Their margin for error from here on out probably has been reduced to zero.
UB’s big plans take dive with crushing defeat
That Mid-American Conference title UB covets? Chances are the Bulls will have to win out in league play to give themselves a shot.
Their quest to become bowl eligible? It’ll take four wins over the last six games, with three of them on the road.
The dynamics of UB’s season changed dramatically over 5 minutes, 14 seconds Saturday evening when a cozy 28-14 lead gave way to overtime and a devastating 34-28 loss to Western Michigan.
Remember the euphoria that accompanied that final-play victory over Temple on Sept. 13? This defeat was its polar opposite, a meltdown of startling proportions in which the offense, the defense and the special teams all served as accessories to the crime.
The Temple win was hailed as UB’s building block, the next week’s competitive loss at Missouri an affirmation of its capabilities. But the harsh truth is that the Bulls haven’t won since their Hail Mary was answered against the Owls. So while one can consider the narrow defeat at Central Michigan and Saturday’s inexplicable loss to Western Michigan and say the Bulls could easily be 4-2, one can just as eerily conclude that without the miraculous win over Temple they’d be sitting at 1-5. As a result, 2-4 overall, 1-2 in the MAC carries of a certain poetic justice, although it also means their margin for error from here on out probably has been reduced to zero.
This defeat bore disturbing similarities to the last, at least on the defensive side of the ball. Central Michigan quarterback Dan LeFevour hung 24 second-half points on them two weeks ago with an efficient performance complemented by a hearty running game. Western Michigan virtually ditched the running game altogether right from the get-go, opting to live or die with the right arm of junior quarterback Tim Hiller, who didn’t begin to find his real groove until the early parts of the
fourth quarter.
Hiller attempted 63 passes, a career high by 14. He completed 42 of those throws, a career high by 12. WMU running backs ran the ball all of 12 times, with four of those coming on the winning drive after UB quarterback Drew Willy was intercepted in overtime. Shear madness is what it was, a game plan that defied the accepted methods for what it takes to win on the road, yet an obvious attempt to exploit a UB pass defense that ranks 12th out of 13 teams in the MAC.
But that’s only half the story. Sam Adams, the former Buffalo Bills defensive tackle, liked to say that the guys on the other team get paychecks, too, which meant that instead of blaming the losers perhaps it’s more appropriate to credit the winners. His point has its place in assessing what transpired at UB Stadium.
The Broncos appeared cooked when Hiller’s errant pitch off an option play deep in WMU territory led to UB’s final touchdown and a 14-point lead with just over five minutes remaining. A short time later, Broncos coach Bill Cubit bee-lined 30 yards to confront Hiller on the sideline and delivered a harsh critique that he punctuated by pointing a finger in his QB’s face.
“My first thought is that he was going to kill me,” Hiller said. “But it’s one of those things, you just keep going, you never stop. I knew we were going to get another chance, then go score on that drive, and we did. And then go score again.”
While Hiller rebounded from the depths of despair, UB’s offense remained woefully out of sync, as it was for much of the second half. Willy’s accuracy suffered as the Broncos brought pressure more frequently. Running back James Starks, a lethal weapon in the first half, found little room to roam after intermission. Shoddy kick coverage allowed Western Michigan to commence its comeback with a drive start from the Buffalo 40.
“I just think there was a little more sense of urgency at halftime,” Cubit said of his team’s defensive effort. “I think they got challenged defensively. I just think you play a little bit harder and the edge gets a little bit tougher . . . and we did get some heat on him.”
The Bulls had better get used to it. The heat is on from here on out. Their dramatic win over Temple has been negated. Five conference games remain and all of them now qualify as must-win.
