The UB football team (1-1, 0-0 MAC) fell to the Missouri Tigers (2-0, 0-0 SEC) by a score of 0-38 at Faurot Field on Saturday night. After an encouraging win against Lafayette on Aug. 29, the Bulls were no match for the No. 9 ranked team in college football. The Bulls have only won the first two games of their season twice in the last 60 years.
The first quarter showed signs of hope as the Bulls trailed by only three points after the opening 15 minutes. Senior quarterback C.J. Ogbonna finished his first two offensive drives going five attempts without a completion to a UB player. Despite lacking offensively, the defense held the Tigers to just two field goal attempts. The first quarter ended 0-3 to the Tigers.
As the second quarter began, an early pass interference by UB put Missouri in the red zone. Missouri senior quarterback Brady Cook took the ball himself and got the first six points of the night.
This trend continued throughout the rest of the second quarter, as Missouri found their stride and began growing their lead. The Tigers senior wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. equaled his career high with 10 receptions, along with 105 yards in just the first half. The half ended 0-24 with UB never entering the Missouri red zone and only walking away with one attempted field goal.
The second half saw more of the same, as Missouri proved why they are nationally ranked. Despite some great efforts by senior linebacker and MAC defensive player of the week Shaun Dolac, the Tigers kept the pressure on. The third quarter saw the Bulls trailing 0-31.
Missouri switched to their backup quarterback as they started the fourth quarter. The game finished 0-38 as Missouri went back-to-back games holding their opponents scoreless for the first time since 1935.
Despite the result, there were plenty of positives to look forward to as the season progresses. At times, the Bulls showed the ability to hold their own against a Top-10 team, which will prove important later in the season.
Buffalo returns home to UB Stadium to face the University of Massachusetts (0-2, 0-0 A10). The game will be at 1 p.m. on Sept. 14.
Evan Hilbert is the assistant sports editor and can be reached at evan.hilbert@ubspectrum.com
Evan Hilbert is an assistant sports editor at The Spectrum. He also is a three-season student-athlete with UB’s DI cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track team. He’s a fan of the Milwaukee Bucks, Newcastle United F.C., and the Buffalo Bills.
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
