ATHENS, O.H. - Football is an amazing game. Two sides exert their will upon one another for 60 minutes in a brutal display of physicality. Men get injured, bones are snapped, muscles torn. They get back up, play through the pain as blood trickles down their arms, and bruises numb their entire bodies.
Then, in the waning seconds, the game is decided by . the kicker.
Kevin Kerr's field goal with 10 seconds left in regulation gave his Ohio Bobcats a thrilling 34-32 victory over the UB Bulls Saturday night before 12,512 fans at Peden Stadium. The win snapped Ohio's 10-game losing streak and pushed the Bulls' losing streak to three.
Kerr nailed the 37-yard kick from the right center of the hash marks after UB called two timeouts to try and ice him. It spoiled a 19-point second half comeback by the Bulls.
Kerr said that the timeouts UB called helped him focus on the task at hand.
"Whether they call three timeouts or no timeouts I'm out there and I'm just thinking about it going through, there's nothing else," Kerr said. "It's almost like when you're golfing. The more time you have to make a shot the more focused you can get and that's the way I look at it. The more time they give me, the more confident I get and the more focus I have."
"After my freshman year of high school when I missed two game-winning field goals . it pretty much numbed me to death so there's no nervousness anymore."
Questions arose over UB Head Coach Jim Hofher's time management decisions in the game's final minute. Hofher could have stopped the clock before the winning field goal after an Ohio third down play with 25 seconds left using one of his two timeouts. Instead he waited until there were 14 seconds remaining to call timeout.
"I think it was probably a difference of maybe 10 or 12 seconds and it was simply deciding if we wanted to let it bleed all the way to the end and we would put our efforts into blocking it or having called a timeout with 24 or 25 seconds (left) and still end up doing the same thing," Hofher said.
Hofher's mistake was compounded by the fact that UB quarterback Randall Secky hit Andre Forde for a 25-yard pass to the Buffalo 45-yard line as time expired. Eleven extra seconds and another timeout may have been enough time for the UB offense, which had been shredding the Bobcats' defense in the passing game during the entire second half, to set up a game-winning field goal of their own.
So, did Hofher regret the way he used his timeouts?
"No. I don't view it that way," Hofher replied. "I coach the way I know how, and then we move on."
Timeout management may have been a moot point after the game had UB kicker Dallas Pelz not missed an extra point after an earlier touchdown. The Bulls had the same amount of touchdowns and the same amount of field goals as Ohio, but lost the game by two points. Pelz' missed extra point early in the third quarter forced Buffalo to go for two the next time they got in the end zone. The two-point conversion failed after a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
Pelz, however, did nail a pressure field goal of his own. He gave UB their first lead of the game with 4:39 to play on a 29-yarder following an Ohio fumble, making the score 32-31 and setting the stage for Kerr's heroics.
The offensive showcase was out of character for both teams. Coming into the game Buffalo and Ohio ranked 13th and 14th in the MAC offensively and the Bobcats had the conference's best defense, yet both teams managed to put up some impressive offensive statistics. Consider the following:
- The Bobcats had 505 yards of total offense, 406 on the ground.
- UB picked up 435 yards of total offense, 350 through the air.
- Each team only punted once in the second half.
- Forde set some new career highs, catching 12 passes for 202 yards. His receiving yardage was the second most in school history as were his number of catches. Forde also caught two touchdown passes.
- Secky set career highs, throwing for 350 yards and three touchdowns.
- UB tight end Chad Bartoszek set a career high with eight catches.
- Ohio had two 100-yard rushers, quarterback Dontrell Jackson (157 yards) and running back Chad Brinker (149 yards). Jackson had two rushing touchdowns, Brinker had one.
"From the beginning, Randall's passes and the execution we had on offense, especially in the second half was outstanding," Forde said. "With the offensive line, the holes were opening up and we got a lot of yards off of that."
"We were throwing the ball a lot in the second half and we were getting guys open," Secky said. "We were in the hurry up offense, we really excelled when we started running the hurry up offense and got into a flow. Completions and yardage racked up and we started putting some points on the board but couldn't go all the way today."
UB could have avoided the heartbreaking defeat had they played 60 minutes of football instead of 30. Buffalo was outplayed in the first half and went into the locker room down 21-3. Like last week in Minnesota, however, Buffalo fought their way back into the game with a furious rally, something Hofher was extremely pleased about.
"I'm really proud of how our kids, after being down by a significant amount battled the only way they know how in the second half," Hofher said. "At UB we haven't been in too many close games and we'll win our share when we get in close games. I'm proud of how our kids fought to get into this football game."
Hofher said it best, UB "came into the game depleted and (left) even more depleted." Injuries to the linebacking corps had the Bulls trying to stop the Ohio running game with players that were not even listed on their two-deep. Here is the injury rundown:
- Buffalo linebacker Bryan Cummings walked off under his own power in the first half and did not return to the game. Cummings has a collarbone injury and may not return this season.
- Bulls' free safety Mark Graham was helped off the field gingerly late in the third quarter and did not return. Graham had a hip pointer last week. The Bulls did not release any information on how long he may be out.
- UB linebacker Jason Coley went down with nine seconds left in the third quarter. Coley suffered a shoulder injury and did not return. At press time the extent of his injury was not known.
- Bulls' backup safety Gemara Williams limped off the field with assistance after the game-winning kick. The extent of his injury is also unknown.
Buffalo has lost all 13 of their MAC road contests since joining the conference in 1999 . Andre Forde moved into seventh all-time at UB in touchdown catches . The Bulls won last year's game 44-0 at UB Stadium, it was their first MAC shutout . Coming into the game the Bobcats had scored just one first half TD, they had three against UB . Ohio QB Dontrell Jackson has seven interceptions on 42 pass attempts with no touchdowns, he was 6-9 for 99 yards with no picks against the Bulls.
