When the Los Angeles Chargers beat the Houston Texans last week, the top performers on the PFF grading sheet weren't seasoned veterans or marquee names — they were a pair of alumni from Buffalo.
Kayode Awosika and Marlowe Wax earned the highest PFF grades among all Chargers players in the win over Houston, a result that puts the University at Buffalo on the NFL map in a way that's hard to ignore. Two Bulls, one game, leading the whole roster in performance grades — that's not a footnote; that's a statement.
Awosika, a guard who has carved out a role in the Chargers' offensive line, has been one of the quieter Buffalo success stories in the league. Offensive linemen rarely get headlines, but PFF grades are one of the few metrics that pull them out of the anonymity of the trenches. Topping the chart in a win is the kind of performance that earns extended roster spots and, eventually, starting contracts.
Wax's high grade alongside Awosika makes the Buffalo connection even harder to dismiss. Getting one alumni into the top tier of a PFF breakdown is notable. Getting two, in the same game, suggests the Bulls are producing NFL-caliber talent with more consistency than their program typically gets credit for.
It's worth noting the broader Buffalo footprint across the league this preseason. The Bills retain homegrown alumni in Joe Andreessen (LB) and Cameron Lewis (DB), while Khalil Mack — still one of the most feared pass rushers in football — continues to suit up for the Chargers alongside Awosika. Tyree Jackson is with the Commanders at TE, Malcolm Koonce is competing with the Raiders at DE, and Jaret Patterson holds a spot on the Chargers' backfield depth chart, making Los Angeles something of an unofficial Buffalo alumni chapter.
But the story this week belongs to Awosika and Wax. In a league where program pedigree often dictates opportunity, two players from a Group of Five school in upstate New York outgraded everyone else on their roster. Bulls fans paying attention to the NFL have good reason to watch the Chargers' final preseason cuts closely.
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