Special forces’ rescue attempt falls short
Coverage units gave UB glimmer of hope
TORONTO — The offense couldn’t move the ball and the defense couldn’t stop the run.
For all the things that went wrong for the University at Buffalo on Saturday, the one thing that went right was special teams.
UB’s kickoff and punt coverage units either set up early scores or put points on the board themselves. The big plays kept the Bulls in the game for awhile until Connecticut pulled away for a 38-20 victory in the International Bowl.
“We talked about special teams being an area where we felt we could win that battle just about in all phases as far as kickoff, kickoff return, punt, punt return and we did that,” Bulls head coach Turner Gill said. “We got them pumped up for that situation and they came through for us, no doubt about it. It just didn’t hold up as well maybe a little bit on defense and on offense.”
On a day when the offense needed help scoring, special teams were responsible for 17 of the Bulls’ 20 points.
Alex Pierre recovered a first-quarter fumble when UConn punt returner Jonathan Jean-Louis mishandled the ball. Three plays later, place-kicker A. J. Principe drilled a 38-yard field-goal attempt for a 3-0 lead.
In the second quarter, Jasper Howard couldn’t handle a punt over his head and booted the ball in the end zone, where Ray Anthony Long recovered for a game-tying TD.
“I saw Alex Pierre hit the returner and the ball popped out,” Long said. “I tried to get it out of bounds. I’m happy I made it.”
UB’s special teams weren’t done yet. After another field goal by Principe (set up by the defense recovering a fumble), UConn’s Robbie Frey muffed the ensuing kickoff and inexplicably decided to bring the ball out of the end zone.
Justin Winters made Frey pay for that mistake, dislodging the ball from Frey. John Syty grabbed the loose ball at the Huskies’ 4-yard line and running back James Starks scored from there to give UB a 20-10 lead.
“I was going to try to hit [Frey] in his chest with everything I had, but he moved and I ended up hitting him in the arm he was carrying the ball and he dropped it,” Winters said.
UB forced and recovered five fumbles Saturday, four by the defense. Since the Mid-American Conference Championship, the Bulls have recovered eight of the nine fumbles they have forced.
“We emphasize taking the ball away every day in practice,” Winters said. “We work on stripping the ball, scoop and score at least 10 minutes. We do it so much it becomes second nature to us.”
Kickoff and punt coverage wasn’t the only area where UB shined. Punter Peter Fardon set International Bowl records for the most punts (10) and yards (435). He had four punts over 50 yards, including a bowl-record 56-yarder, and downed five punts inside UConn’s 20-yard line.
Fardon’s 43.5-yard gross average is second in International Bowl history, trailing Kevin Huber’s 50.6-yard average (two punts) for Cincinnati in the inaugural game in 2007. The team record is 43.6 by Cincinnati (five punts) in the same game.
Fardon’s 38.9-yard net average is second best ever in this game for a team or individual.
“We take a lot of pride in our special teams,” Winter said. “It showed up today.”
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