Bulls drop third straight MAC game

The football team averaged just 1.7 yards per carry and junior quarterback Joe Licata was sacked and intercepted twice. Buffalo still possessed the ball, however, with less than three minutes remaining with the opportunity to defeat the No.1 ranked Mid-American Conference defense.

But the Chippewas proved why their defense is ranked the best in the MAC. Central Michigan’s defensive back Jason Wilson broke up Licata’s fourth down pass to senior wide receiver Devon Hughes.

Buffalo’s ‘D’ could have given the offense one more opportunity to win the game. But after the Chippewas converted on a 4th and 1, Buffalo had no timeouts remaining and Central Michigan ran out the remainder of the clock.

On Saturday, the Bulls (3-5, 1-3 MAC) lost 20-14 to Central Michigan (5-4, 3-2 MAC) in their first game after firing previous head coach Jeff Quinn.

It was the first game for interim head coach Alex Wood.

“Obviously didn’t turn out the way we wanted it to,” Wood said. “I thought our kids played hard tonight … the disappointing part is that [Central Michigan] held us to 38 yards rushing. They [made] us really offensively to be one dimensional, when that happens it’s tough to win at any level. We need to fix that obviously and we will.”

Buffalo’s offense struggled to begin the game, running just nine plays for 28 yards in the first quarter.

In comparison, Central Michigan ran 20 plays for 106 yards and led 7-0 after the first quarter.

The Bulls trailed 14-0 with less than seven minutes remaining in the first half and Central Michigan was driving the field, in pursuit of its third score of the game. Buffalo’s ‘D’ needed to make a big play.

And like he’s seemingly done all season, senior defensive back Adam Redden stepped up.

Redden entered the Chippewas’ backfield untouched and strip-sacked quarterback Cooper Rush. Redden recovered the fumble at Buffalo’s 33-yard line. The ensuing Bulls drive resulted in a 28-yard touchdown pass from Licata to junior wide receiver Ron Willoughby to pull the Bulls within seven points.

“I knew [Rush] was going to keep the ball … it was a crucial play,” Redden said. “That’s what we had to do to get the momentum back. I saw the ball in the air; I thought I was the only individual who saw the ball [loose]. Even if it’s not a fumble, make it look like a fumble.”

The Buffalo ‘D’ finished the game with five sacks – Redden led the Bulls with two sacks and junior cornerback Okezie Alozie added 1.5 sacks. Buffalo recorded just its second interception of the season, courtesy of senior safety Witney Sherry in the third quarter.

Buffalo trailed 14-7 at halftime, but quickly erased the deficit in the third quarter.

Junior running back Devin Campbell returned the second-half kickoff 69 yards to the Central Michigan 23-yard line. Three plays later, Licata found sophomore wide receiver Malcolm Robinson for a 6-yard touchdown, tying the game at 14.

But with 8:08 remaining in the fourth quarter, Rush threw a 7-yard touchdown to senior wide receiver Titus Davis. Following a missed extra point, the Chippewas led 20-14.

Rush completed 14 of 24 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown. Davis finished with six receptions for 100 yards and a score. Central Michigan’s leading rusher, Thomas Rawls, suffered an injury early in the first quarter and missed the remainder of the game. Junior running back Saylor Lavalli stepped in and ran for 83 yards and two touchdowns.

Buffalo had two more possessions to potentially win the game. Both, however, ended in failed fourth down conversions.

“We had answers on paper but what it comes down to [was that] we just didn’t make plays,” Licata said. “Some of those I missed checks that I’ve got to make as a junior, as a captain of this team. You’ve got to make those plays and be available. I came up short individually today.”

Licata finished the night 21 for 35 for 233 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions and was sacked twice. He moved into fourth all-time in passing yards and is now just one touchdown behind Drew Willy (52) for the most passing touchdowns in UB history.

Junior running back Anthone Taylor struggled throughout the game. He finished with only 14 carries and season-worst 25 yards after four straight games with more than 100 rushing yards. The Bulls finished with only 38 rushing yards as a team.

“We have to be able to have a balance of attack on offense,” said senior center Trevor Sales. “We can’t sit back and throw it all night and we can’t pound it all night. That’s just not how it works. We need to find a way to get both sides of the ball going and not at certain points of the game.”

Buffalo must win its final four games to be eligible to play in its second consecutive bowl game. Sales believes the season isn’t over yet.

“Our backs are against the wall and we know that,” Sales said. “But we’re not going to go hide in the corner and cry about it. There’s four games left … and we’re going to come out swinging and we’re going to finish this thing out strong. There’s going to be some fun ones to watch. So stay tuned.”

The Bulls travel to Ohio (4-5, 2-3 MAC) Nov. 5. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. and the game will be aired on ESPN2.