The UB Bulls (0-3) took a chance, flying across the country and back in a span of two days to take on the Nevada Wolf Pack (2-1) of the Western Athletic Conference in a non-league contest.
However, on a chilly Saturday night in Reno at Mackay Stadium, it could be said that "chance" took the Bulls, as Nevada's Chance Kretschmer ran all over the UB defense, amassing 154 yards on the night, and scoring a pivotal touchdown in the third quarter to spoil a hard-fought UB effort, as the Wolf Pack defeated the Bulls, 38-13.
"Nevada proved to be a very good football team tonight," said UB head coach Jim Hofher. "They were very tough and very physical and when plays needed to be made, they made them more than we made them."
Buffalo was unable to contain Nevada's Kretschmer, as the senior running back ran for a season-high 154 yards, including a 52-yard run, capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
The 4-play, 65-yard touchdown drive with 2:29 left in the third quarter shifted the momentum of the game in favor of Nevada, as the Wolf Pack took a 21-13 lead and shut down the Bulls' offense for the rest of the game.
"It was a big play and we didn't prevent it," said Hofher. "It was certainly a big play in the game. When it counted we didn't make enough plays to be able to win."
The Bulls got off to a quick start - thanks in part to a Nevada special teams error - and established an early 7-0 lead with 3:57 left in the first quarter.
A botched snap by Nevada punter Justin Bergendahl resulted in a UB possession on the Nevada 38 yard line. Just five plays later, Jared Patterson scored the first touchdown of the game on an 8-yard run.
The Wolf Pack then tied the game in the second quarter, when Nevada quarterback Jeff Rowe found Nichiren Flowers in the end zone, connecting on a 41-yard touchdown pass to cap off an 11-play, 95-yard drive with 7:07 remaining.
Minutes later, Nevada would take a 14-7 lead as the duo struck again, this time with Rowe completing a 51-yard touchdown pass to Flowers with 3:03 left in the first half.
The Bulls began the second half on a strong note, chipping away at the Nevada lead, cutting the score to 14-10 on a 28-yard field goal by Michael Baker. The field goal was incited by an impressive 74-yard run by UB's Chris McDuffie.
McDuffie went on to have a career night for the Bulls, finishing with a career-best 122 yards on 14 carries in the game for a UB offense that only collected 288 yards of total offense on the night.
UB continued to close in on Nevada in third quarter, when Baker connected on a 47-yard field goal - a career best - with 6:56 left to cut the Nevada lead to 14-13.
The field goal proved to be the final charge that the Bulls would make in the game, however, as Kretschmer made the key score with 2:23 left in the third quarter, and the Wolf Pack ran away with the game.
I think it got the momentum changed our way," said Kretschmer. "It got our offensive line going and kept the defense off the field. I think that was a big part of the victory."
Nevada went ahead 24-13 on a lengthily 6:45 drive that consisted of 13 plays and resulted in a 19-yard Nevada field goal by Damon Fine with 3:25 left in the fourth quarter.
On the next UB possession, quarterback Randall Secky threw an interception and Nevada took advantage, with Rowe running for 6 yards, and a touchdown to make the score 31-13 with 2:23 left.
"I'm really pleased with how we played in the fourth quarter," said Nevada head coach Chris Ault. "This was a good game for us."
On the very next drive, Secky was picked off again and Nevada landed the ball on the UB 22 yard line. Nevada's Drew Robinson scored the final touchdown of the game on an 18-yard touchdown run on a 2-play, 0:11 drive with 1:20 left in the fourth quarter.
Secky was 9-23 on the night, throwing for 89 yards, and two interceptions. P.J. Piskorik went 2-5 in limited game action.
Defensively, for the Bulls, Ryan Sherwood-Ericsson led UB with 12 tackles, with J.J. Gibson and Jeff Bublavi each contributing 10 tackles apiece.
The Bulls open up Mid-American Conference play next Saturday, when they travel to Ohio University to take on the Bobcats at Perden Stadium. A 7 p.m. kickoff is scheduled.
Photo: Courtesy of SUNY
