location: Amherst, New York

Odds: UB -2.5

Over/Under: 47.5

TV: ESPN+ (Doug Sherman and Je'Rod Cherry)

Radio: 98.5 WUPS (Don Chiodo and Adam Jaksa)