The script called for pride, pageantry and paratroopers; and the Army Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. delivered all three. It was a breathtaking college football atmosphere that even longtime journalist - and former Buffalo News Sports Editor - Larry Felser said he had never experienced before.
The final scene? It was supposed to be the Army Black Knights' seniors striding out of their final game at Michie Stadium with a win over the UB Bulls as the sun set along the mighty Hudson River.
The villains in this story, however, made some last minute changes to the plot, and scored a shocking 26-19 victory over the Black Knights before 26,883 fans Saturday afternoon.
"Still in its infancy of Division I football, this is a historic victory for the University at Buffalo," said an elated Bulls Head Coach Jim Hofher. "It was very tough to play in this environment with the crowd being so loud."
Army Head Coach Todd Berry was extremely frustrated with his team's mental preparation, for which he took full responsibility.
"For one reason or another we felt that we were just going to show up and play and win," he said. "Obviously, they showed up and wanted it more than we did."
At halftime the Bulls had a 15-0 lead, but it quickly dissipated after Army scored the first three touchdowns of the second half to take a 19-18 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Following the third Black Knights touchdown, it was up to the UB offense to swing momentum back in their favor. They succeeded when running back Marquis Dwarte scored on a 3-yard touchdown run, which turned out to be the game-winning score with 9:12 to play in regulation. Dwarte out-ran the Army linebackers and secondary to the left pylon, capping off a 13-play, 80-yard drive.
The Bulls extended their lead by executing the two-point conversion after Dwarte's touchdown. Quarterback Joe Freedy found tight end Chad Bartoszek, who stepped in front of his coverage and came down with the ball for the last points of the afternoon.
"We felt like we needed to put points on the board," said UB running back Derrick Gordon, who was the game's leading rusher with 81 yards on 18 carries. "We needed to make a statement, and we felt like by putting those points on the board things would turn around, and they sure did."
The Bulls nearly turned an emotional win into a heartbreaking loss when they failed to run out the clock, and gave the Black Knights one last opportunity from the UB 19-yard line.
With four seconds remaining, and the UB offense facing a fourth down situation, Hofher elected to snap the ball to Freedy and allow him to elude defenders until time elapsed. Freedy, however, was sacked quickly, and Army got possession of the ball on the Buffalo 19-yard line with one second remaining.
On the game's final play the Bulls' defensive line applied strong pressure in the pocket. Army quarterback Curtis Zervic was forced to release early; his pass was tipped and sailed harmlessly through the back of the end zone.
Hofher hinted that the game's timekeeper may have made a mistake.
"Our charts clearly said that with the time remaining on the clock, which was 43 seconds [when the Bulls originally took possession of the ball following a Mike Lambert interception], coupled with the timeouts they had, there should have been no way that Army could have been able to get the ball back," he said. "Beyond that, I cannot comment on when the clock was stopped or how quickly it should have been restarted."
Hofher, however, was not about to shift responsibility for UB's mismanagement of the clock.
"I do feel fortunate, because I would have hated for us to lose the ballgame on my mistake," he said.
UB kicker Dallas Pelz received the game ball for converting on all four of his field goal attempts - a school record, topped off by a career-long 50-yarder in the first half.
"I always ask Coach to go for the long ones, cause you never know," Pelz said. "When it left my foot and I looked up, I knew it had the height and distance."
The Black Knights used a couple of big plays to bring them back after a first half in which the Bulls dominated. Their first touchdown of the game, on their first drive of the second half, was a 31-yard run by Josh Holden. A 37-yard pass from Zervic to receiver Aris Comeaux accounted for their final score.
Bartoszek, who has established himself as Freedy's favorite target, scored UB's first touchdown of the game, catching a 22-yard pass from the senior quarterback.
Freedy, who received MAC East Offensive Player of the Week honors after last week's win over Ohio, went 17 of 30 for 185 yards. More importantly, he did not have a turnover for the third-straight week.
Zervic, who came on after Army starting quarterback Chad Jenkins was injured in the third quarter, finished the day with 186 yards as the Black Knights passed their way back into the game. His two interceptions, however, brought otherwise successful Army drives to a screeching halt.
Senior safety Craig Rohlfs was Buffalo's defensive MVP with two interceptions.
"I've been at Buffalo for four years and I think this is the most emotional win that I have ever had," Rohlfs said. "Coming to West Point with its history and its tradition made it an even bigger victory."
