Second-half rally not enough in loss

They moved the ball, entered the end zone three times and shut out Western Michigan's biggest threat. Unfortunately for the Bulls, it all happened too late in the second half of a 31-21 defeat to the Broncos.

"This was simply a game of too little, too late," said UB football head coach Jim Hofher. "Our guys got challenged at halftime for the tempo that we needed to play in the game. In many respects, I think they responded and they played very hard, very tough, hit better targets, had more production, but in the end it was too little too late."

Buffalo, now 0-4 overall and 0-1 in the Mid-American Conference, fit the stereotype of a 0-3 team for the first half of the battle against the Broncos (3-2, 1-1 MAC). UB managed only 120 yards offensively, stayed out of the red zone, and went 0 for 8 in third-down conversions in the first half.

"We'd move the ball and then we'd take ourselves out of the game plan by getting a stupid penalty or just something that upstairs mentally that should not happen," said quarterback Drew Willy, who started for the first time this season.

When the men in blue and white re-entered the field after halftime, things began to look much different.

Willy appeared poised in the second half, instead of confused and rushed. He doubled the team's offensive production from the first half. The offensive line gave the true freshman more time to properly get set and make the right offensive reads, allowing Willy to tally 213 of his 288 passing yards in the second half.

UB's score also saw Willy's impact after a 25-yard touchdown pass fell into the hands of junior tight end Chad Upshaw 13 seconds into the fourth quarter.

"Honestly, I was just thinking about getting the (point-after-touchdown) and trying to get the ball back and hopefully score again," Upshaw said of his thoughts after catching the team's first touchdown of the season. "I mean, now looking back, it's good to get the monkey off your back and finally score some points."

Willy's completion to Upshaw was just one of 20 successful attempts out of 21 in the second half, connecting on each of his last 15. Willy finished 30-of-38 for 288 yards and two touchdowns.

Willy, who now stands second in the Buffalo record book for most passes completed in a game, completed the most passes for a UB quarterback since Chad Salisbury went 30-of-51 in 1997, and the most since UB re-joined Division-I in 1999.

"Drew played well," said junior running back Jared Patterson, who had a one-yard rush for the Bulls' second touchdown of the game. "He was pretty confident back there, making the right reads, making the right calls. He did a good job. He was calm. He was out there like he'd been out there for years."

Willy's favorite second-half targets were wide receivers Brett Hamlin and Derrick Dyer, who each caught four passes. Hamlin, a true freshman, tallied 68 yards in the second half with his four catches while senior Dyer had 59 yards and one touchdown, which occurred from six yards back with 11 seconds left in the game.

"We just started relaxing. We took deep breaths," Willy said. "We knew we had the talent on offense. We just got to start producing more in the red zone. We have a lot of talented guys on the offense. I started getting more relaxed back there and everyone just started playing well together."

The Bulls completed 5 of 10 third down conversions, were 2-for-2 for fourth down conversions and red zone chances, and maintained control of the ball for 22:08 of second-half play.

UB's defense also made its presence known by keeping senior Broncos wide receiver Greg Jennings in check, shutting him out in the second half.

Jennings was fierce in the first half, making six catches for 75 yards and displaying his versatility by throwing a 22-yard pass to Joe Chapple for a touchdown. Jennings had two passes come his way in the second half but neither was completed.

"I think Greg Jennings is one of the outstanding players in our conference," Hofher said. "I think he's a really good player and I think Western has consistently done a good job being able to get him the ball. He came into the game as the leading receiver in the nation."

In the end, it was the first half that sent the Bulls home from Kalamazoo, Mich. with the loss. UB allowed the Broncos to dominate the field of Waldo Stadium in front of 14,198 for the first 30 minutes of regulation. WMU scored 24 of its 31 points during the first two quarters, including a first-drive touchdown, and there was no looking back from there.

For the second straight game, UB was on the positive side of many statistical categories but left the game without the win.

Akron is next up for the Bulls on Saturday at UB Stadium. Buffalo will still be in search of its first win while Akron (2-2, 1-1 MAC) is coming off of a 31-17 loss to Central Michigan. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m.