Maturing Bulls rally for victory
By Budd Bailey
The University at Buffalo football team is growing up right before our eyes.
The Bulls, whose two wins in September were against FCS competition, won their second in a row on Saturday at UB Stadium. They overcame some difficult circumstances to pull out a thrilling 25-18 win over the University of Massachusetts before 6,037 in Broadview Stadium.
Buffalo might not have won this game a few weeks ago. This time they were ready for the challenge.
“Another week, another really close game – right?” UB coach Pete Lembo asked. “It was just a great college football game.”
The Bulls had fallen behind 18-15 with less than two minutes to play, due to a 53-yard field goal by Derek Morris of the Minutemen. It’s never easy to succeed when a team is one mistake from a loss. But UB was quite sure it could get the job done.
“We are confident,” running back Messiah Burch said. “We did a lot of preparation especially with that two-minute drill. I have full faith in all of our guys. It takes all 11 of us.”
Buffalo methodically marched down the field, moving 65 yards in 14 plays. For a moment it looked as if the Bulls had won in regulation, but a replay review judged that wide receiver Jaylen Andrews was out of bounds when he caught what was first ruled a touchdown pass. On the last play of regulation, Oliver Hautanen kicked a 29-yard field goal to tie the contest.
UB went first in overtime, and covered the 25 yards needed for a touchdown in four plays. Quarterback Jason Wright hit Clint Walker in the corner of the end zone for the score. The extra point made it a seven-point lead. Buffalo’s defense took care of the rest, forcing UMass into a desperation pass into the end zone on fourth down that fell harmlessly to the ground.
That last play meant that Walker’s second touchdown of the day was the game-winner. Yes – it was the biggest play of his life.
“I’ve never had something like this happen to me,” he said. “This definitely is the biggest one for sure. It was great.”
The final minutes also represented progress for Wright, who seems to get a little better in every game. It’s not a straight-line process to become a good quarterback in college football, but the sophomore seems to be catching on to the duties of the position.
“We go to Bible Study every day before the day starts, and … I’ve seen his mental processes change,” Anthony said. “He’s more confident in his plays. I’ve seen that, and I’m really proud of him.”
“These are baby steps in confidence – not only for Jason, but for our entire football team,” Lembo added. “They are a bunch of young guys. Before this year, many of them haven’t played a whole lot. Even some of the older guys haven’t played that much. … There’s still a lot of growth to come, but we’ve got a bunch of good guys. They believe in what we’re doing and how we’re doing it. They’re putting the work in.”
It was fitting that this game came down to the final minutes. There wasn’t much difference between the teams. Buffalo had a 19-17 edge in first downs, and a 351-339 margin in total yards. The Bulls did a particularly good job of running the ball. Burch finished with 172 yards on 28 carries, including a 46-yarder. He’s certainly getting noticed as one of the Mid-American Conference’s top running backs this year.
“Knowing the work I’ve put in in my whole life – since I was four years old – I know when it’s time to make a play and make someone miss,” he said. “I could have played better. I missed some things that could have decided it before overtime.”
On defense, the Bulls did some bending but not too much breaking. Massachusetts had to use a backup quarterback because of injuries, but Logan Inagawa certainly showed he was worthy to be the “next man up.” He finished 14 for 25 for 168 yards, and he ran for 66 yards and a touchdown.
Buffalo edge rusher Sedrick Vessah made an important contribution on the scoreboard. His sack of Inagawa gave UB two valuable points in the second quarter to cut the Massachusetts’ lead to 7-5 at the time. The safety was the first of his football life.
"I had a fumble recovery for a touchdown in the same situation once,” he said with a smile. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a safety – in high school or college.”
The win improved the Bulls’ record to 4-3, including two straight wins in the conference. Remember his is the same Buffalo team that on September 26 had to recover an onside kick to hang on for a win against Robert Morris.
“We’re slowly growing up,” Lembo said. “They’re staying the course. We’re a better football team in mid-October than we were in late August or early September. I think a lot of that is the youth, all the new faces, the injuries – let’s be honest, we’ve had four or five guys out for the entire season, or close to it. There’s still going to be growing pains, but it’s awfully nice to have those growing pains and still find a way to win.”
“Every game, we’re growing – from good things or mistakes,” Vessah said. “We’re also learning as the game goes on. We’re learning to trust each other.”
The next chance to see if UB can continue on this trajectory comes on Saturday afternoon, when the Bulls host Bowling Green at 3:30 p.m.
Follow Budd on X.com via @WDX2BB.
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