Oh, what a night.
In the last college football game ever to be played at the Rubber Bowl, the Bulls stole the show from Akron after four overtimes, 43-40.
On a 4-and-8 play from Akron's 23-yard line, sophomore kicker A.J. Principe kicked the pigskin over a line of navy blue jerseys, putting the Bulls in first place in the Mid-American Conference East Division.
"It felt great," Principe said. "After Central Michigan, it was obviously tough. The coaches said [I'd get another try]. The players were all behind me and I just shot it."
With the victory, the Bulls (6-4, 4-2 MAC) hold a pivotal tiebreaker against the Zips (5-5, 3-3 MAC), which could be the deciding factor on which team represents the East Division at the MAC Championship.
"It's exciting for our program," Gill said. "I'm excited for our football players, our team, our students, alumni, and the University at Buffalo. This is great for our program. It's great for everybody. We got a great opportunity now to win the MAC East. We'll see what happens."
Senior quarterback Drew Willy, celebrating his 22nd birthday Thursday, had more to celebrate about after the Bulls' opening drive. Willy broke two university records (career touchdown passes and career passing yards) on a 24-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt. Willy completed four of five passes for 58 yards on the drive.
"It's a pretty sweet day," Willy said. "The yards, the touchdowns, just to get a win, it's great. It was a great day and guys just made plays around me."
Willy finished with 27-for-39, with 252 yards passing and a touchdown. He did not throw one interception the entire game.
The Bulls also used the ground to their advantage, relying on the play of junior running back James Starks and sophomore running back Brandon Thermilus. Thermilus had eight carries for 59 yards while Starks had 37 carries for 151 yards with a career-high three touchdowns.
"I'm sore, but I'm just proud to win this game," Starks said. "It was a great finish by everybody."
Down by seven with four minutes left, the Zips were on a mission to tie the game up. Akron quarterack Chris Jacquemain used his arm as a weapon, tossing a pivotal 27-yard pass to junior wide receiver Jeremy Bruce to put the Zips on the Bulls' 3-yard line. This set up a 1-yard run by senior running back Dennis Kennedy, tying the game, 24-24, with only 23 seconds left in regulation.
The Bulls, who had the ball first in overtime, were put on the 7-yard line after a pass interference call to senior cornerback Brandon Anderson. On a 4-and-1 play, Willy kept the ball and put the Bulls in the end zone, making the score 31-24.
In retaliation, Jacquemain got the Zips to the 5-yard line, putting his team in prime scoring position. After an illegal formation penalty on Akron, junior safety Mike Newton nearly intercepted the ball, but instead deflected it into junior wide receiver Dashan Miller's hands, tying the game at 31 points apiece.
After a three incomplete passes to begin the second overtime, Zips sophomore kicker Igor Iveljic kicked a 42-yard field goal, making the score 34-31.
On the following drive, the Bulls put the ball into the hands of Starks and Roosevelt. After three straight passes to two of the offense's most potent weapons, Starks kept the ball on the ground for a 2-yard gain on a long third down. On a 4th-and-5 play, Principe kicked a 24-yard field goal, tying the game, 34-34, and putting the game into a third overtime period.
Willy started the third overtime with a 24-yard pass to Roosevelt, putting the Bulls on the 1-yard line. Starks then ran into the end zone, for his third score.
Forced to go for a two-point conversion due to overtime rules, Willy was unable to connect on a fade pass, keeping the game at 40-34.
The Zips, not to be counted out, stormed down the field on the ground. A touchdown was finally scored on a 4th-and-1 play by Kennedy, which put the score at 40-40. An incomplete Jacquemain pass on the two-point attempt kept the score tied.
The following extra period was all the Bulls needed to seal the deal. During the hand-off from Jacquemain to Kennedy, the ball was fumbled and recovered by freshman defensive tackle Richie Smith, which led to the game winning field goal.
"We had opportunities to make plays on defense," Gill said. "We did make one, though. It was kind of tough there after the third overtime. I looked into the eyes of our defense and they still had some heart and had some energy, so I said, 'Let's go on defense first.' "
With a win against Bowling Green next week, the Bulls will be guaranteed a visit to the MAC Championship on Dec. 5.
Their final regular season away game takes place on Nov. 21 at 6 p.m.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
