Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 21-17vs UAlbany | 8 | 74 | 9.3 | 0 | 47 | Season-high 74 yds |
| Wk 2 | L 20-33@ Florida International | 10 | 16 | 1.6 | 0 | 8 | |
| Wk 3 | L 13-55@ Penn State | 6 | 10 | 1.7 | 0 | 4 | |
| Total | 24 | 100 | 4.2 | 0 | 47 |
#4
Messiah Burch
Senior running back for Buffalo. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
5′9″ · 190 lb · Staten Island, NY · Monsignor Farrell
The numbers
100
rushing yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 74 rush yds, vs UAlbany
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior running back for Buffalo. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Buffalo in 2023.
Messiah Burch
Three seasons at Buffalo, two different head coaches: Maurice Linguist and Pete Lembo. One game to point at: 74 rush yds against UAlbany — Week 1, 2026.
100 RUSH YDS · 0 RUSH TD · 24 CARRIES
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
He was on the field for 3 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
2023
- Signed with Buffalo3-star out of Monsignor Farrell
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Buffalo
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
2 coaches2024
Buffalo
Coaching transition mid-career: Maurice Linguist → Pete Lembo. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Career stats
Game log
Game by game
Messiah Burch's 2026 production
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 21–17
vs UAlbany
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 1 · UAlbany · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +3.28No Huddle-Shotgun #4 M.Burch rush left for 47 yards gain to the UALB47 (#29 R.Lavalais Jr.), out of bounds, 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Florida International · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA -1.44(01:53) No Huddle-Shotgun #4 M.Burch rush middle for 6 yards loss to the FIU34 (#2 D.Boykins; #7 J.Celestine)
- Week 2 · Florida International · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA -1.05(00:50) No Huddle-Shotgun #4 M.Burch rush right for 0 yards to the FIU47 (#0 D.Floyd)
- Week 3 · Penn State · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA -0.70No Huddle-Shotgun #4 M.Burch rush middle for 0 yards to the BUF25 (#33 A.McPherson)
- Week 1 · UAlbany · 2&7 · Q1 · EPA -0.67No Huddle-Shotgun #4 M.Burch rush right for 2 yards gain to the UALB48 (#1 J.Pruitt)
- Week 3 · Penn State · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA -0.59No Huddle-Shotgun #7 J.Wright pass complete short right to #4 M.Burch caught at BUF24, for 1 yard to the BUF26 (#7 Z.Tracy)
- Week 2 · Florida International · 3&20 · Q1 · EPA +0.58(05:59) Shotgun #4 M.Burch rush middle for 8 yards gain to the FIU33 (#7 J.Celestine)
- Week 2 · Florida International · 2&16 · Q2 · EPA -0.56(01:53) No Huddle-Shotgun #16 E.Holmes pass complete short middle to #4 M.Burch caught at FIU32, for 2 yards to the FIU32 (#3 D.Hill)
- Week 2 · Florida International · 2&14 · Q1 · EPA -0.55(04:28) No Huddle-Shotgun #4 M.Burch rush middle for 2 yards gain to the FIU33 (#7 J.Celestine)
- Week 3 · Penn State · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA -0.42No Huddle-Shotgun #4 M.Burch rush middle for 2 yards gain to the PSU36 (#13 T.Rojas)
2026 snapshot
Since week 2: +10 rushing yards, +2 catches.
Season context · Team result + system
2024Buffalo9-4HC: Maurice Linguist · Run-heavy
2025Buffalo5-7HC: Pete Lembo · Balanced
2026Buffalo1-2HC: Pete Lembo · Balanced
Where this profile ranks vs the RB cohort
Box-score percentiles
Concern: rush yards (0th percentile).
Box-score rates (7)
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Splits & context
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 74.0 | 9.3 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 13.0 | 1.6 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| YDS/g | YPC | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 33.3 | 4.2 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Pete Lembo
Pass share
54.9%
113 pass / 93 run
Plays / game
68.7
3 games
Team sack rate
4.3%
117 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Starter
The No. 2,063 recruit in the country is carrying the ball in the Mid-American as a senior.
Background
Hoof Prints: Versatile athlete who can play both wide receiver and running back... Academic All-MAC selection... major is exploratory. Redshirt-Sophomore (2025): Appeared in six games... rushed for 41 yards and added four receptions on the season... had four carries for 39 yards against Saint…
The backfield · Buffalo
- #25Terrance Shelton Jr.244 rushing yards · 2025
- #24James McNeil Jr.67 rushing yards · 2025
- #4Messiah Burch41 rushing yards · 2025
- #21Devare Mathis1 game · 2025
- Nino Hill2 games · 2026
1 more on the roster · Buffalo team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology