"Too little, too late as Bulls fall to Army"

Trailing by eight points with 30 seconds left in its game against Army Saturday, the football team faced a fourth down on its own 32-yard line with no timeouts left.

Buffalo had trailed by as many as 30 points in the fourth quarter, but with a potent passing attack, an onside kick recovery and a Black Knights fumble, the Bulls made it a one-possession game.

With the game on the line, Buffalo called a draw up the middle with junior running back Anthone Taylor. Taylor gained 2 yards. Buffalo needed three.

The Bulls (1-1) fell 47-39 to Army (1-0) Saturday in West Point, New York. Buffalo trailed 47-17 with less than 12 minutes remaining in the game, but scored 22 unanswered points to pull within eight.

“We came here to win a football game and we didn’t play well enough for four quarters,” said head coach Jeff Quinn. “You dig yourself in a hole against a team that chops the clock and runs the ball well and we certainly weren’t able to pull out the win today.”

In their 38-28 victory over Duquesne (0-1) last week, the Bulls held the Dukes to 51 yards rushing. The Black Knights gained 57 yards on a single third quarter carry Saturday.

Buffalo allowed Army’s triple-option offense to run for 341 yards and seven touchdowns. Army running back Larry Dixon ran for 174 yards and two touchdowns, which came on runs of 23 and 45 yards, respectively. Running back Terry Baggett added a 41-yard touchdown in the third quarter that made the score 34-10.

“We knew they were going to run the ball,” Quinn said. “Heck, that’s what they do. Bottom line is how we responded offensively but we just turned the ball over too many times in key situations and that’s what hurt us.”

Buffalo had several mental lapses on offense. Trailing 21-3 on the first drive of the second half, the Bulls attempted a trick play on fourth and three.

After receiving a handoff out of the backfield, sophomore running back Jordan Johnson threw a pass to a wide-open Matt Weiser. The junior tight end dropped the pass.

Junior quarterback Joe Licata threw three interceptions, including one right before the end of the first half that set up a 6-yard Army touchdown run.

“If you want to win at the Division I level, your quarterback can’t throw three interceptions in one game,” Licata said.

Licata and the Buffalo offense came alive after a pair of 4-yard Army touchdown runs early in the final quarter that made the score 47-17.

Licata threw three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull the Bills within eight. He finished the game 34 for 49 for 396 yards and career-best five touchdowns.

After a 15-yard touchdown by junior running back Devin Campbell, Buffalo converted an onside kick and scored another touchdown on the ensuing drive to pull within 16.

Buffalo did not convert its next onside kick attempt, but Army gave them the ball back two plays later with a fumble by quarterback Angel Santiago.

After another touchdown catch by Campbell and an Army punt, the Bulls got the ball back with 57 seconds left. Buffalo turned the ball over on downs when Taylor could not convert on fourth down.

After surrendering 322 pass yards to Duquesne last week, Buffalo allowed Army quarterbacks to complete all seven of their passes for 125 yards.

Buffalo had more of its receivers involved in the game after only relying heavily on junior wide receiver Ron Willoughby last week.

Junior wide receiver Marcus McGill had six catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns, including a 65-yard score down the sideline in the third quarter. Senior wide receiver Devon Hughes caught five passes for 62 yards and a touchdown. Willoughby had a quiet performance this week, catching five passes for 55 yards.

Despite cutting the Black Knights’ lead to just eight, Buffalo was not happy with its performance.

“We should have won this game,” Licata said. “There’s no such thing as moral victories here at UB because if you’re into moral victories then you’re OK with losing.”

Buffalo hosts No. 8 Baylor (2-0) Friday at UB Stadium at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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