Football (4-4, 1-2 Mid-American Conference)
The Bulls avoided an upset on Thursday, defeating Miami Ohio (1-8, 0-5 MAC) 29-24. Senior quarterback Joe Licata completed 22 of 29 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns.
Junior running back Jordan Johnson had his second 100-yard rushing game in as many career starts, finishing with 28 carries for 123 yards and two touchdowns. It comes one week after Johnson replaced senior running back Anthone Taylor in the starting lineup due to an ankle injury. Taylor played in a limited role on Thursday.
The Bulls will travel to Kent, Ohio to face Kent State (3-5, 2-2 MAC) on Thursday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Volleyball (6-18, 5-7 MAC)
The Bulls finished 1-1 on the week as the MAC Tournament approaches.
On Thursday, the Bulls defeated Akron (8-17, 2-10 MAC) 3-1. After winning the first two sets, the Zips claimed the third set, before Buffalo closed the fourth set. Three players finished with double-digit kills, led by freshman outside hitter Valisha Watkins’ 16 kills. Senior outside hitter Megan Lipski finished with 10 kills and a team-high 16 digs.
On Saturday, Buffalo fell to Ball State (13-13, 7-5 MAC) in straight sets. The Bulls scored more than 19 points in just one set. Watkins finished with nine kills and nine errors, while freshman outside hitter Megan Wernette was second on the team with six kills. The loss ended Buffalo’s three game conference winning streak.
The Bulls return to Alumni Arena to face Bowling Green (6-19, 2-10 MAC) on Friday, Nov. 6. The match is set to begin at 5 p.m.
Men’s soccer (7-5-4, 2-1-1 MAC)
The Bulls picked up their biggest win under head coach Stu Riddle on Saturday as they punched their tickets to the MAC Tournament.
Buffalo came from behind to defeat Bowling Green (8-8, 1-1-3 MAC) 2-1 Friday. After trailing 1-0, the Bulls got goals in the 86th and 88th minute – one by senior forward Marcus Hanson and the other by junior midfielder Russell Cicerone – to give the Bulls the victory.
The win clinches the Bulls’ first MAC Tournament appearance since 2011.
The Bulls travel Kalamazoo, Michigan to face Western Michigan (9-3-4, 2-1-1 MAC) in their final regular season game of the year on Saturday. Kickoff is set 1 p.m.
Cross Country
The Bulls had two members of the Cross Country team make it to the All-MAC second team at the MAC Championships on Saturday in Norton, Ohio. Amy Shaw completed the 6K course in 21:37.2 for 13th place. Cameron Bruce finished 11th with an official time of 25:01.5.
The Bulls will head to Boston, Massachusetts on Friday for the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships.
Wrestling (2-0)
Buffalo kicked off its season on Sunday at the Terrapin Duels in dominant fashion.
The Bulls picked up perhaps its finest victory in years. The team defeated Big Ten Conference team Maryland (1-2) 19-13. A victory by James Benjamin in the 197-pound weight class sealed the victory for Buffalo.
The Bulls then took down Davidson 47-0 with all 10 competitors taking home a victory for Buffalo. Kyle Akins began the day in the 125-pound weight class with a 14-2 decision, followed by a pinfall victory by Bryan Lantry.
The Bulls will continue their season on Nov. 14 in Albany at the Northeast Duels.
The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com.
Photo: Courtesy of UB Athletics
