UB clobbers Ball State to win MAC crown
Game-changing plays by UB's defense help complete the transformation for Turner Gill's Bulls, who are now MAC champions
DETROIT — The University at Buffalo was not even supposed to be here, nothing more than a charming foil for Ball State's assault on perfection.
But with its defense forcing the Mid-American Conference's Player of the Year, Nate Davis, into two critical fumbles, UB produced one of the biggest upsets in college football this season, beating previous undefeated and No. 12 ranked Ball State, 42-24, in the MAC Championship Game on Friday night at Ford Field.
The Bulls (8-5), blown out 104-39 in their last two meetings against Ball State, were coming off a listless showing last week in a loss to Kent State when nothing was on the line but pride and competitive spirit. A week later, they showed a national audience watching on ESPN2 that their East Division title was not a fluke, winning the program's first MAC championship since entering the league in 1999.
"This is crazy," said former St. Joe's star Naaman Roosevelt. "I don't know if this will ever sink in. My first year here we won two games and now we're the MAC champions. That's what Coach Gill made us believe in."
Back in 1999, Turner Gill was an assistant at Nebraska who didn't know if he was ever going to receive an opportunity to become a head coach on the Division I-A level. He didn't realize Buffalo even had a I-A program. On Friday, he was the coach who knocked off Ball State (12-1), a program trying to become the league's first to finish unbeaten since Marshall in 1999.
"To hold that trophy with all those guys and the administration and all the guys who supported us over the years is truly what it's all about," said quarterback Drew Willy. "Turner Gill, that's all you need to know. He's the one who made us believe."
"I'm so proud of these guys," Gill said. "They understand love, they understand faith, they understand family. That's what the program is today and is going to be tomorrow."
Roosevelt was the offensive star with a career-high 10 receptions for 116 yards and three touchdowns, but it was, almost fittingly, UB's much-maligned defense that came up with the game's biggest snapshots.
The Cardinals seemed prepared to tack onto their unblemished record, not to mention take a 10-point lead in the third quarter on third down from the UB 8. A scrambling Davis tried to leap into the end zone and was greeted safety Mike Newton, who spun him around while corner Josh Thomas pried the ball free. Newton gathered himself, and the ball, and raced 92 yards for the touchdown and a 21-17 lead. It was the longest fumble recovery in school history.
But Sherrod Lott's 74-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown was the one that broke Ball State's back. Davis was in the shotgun but wasn't prepared for a snap that bounced off his leg and into the backfield where Lott recovered it and returned it.
"Scoop and score," said Bulls defensive coordinator Jimmy Williams. "That's what we teach — scoop and score."
Just like that, a potential 10-point deficit turned into an 11-point advantage.
The Cardinals still have a 12-0 regular season to cling to, and their offense, for almost the whole season, was unstoppable. But they were crestfallen by their near miss with football history.
"It was stunning, it was upsetting," said Ball State linebacker Bryant Haines. "But give Buffalo all the credit."
The championship belongs to Buffalo, for years a national laughingstock with only 10 wins in I-A prior to Gill's arrival. Who's laughing now?
"I'm speechless," said former Niagara Falls star James Starks. "We knew we could do it and we did it."
After the game, the school announced that it had officially accepted a bid to play in the International Bowl on Jan. 3 in Toronto.
UB struck first on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Willy to Roosevelt after linebacker Raphael Akobundu recovered a fumble at the Ball State 25.
The Cardinals evened the score on a 4-yard run by MiQuale Lewis with 7:49 left in the second quarter. Ian McGarvey kicked a 47-yard field goal to give Ball State a 10-7 halftime lead.
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