PISCATAWAY, NJ - All week leading up to the season opener, UB football head coach Jim Hofher harped that all that you needed to compete in Division I college football was the ability to play "good football."
In the first half of Saturday's game at Rutgers, Buffalo did not compete or execute good football, and they then found themselves looking up at a scoreboard that read "Rutgers 21, Buffalo 0."
UB would make a strong effort to come back in the third quarter, but their efforts were ultimately derailed in a 24-10 loss at the hands of the Scarlet Knights, bringing their losing streak to a nation-leading11 games dating back to last season.
"It was a very hard-fought game, and I think both teams showed to be in good condition," said Hofher, whose squad had defeated Rutgers one year earlier for their lone win. "It's surprising there was only one turnover in the game, and I was very proud of how hard our kids fought. Better football needs to be played, and better football will be played in order to earn victory."
"You can't give up. These guys really work hard, and I don't think they really wanted to go down that easy," said Bulls safety Mark Graham. "We don't want to have another season like we did last year."
The tone was set early in the game when Rutgers' Tres Moses returned a punt 66 yards on a play that never should have happened in the first place.
What would have been a fair caught punt at the Scarlet Knights' 33-yard line was taken back when an illegal procedure penalty was called on the Bulls, forcing them to punt the ball over from five yards back of the original line of scrimmage.
The rest is history.
"Well I kind of saw everyone shifting to the right, and the return was meant to go to the middle. But I faked everyone out and just took it up the middle and then went around to the sideline," said Moses. "I saw his leverage was going one way so I just used it against him and went the opposite way."
On the ensuing drive, UB was able to drive the ball down to the Rutgers' nine-yard line, and it looked as if they might cash in for paydirt and tie the game at seven.
But it was a questionable offensive pass interference call on Matt Knueven in the endzone that pushed the Bulls back 15 yards to the 24-yard line, which in turn dashed the hopes of the Buffalo squad this time. UB kicker Michael Baker, who was 1-2 on field goals for the day, then missed a 38-yard field goal adding insult to injury for the Bulls.
"It seemed kind of unusual that it ended up being an offensive pass interference because there was no push," said Hofher of the pass interference call. "Knueven clearly had been forced out of bounds and once out of bounds could not get back on the field, so it was really mystifying that it ended up being an offensive pass interference. That was a tough call to deal with, but we had to keep moving, it was early enough in the game that we have to find a way to overcome it."
Buffalo's passing attack was woeful for pretty much the entire game, with quarterback Randall Secky going 7-21 with 60 yards and no touchdowns. His top two receivers coming into the game, Knueven and Tim Dance, did not help much either, totaling two catches for 16 yards. UB and Secky also used the option to try and surprise Rutgers, with Secky gaining 20 yards on the ground.
"We didn't throw the ball very well or have nearly enough production," said Hofher. "We didn't do a good enough job. They pressured us at times, particularly in the first half, a little less in the second half. We've got to be able to be more efficient."
In comparison, Rutgers' quarterback Ryan Hart tore through the Bulls' secondary, going 21-31 with a career-high 225 yards and one touchdown. A majority of the damage that he did came in the first half, where he went 14-19 for 165 yards and the touchdown mentioned above.
"I think we had a good offensive scheme, and I just executed what Coach V (Ver Steeg) was telling me about," stated Hart in a press release. "There were a few passes I would like to have back, but I wasn't perfect. I'm just glad that we won, and I'm not worried about my stats, and I'm not worried about how many touchdowns I had. I'm just glad that we won. We're going in the right direction at Rutgers and I'm happy for our team."
Coming into the half trailing 21-0, UB relied on its most dependable weapon - the rushing attack - to get them back in the game.
UB's starting tailback, Aaron Leeper, had a modest day of 13 carries for 53 yards, but it was his tailback counterpart Dave Dawson who was a man possessed in the second half, gaining 102 of his 125 yards in the half. It appeared as if he was going 150 percent the entire time, spinning off of tackles and refusing to go down when hit.
"I was just trying to be a spark, just trying to get it going," said Dawson.
His running and his offensive line's blocking pushed Buffalo down the field in the opening drive of the second half, which culminated in a Baker field goal making the score 21-3.
But it was UB's next possession where he really left his mark. Just when things looked extremely bleak, Dawson broke off a 76-yard touchdown run, the longest of his career and Buffalo Division I-A history, making the score 21-10 and igniting the Bulls' belief that they were still in the game.
"The offensive line did a great job just creating a running lane," said Dawson. "I just tried to get my job done."
Unfortunately for Buffalo however, Dawson fumbled away a ball with 12 minutes and 44 seconds remaining in the game and UB still trailing by only 11. That was their only turnover, but it was a very costly one as they had had time and momentum on their side.
"It was a good play by the defense," said Dawson. "I have to have ball security."
Rutgers' running game took over after that, with two backs tearing away at UB as well as the time clock. Justise Hairston (19 carries, 88 yards and a touchdown) and Clarence Pittman (15 carries for 72 yards) were the blows that finished the Bulls off.
"Best feeling I've had since I've been here," stated Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano in a press release. "It was relatively the same play over and over again. It's a team effort. The offensive line firing out ... Justise (Hairston) and (Clarence) Pittman running hard ... I was so proud of both of those kids being unselfish. When one was in, the other was cheering, and it was outstanding. That's the thing that really pleased me."
It was Moses who scored the Knights' second touchdown, making it 14-0 after a wide open dash to the endzone, while Hairston tallied the third touchdown, making it 21-0 with 3 minutes and 13 seconds left in the half. Ryan Sands tacked on the field goal for Rutgers with 2:41 left in the game, making the score 24-10.
Buffalo will head to Iowa this weekend, for a showdown at noon on Saturday against the Big-10 powerhouse Hawkeyes. Iowa was able to defeat UB's fellow MAC brethren, Miami (OH), last weekend by a score of 21-3.
