UB football (4-6, 2,4 MAC) fell to the Miami (OH) RedHawks (5-5, 2-4 MAC), 45-18, at Yager Stadium in Oxford, OH Tuesday night.
Following a 56-44 loss to Bowling Green last weekend, UB’s most recent defeat marks the program’s second consecutive loss. To make matters even worse, Tuesday night’s loss came after UB’s bye week. The Bulls still managed to lose by 27 points despite having extra time to prepare for the RedHawks.
Senior quarterback Kyle Vantrease threw for 151 yards and an interception in an uninspired offensive effort. Vantrease also turned the ball over with a fumble on the first possession of the game, a mistake Miami (OH) took advantage of with a 58-yard touchdown pass to redshirt senior wide receiver Jack Sorenson.
Junior running back Dylan McDuffie led the Bulls with 90 rushing yards and a touchdown while senior running back Kevin Marks Jr. struggled with just 18 yards on five carries, the lowlight being a failed fourth-and-one conversion attempt in the second quarter. UB’s offense struggled, but graduate wide receiver Quian Williams was a rare bright spot with nine catches for 104 yards and a touchdown.
On defense, UB gave up over 500 yards for the second consecutive week and had no answer for Miami (OH) sophomore quarterback Brett Gabbert. The St. Louis native, and younger brother of NFL quarterback Blaine Gabbert, torched the UB defense for 351 yards and four touchdowns.
The Bulls also conceded 185 yards on the ground, as freshman running backs Keyon Mozee and Kenny Tracy both found the end zone for the RedHawks.
UB’s defense was dreadful. Despite the mundane performance from the offense, they never gave the Bulls an opportunity to stay in the game.
The Bulls rarely showed a spark in a disastrous national television showing and now must win the final two games of their season to at least become bowl eligible.
The Bulls return to Buffalo for the final home game of the season next Wednesday when they take on the Northern Illinois Huskies (6-3, 4-1 MAC) at UB Stadium. The game will be aired on either ESPN2 or ESPNU.
Anthony DeCicco is the senior sports editor and can be reached at anthony.decicco@ubspectrum.com and @DeCicco42 on Twitter
Anthony DeCicco is the Editor-in-Chief of The Spectrum. His words have appeared in outlets such as SLAM Magazine andSyracuse.com. In 2020, he was awarded First Prize for Sports Column Writing at the Society of Professional Journalists' Region 1 Mark of Excellence Awards. In his free time, he can be found watching ‘90s Knicks games and reading NFL Mock Drafts at 3 a.m.
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
