Kansas football offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki

As Lance Leipold began leading the Buffalo football program to new heights in recent seasons, he had one of his longtime coordinators, Andy Kotelnicki, to thank for the Bulls’ offensive breakthrough.

After putting up impressive numbers together at both Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater and Buffalo, the hope for Leipold and Kotelnicki is that continuity will help them replicate their success with the long rebuilding Kansas football program.

One of the five new assistants who followed Leipold to KU from Buffalo, Kotelnicki directed an offense that thrived in the MAC with two productive running backs the past few seasons.

Buffalo’s offense hit another level from 2018-20, during the second half of Leipold and Kotelnicki’s partnership at UB. In the sixth and final season of their time together, the Bulls set new program records as they averaged 478.4 yards of total offense and 287.4 rushing yards a game.

In a 6-1 season that finished with the team’s third straight bowl appearance and second consecutive bowl victory, UB ranked fifth among all FBS teams in scoring, producing 43.4 points per game.

Throughout the 2020 and 2019 seasons, Kotelnicki leaned into the ground game, due to the presence of two valuable running backs — Jaret Patterson and Kevin Marks. This past fall, even though the pandemic altered schedule only included seven total games, the Bulls ran for 32 touchdowns, which was just four shy of the program’s single-season record.

The MAC’s offensive player of the year in 2020, Patterson easily led the nation in rushing, posting 178.7 yards a game — nearly 25 more yards on average than the back who ranked No. 2, Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim.

The Bulls’ various impressive offensive numbers helped Kotelnicki become one of four finalists — and the only assistant from a Group of Five program — to be nominated for Football Scoop’s offensive coordinator of the year award.

In 2019, when Buffalo went 8-5, the team ran for 3,256 yards, setting a program record in the process. Patterson became UB’s all-time single-season leading rusher (1,799 yards) while Marks ran for another 1,035. It was the first time in the team’s history that the Bulls had two 1,000-yard rushers in a single season.

In 2018, Buffalo went 10-4, giving the Bulls their highest win total as an FBS team. With the help of quarterback Tyree Jackson (3,131 passing yards, 28 touchdowns), who became UB’s first MAC Offensive Player of the Year, the Bulls exploded for a program record 5,803 total yards and set another school record with 64 offensive touchdowns.

In Patterson’s first year playing for Kotelnicki, the running back (who recently signed as an undrafted free agent with Washington) became the first freshman in UB history to hit the 1,000-yard mark. Patterson and Marks combined for 27 rushing TDs.

Kotelnicki has spoken in the past about how he tries to simplify the offense for his players. It’s one facet of his approach that helped him become a valuable member of Leipold’s staff.

The two first worked together at Wisconsin-Whitewater, from 2013-14, capping Leipold’s run at the Division III power with back to back 15-0 seasons and the fifth and sixth national titles of Leipold’s tenure.

Before teaming up with Leipold, Kotelnicki worked as an offensive coordinator at Division III University of Mary (2011-12) and spent four of his six years at Wisconsin-River Falls (2003, 2006-10) as the O.C. at his alma mater.

He also coached tight ends, offensive linemen and specialists at Western Illinois (2004-06).

UB offensive averages under Kotelnicki

2015 — 26.7 points, 136.9 rushing yards, 249.5 passing yards

2016 — 16.5 points, 153.3 rushing yards, 200.5 passing yards

2017 — 28.5 points, 141.1 rushing yards, 290.8 passing yards

2018 — 34.6 points, 189.1 rushing yards, 225.4 passing yards

2019 — 31.5 points, 250.5 rushing yards, 138.1 passing yards

2020 — 43.4 points, 287.4 rushing yards, 191 passing yards