UB 40, Bowling Green 34 (2 OT): Bulls wrap up MAC East title with stirring comeback
UB guaranteed a bowl berth with win over Bowling Green
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — What did you think, that they were going to take the easy way out and win in regulation, maybe even win with plenty of room to spare? Nah. Then they wouldn’t be UB.
A season renowned for its fantastic finishes slipped into the realm of the utterly mind-boggling Friday night when the University at Buffalo rallied from 20 points down with 13 minutes left in regulation and upended Bowling Green, 40-34, in double overtime to capture the Mid-American Conference East championship and a guaranteed bowl bid.
Delirium ran rampant on the UB sideline after James Starks broke two tackles while busting off a 25-yard touchdown run straight up the middle on the Bulls’ first play of the second overtime. That decisive burst came after Bowling Green had turned the ball over on downs on its possession, electing to go on fourth-and-goal from the 2 instead of kicking a field goal.
Both teams scored touchdowns in the first overtime, with Bowling Green answering Drew Willy’s 26- yard strike to Brett Hamlin.
You thought that Hail Mary victory over Temple back on Sept. 13 was high drama? You thought the overtime victory over Army was cool? Did last week’s four-overtime conquest of Akron have you thinking, “Nothing tops this?”
Consider it topped. And by miles.
UB’s comeback exceeded the limits of the most vivid imaginations. The Bulls (7-4, 5-2) were being steamrolled and had nothing going for them on either side of the ball when they fell behind, 27-7, with 13:16 left in the fourth quarter. It appeared all that remained at stake was a quest to salvage a bit of pride. But desperation elevated them to an unimaginable level while Bowling Green (5-6, 3-4) began to reel.
Starks scored on a 12-yard run with 11:06 remaining, A. J. Principe’s missed extra point leaving the Bulls behind 27-13. Drew Willy found the zone on a seven-play, 71-yard drive capped by a 4-yard touchdown pass to Hamlin with 2:29 to play. No way? Is it possible?
It was when wideout Alex Pierre recovered the ensuing onside kick, and the Bulls went back on the attack. An 18-yard pass from Willy to Starks on third down was key to a 58-yard drive that concluded with a 5- yard throw to Naaman Roosevelt with just 37 seconds remaining.
Overtime. Again. For the fifth time this season and the third time in the last five games.
“Drama’s part of this team, I guess,” Willy said. “We got the momentum going there. It looks like we got into their head a little bit. Overtime’s obviously what it’s all about with this team.”
Willy certainly got into their heads. He was 22 of 26 for 219 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter and overtime. The first three quarters? He was 7 of 15 for 78 yards.
UB players were streaming on the field as Starks hit the goal line on the winning run. Afterward, they lingered with maybe 100 fans from Buffalo or relatives who braved stiff winds and frigid temperatures to watch the pinch-me finish at Doyt Perry Stadium. The Bulls, who had never won here before, now have won five straight overall.
Junior standout Pierre stood outside the boisterous locker room, meeting every player who came past. “We going to a championship!” he shouted, time and again.
“Let’s go De-troit,” sang Starks, a reference to the MAC Championship Game on Dec. 5 in Ford Field.
“De-troit rocks!” arose the chant from the locker room.
“I got to say this was pretty crazy,” said Roosevelt. “We just knew at halftime we had made mistakes and we knew we could come back.”
For most of the night Friday’s showdown was a virtual replay of Bowling Green’s 31-17 win at UB Stadium last year in that the Falcons imposed their will from the outset and pretty much had the game in hand by halftime. UB had no answers — none, zero, zip — for the Falcons’ unique, sleight-of-hand offense orchestrated by 6-foot-4, 227-pound quarterback Tyler Sheehan.
Meanwhile, Bowling Green’s defensive resurgence proved more than the stuff of smoke, mirrors and weak MAC competition. It held the Bulls scoreless to intermission — the Falcons’ third straight first-half shutout — and ran an overall scoreless streak to 101 minutes, 25 seconds before Willy’s 1-yard TD plunge with 6:04 left in the third quarter cut UB’s deficit to 21-7. This was the team that beat Pitt and Akron, not the one with inexplicable losses to Eastern Michigan and Miami (Ohio). What hope remained for the Bulls?
The highlight of the first half for UB? Mike Newton’s interception on the Bulls’ 2 with 17.8 seconds remaining in the second quarter. Without that pick, UB appeared destined to head for the locker room in worse shape than 14-0.
How did they turn it around? All season coach Turner Gill has preached the mantra of maximum effort on every play no matter the numbers on the scoreboard. Just Tuesday he was saying that when you play every play, every single play, sometimes in the end the addition comes out differently than you’d ever imagine. And sometimes, well, you just have to be darn fortunate.
“I just thank God, I thank God,” Gill said. “A favor was done here, no question about it.”
Hard to argue with him on that one.
