Going Bowling

???In 1958, the Buffalo Bulls football program earned an invitation to a bowl game, the first in the history of the university.

???Fifty years later, history has repeated itself.

???On a frigid and snowy night in Bowling Green, Ohio, the Bulls (7-4, 5-2 Mid-American Conference) faced off against the Falcons Friday night (5-6, 3-4 MAC) with first-place in the East Division on the line.

???After a season of nail-biting finishes, it was no surprise that, after a 20-point deficit with 13 minutes left in regulation, the Bulls rallied back to send the game into overtime. In the second overtime, the Bulls defeated Bowling Green, 40-34, on a 25-yard touchdown run by junior running back James Starks.

???The win earned Buffalo the Mid-American Conference East Division title and a guaranteed bid to a bowl game.

???"I just thank God, I thank God," said Buffalo head coach Turner Gill. "A favor was done here, no question about it. I'm proud of our players. This season has been outstanding."

???The game began with Bowling Green quarterback Tyler Sheehan's gadget-filled offense at center stage. Sheehan took matters into his own hands on Bowling Green's first two scoring drives, earning two rushing touchdowns in the second quarter, to put the Falcons up 14-0.

???Sheehan, who was 24 of 32 for 240 yards and one interception, thought that he failed to play a full game when all was said and done.

???"We just didn't finish," Sheehan said. "Some things didn't go our way. We just couldn't finish the job."

???With 13:16 left in the fourth quarter, the Bulls faced a 20-point deficit, down 27-7. In desperation, the Bulls stuck together and stormed down the field.

???Starks, who had 14 carries for 62 yards and two touchdowns on the day, scored his first touchdown on a 12-yard run with 11:06 left in the fourth quarter. After a failed extra point attempt by sophomore kicker A.J. Principe, the Bulls found themselves down by two touchdowns, 27-13.

???Senior quarterback Drew Willy, in typical dramatic fashion, led the offense on a 71-yard scoring drive, throwing a 4-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Bret Hamlin. The touchdown put the Bulls in a situation in which they needed only a touchdown to tie the game.

???"Drama's part of this team, I guess," Willy said. "We got the momentum going there. It looks like we got into their head a little bit."

???After junior wide receiver Alex Pierre recovered an onside kick, the Bulls stormed down the field with a 58-yard drive. Capped by a 5-yard pass to junior wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt, the game was tied, 27-27, with 37 seconds left in regulation.

???After both teams scored touchdowns to force the game to a second overtime, Bowling Green shocked fans in Doyt Perry Stadium on fourth down. With the game tied, 34-34, the Falcons decided to go for it on a fourth-and-goal situation on the 2-yard line.

???Instead of kicking a field goal, Sheehan threw an incomplete pass intended for wide receiver Corey Partridge, giving the Bulls the ball and the opportunity to win the game.

??? "We just wanted to get a stop and get the offense the ball," said sophomore safety Davonte Shannon. "We just had the mindset of stopping them."

On the first play of the drive, Starks broke through a swarm of orange jerseys, running into the end zone, claiming the team's seventh victory and the division title.

"I wanted to protect the ball, I knew the line was going to block great," Starks said. "I tried to hit the hole and they made a great crease. I saw the touchdown and I didn't want to go down. It was open, the line made a great hole and I had a great crease to run through."

President John B. Simpson is ecstatic with the victory and what it means to the university and the community.

"This is an exciting day for UB," Simpson said. "The UB Bulls and Coach Gill deserve our congratulations for earning a spot in the Mid-American Conference title game, and for securing UB's first bowl invitation in half a century."

Athletic Director Warde Manuel is proud of both the coaching staff as well as the student-athletes who earned the victory for the program.

"I just can't put into words what this means for these kids and the people who believed in us and invested in us," Manuel said. "I just think back to all the people who told us we couldn't do this. They said it couldn't be done. It's a proud day, very proud."

???With the victory, the Bulls will represent the East Division in the Marathon Mid-American Conference Championship, held at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. on Dec. 5.

???Currently, their opponent is unknown. In the West Division, No. 15 Ball State sits in first place, while Western Michigan and Central Michigan follow closely behind.

???On Tuesday, Western Michigan and Ball State face off in a match with the West Division title on line. If Ball State wins, they will take on the Bulls in the championship game. If Western Michigan defeats Ball State and Central Michigan defeats Eastern Michigan, there will be a three-way tie for first place between the Broncos, Cardinals and Chippewas.

???In this scenario, due to each team having a 1-1 record against each other, the tiebreaker would be the combined conference record of each team's MAC East opponents.

???The Chippewas and the Broncos opponents, Buffalo (5-2), Ohio (2-5) and Temple (3-2), have a combined record of 10-11. Ball State's opponents, Akron (3-4), Miami (1-6) and Kent State (2-5) have a record of 6-15.

???Because of this, Ball State would be eliminated because there is no way that the Cardinals could win the tiebreaker. Central Michigan would then earn the right to the championship game because of a head-to-head tiebreaker. The Chippewas defeated the Broncos on Oct. 18.

???If Central Michigan loses to Eastern Michigan on Friday and Ball State loses their final game, the Broncos will clinch the MAC West and take on the Bulls at Ford Field.

Prior to the championship game, the Bulls play their final regular season game on Friday at UB Stadium against Kent State (3-8, 2-5 MAC). Game time is 2 p.m.