"No bowl, Bulls eliminated from postseason"

The dreams of a division championship and a postseason bowl bid are over for the 2007 football season.

The Bulls (4-7, 4-3 Mid-American Conference) needed to win both of their remaining games for the chance to realize those dreams, but fell to the Bowling Green Falcons (7-4, 5-2 MAC) on Saturday, 31-17.

"I want to first of all say thanks to the fans," said head coach Turner Gill about the 11,740 in attendance at UB Stadium. "(It's the goal of) our coaching staff and our players and administrative staff to bring excitement here in the Buffalo area about Division I football."

James Starks' great season rushing the football continued as he gained 137 yards on the ground and scored a touchdown. He eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the season on a 63-yard run in the third quarter. Starks is the first Bull to rush for 1,000 yards since Buffalo moved up to Division I-A in 1999. The sophomore running back is just 141 yards away from setting the school's single-season rushing record.

Junior quarterback Drew Willy completed 19 of his 32 pass attempts, setting the school record for pass completions in a season, with a total of 224.

Davonte Shannon became the fourth player in Division I-A to record 100 tackles this season, and the first freshman to top the century mark. The safety had 17 tackles in the game and, with 107 on the year, is just six shy of the most by a Bulls player in I-A history.

Bowling Green got off to a quick start, scoring on the game's opening drive. Quarterback Tyler Sheehan orchestrated a 68-yard campaign that ended with a two-yard touchdown run by running back Anthony Turner.

Sheehan threw for 248 yards and added two touchdowns. Turner ended up with 97 rushing yards and a touchdown run. Turner also completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to Sheehan for the Falcons final score.

Buffalo would answer on their first possession. After a muffed kick return by sophomore running back Mario Henry, the Bulls marched down the field 80 yards to set up a 27-yard field goal by freshman kicker A.J. Principe.

After a few runs from Starks, Willy completed a 37-yard pass to sophomore receiver Naaman Roosevelt down the right sideline. Roosevelt finished the game with six catches for a career-high 148 yards, with three receptions over 35 yards.

The Bulls took their only lead of the game after recovering the ball on a blocked punt by sophomore wide out Alex Pierre. The play put the Bulls on the Flacons 44 yard line. A 26-yard run from Henry put the Bulls in the red zone, where Starks finished the drive with a five-yard score, his 12th rushing touchdown of the year.

"James and Naaman are playmakers, guys you want to get the ball to and let them do their thing," Gill said. "The offensive line has done a great job of opening holes for them, (as well as) wide receivers blocking down field whenever there's a run play or a pass play."

Bowling Green tied the game at 10 following a special teams play of their own. After a Ben Woods punt, Buffalo was charged with catch-interference penalty. Despite the penalty, Antonio Smith was still able to gather the ball and run nine yards before being taken down. The nine yards combined with the 15-yard penalty meant the Falcons' were in a good position to tie things up.

Bowling Green's next offensive drive was also successful. A 44-yard pass from Sheehan to Freddie Barnes gave Bowling Green a 17-10 edge. Barnes finished with 113 yards as the Falcons offense racked up 413 yards.

The Falcons' offense also did not have a three-and-out the entire game. It looked like they would finally be forced to turn the ball over after three plays late in the fourth quarter, but the final drive of the game was extended after Pierre, going for another block, was charged with roughing the kicker. Bowling Green would gain two more first downs and would eventually kneel to end the game.

The only Bowling Green drive that ended in three plays was in the second quarter, when Sheehan aired it out to receiver Chris Wright for an 83-yard touchdown pass. That score put the Falcons up 24-10.

Principe was given a shot to get the Bulls closer in the final minute of the first half, after a 44-yard catch by Roosevelt, but came up short on a 44-yard field goal attempt.

The Bulls' first drive of the second half resulted in a net gain of -1 yards. The Falcons' defensive stop gave their offense the momentum. Getting down to the Buffalo 25, the Falcons offense lined up in their familiar spread formation. Bowling Green's Turner took the hand off but stopped and looked for his quarterback, who was sprinting towards the end zone. Sheehan caught the pass to put the Falcons ahead, 31-10.

Buffalo was able to respond on their next drive. A 63-yard run by Starks set up a 17-yard Willy touchdown pass to junior receiver Ernest Jackson to bring the Bulls back within two scores.

Late in the third quarter, Buffalo found itself in a position to get right back into the game. The Bulls were able to set up shop with a first-and-goal on the Falcons six. After two unsuccessful runs by Starks, Willy fell for a loss of three, just after receiving the hand off on third down.

Faced with fourth-and-goal on the four-yard line, Gill called a timeout, with the options of either going for a touchdown or taking the safe points with a field goal attempt.

"I was not considering a field goal at all," Gill said. "That never even crossed my mind. I really just took a timeout to try to gather myself (to decide) what play call I was going to make more than anything. I was going for it no matter what."

Willy completed a pass to Roosevelt on the ensuing play, but was stopped on the three-yard line for just a one-yard gain.

"It was just two screens on both sides," Roosevelt said of the play. "Drew didn't see something on the other side so he tried to come to me. And it just came up short."

Bowling Green dominated the fourth quarter, holding onto the ball for an astounding 11:33, allowing them to hold on for the win. With the Buffalo loss, Miami (OH) clinched the MAC East title and will play Central Michigan in the MAC Championship Game on Dec. 1 in Detroit.

"I'm real disappointed for our football program. We were there," Gill said. "We made some progress no doubt about it...and you just have to feel for the players. We've come a long way. We still have a long way to go."

It was the final home game for 16 Buffalo seniors, including Woods, linebacker Larry Hutchinson, and captains defensive end Trevor Scott, linebacker Kyreem Byrom and center Jamey Richard.

"We started something big here as far as winning," Byrom said. "And having the right attitude about winning, and not necessarily worried about what the media has to say about us being a losing team. We're a winning team now. So that's how we've got to look at it."

The Bulls wrap up their season against Kent State on Nov. 24. Kickoff from Kent, Ohio is scheduled for 1 p.m.