Barnes breaks through to lead BGSU past UB
Nation's leading receiver scores late touchdown as Falcons shock Bulls
For nearly three quarters, the University at Buffalo was close to accomplishing its main objective of keeping Bowling Green wide receiver Freddie Barnes in check. But great players stay in the background for only so long.
Barnes, the nation's leading receiver, caught four passes in the deciding quarter, including the game-winner on an 18-yard pass from Tyler Sheehan with 39 seconds to play as the Falcons rallied to a stunning 30-29 win over UB in front of 13,202 Tuesday night at UB Stadium. Barnes, the Biletnikoff Award semifinalist, finished with a game-high eight receptions for 122 yards.
The loss put perhaps the final nail in the Bulls' hopes of another bowl appearance. After falling to 3-6 overall and 1-4 in the Mid-American Conference, the best the Bulls can hope for is a 6-6 season. But the way the Bulls have been playing of late — they have dropped their last two — it could be a struggle to finish .500.
"It's a tough loss, tough for our football team," UB coach Turner Gill said. "That's why you have to play four quarters. We didn't know how to finish the football game. Bowling Green did a good job and finished the football game."
The Bulls led, 29-16, heading into the fourth quarter when things began to unravel. First came a blocked punt to start the quarter, the second of the game for Bowling Green, which led to a Sheehan 4-yard touchdown. Then when the Bulls could have tucked the game away, the offense disappeared. The Bulls rolled up 302 yards and 21 points by halftime and just eight points and 109 yards in the second half.
"Offensively, you have to get some points in the second half," Gill said. "With an explosive offensive like [Bowling Green] you cannot settle with not getting points in the second half."
And the last thing UB needs to do is give away points, which is exactly what it did.
Bowling Green, coached by Youngstown native Dave Clawson, got its second blocked punt of the night early in the fourth when P.J. Mahone blocked and recovered one at the Bulls' 17. Sheehan's 4-yard touchdown cut the UB lead to 29-23. Bowling Green got its first touchdown thanks to a blocked punt as well. UB's John Rachuna bobbled the snap and his punt was blocked by Maraquese Quiles and recovered by Mahone, who was stopped at the UB 1. Willie Geter tied the game at 7-7 with a 1-yard run.
"Special teams hurt us," Gill said. "Just some simple things where we didn't execute what we were told to do on the football field. That cost us to have two blocked punts."
The crushing defeat took the spotlight away from UB true freshman tailback Jeffvon Gill, who rushed for a game-high 172 yards for the Bulls.
Gill, no relation to UB's coach, was expected to redshirt this season because he was behind tailbacks James Starks, Brandon Thermilus, Mario Henry and Ike Nduka. But Gill received his first extended minutes against the Falcons and flourished.
After Henry and Nduka went down early with ankle injuries, Gill was given his opportunity in the first quarter. The powerful 5-foot-11, 220-pound Gill had 98 yards by halftime and 134 by the end of the third quarter.
Gill rushed for 1,021 yards and 10 touchdowns his senior season at Euclid High School in suburban Cleveland and was named first-team all state.
UB took a 21-13 lead on a pretty 18-yard touchdown from Zach Maynard to senior tight end Jesse Rack in the second quarter, but Gill did most of the heavy lifting. He rushed for 43 yards on the drive and caught one pass for 9 yards in which he broke two tackles.
Gill raced down the left sideline for 24 yards before Maynard hooked up with Rack.
"How many tailbacks do these guys have?" Clawson asked.
Apparently enough to run for 262 yards for the game but only 55 in the fourth quarter. On the final drive it was an incompletion by Maynard that sailed over Naaman Roosevelt's head, a drop by Marcus Rivers, a sack by Bowling Green linebacker James Schneider and a 9-yard rush by Maynard when he needed 18.
A lot of it had to do with Bowling Green's defense.
"We have enough good players here, at what point does someone step up and start making plays?" Clawson said. "Our guys stepped up and made plays."
That was something UB didn't do on Bowling Green's final drive. Sheehan, who finished 22 of 40 for 313 yards and a touchdown, completed 7 of 11 passes, including the winner to Barnes on second-and-13 from the UB 18.
It was Barnes' only touchdown of the game and as it turns out, the only one he needed.
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