Inches away

???Down by nine with 2:58 left against the two-time defending Mid-American Conference champions on Saturday, Buffalo senior quarterback Drew Willy hit junior running back James Starks with a quick pass. Starks did the rest, putting on a few dazzling moves to reach the end zone for a 65-yard touchdown.

???The Bulls then lined up for an on-side kick behind sophomore kicker A.J. Principe. Sophomore linebacker Justin Winters recovered Principe's chip to set the Bulls up for the potential game-winning drive.

???Willy orchestrated a drive down to the Chippewa's 29-yard line to get the kicking unit on to the field.

???With three seconds left, Principe lined up for a 46-yard field goal attempt, trying to steal a win for the Bulls. The kick sailed up from the right hash mark and had the distance. But the ball hooked at the last moment, hitting the right upright to secure a 27-25 victory for the Chippewas.

???"It's the life of a kicker. It's what I signed up for," Principe said. "You have the game in your hands and I just didn't come through this time. I've got to shake it off and move on to the next game."

???Principe's career-long field goal is 47 yards, which came in a game against Miami (Ohio) last season.

???"[Principe's kick looked] like it was going to be good," Gill said. "Unfortunately, at the end, it tailed back to the right. He hit it good but this time it didn't work out for us. We had some good fortunes against Temple and this time we didn't."

???Even after a successful drive to get the Bulls into field goal range, Willy believes that his team could have executed more efficiently to take the pressure of their kicker.

???"We've always got confidence in [Principe]," Willy said. "He's going to be making field goals for this university for a long time. I'm sure that everyone thinks they could have done a little bit more to not even have to put him in that position."

???Willy finished the game with 270 passing yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked late in the third quarter by Chippewa defensive end Sam Williams, which kept Willy on the turf. Willy was assisted off the field with a left shoulder injury and Gill sent in freshman Zach Maynard for his first collegiate snap under center.

???After handing the ball off to Starks for a six-yard run, Willy returned to the field, spry as ever. On the next play, Willy connected with junior Brett Hamlin for a 25-yard pass-and-catch, putting the Bulls on the two-yard line. Buffalo took the lead, 18-17, on the next play with a two yard score by Starks, his first rushing touchdown of the year.

???"[Willy is] a very tough competitor," Gill said. "He bounced back after he took a shot in the shoulder. He threw around a little bit and could still execute the plays and that's a true champion."

???Starks returned to the starting line up after missing last week's game at Missouri with a hip injury. He didn't miss a beat against the Chippewas, rushing for 94 yards on a game-high 22 carries. He added five receptions for 97 yards including the 65-yard score late in the fourth quarter.

???"It was great to see James [back]," Gill said. "...He made some plays when he caught a pass he took it to the distance. He has speed; he has the change in direction, so he's a guy that's a pretty explosive player for us."

???The Bulls commenced the scoring with a 29-yard field goal by Principe. The opening drive chewed up 5:57 and encompassed 69 yards.

???Buffalo then took a 5-0 lead with 11:16 left in the half as sophomore linebacker Tom Drewes blocked a punt that was swatted out of the end zone for a safety. The Chippewas added a field goal on their last possession of the second quarter. Buffalo led 5-3 at the half.

???The Buffalo offense would not reach the red zone again until late in the third quarter as Willy found junior wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt for a 17-yard touchdown pass to put the Bulls in the lead 11-10. The Bulls attempted a two-point conversion but failed as the officials ruled the ball was short of the end zone.

???Roosevelt finished with 80 yards on the day and has led the team in receiving every game thus far this season.

???Considering the Chippewas were picked to win the conference in the preseason, Gill is pleased that his team was able to hang with them until the final gun.

???"We're making progress, that's the bottom line," Gill said. "You want your team to make progress to see if were getting better and today I think did get better. We didn't get a win but I think we got better as a football team."

???The Bulls now enter their bye week and will return to the field on Oct. 11 to host Western Michigan (4-1, 2-0 MAC). Kick off from UB Stadium is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.