Champions.
The Buffalo Bulls, once the laughingstock of Division I-A football, shocked the nation on Dec. 5 as they took on the then-nationally ranked No. 12 Ball State Cardinals in a game where many thought they never had a chance.
The Bulls (8-6, 5-3 Mid-American Conference) added yet another accolade to a storybook season as they dismantled the then-undefeated Cardinals (12-2, 8-1 MAC), 42-24. The game was the first time the Bulls ever defeated a nationally ranked opponent in their history, as well as the first MAC Championship victory since the school joined Division I-A.
"So many people told us we couldn't do it, told us not to come [to Buffalo], told [Head coach] Turner [Gill] not to come and just the belief of the kids and the community and the university and to be where we are today is just overwhelming," said Athletic Director Warde Manuel. "I thought it would take a little bit longer, but Turner is the best person, the best coach, the best motivator, the best leader, one of the best I've ever been around. What he's done with these kids, we were told we couldn't do it here."
Ball State, the perennial favorite in the game between the MAC's best, lost because of four costly fumbles that gave the Bulls much-needed points in order to take the game away.
"It was a big effect," said Cardinals quarterback Nate Davis. "They took two fumbles to the house."
In the third quarter, Davis flew in the air looking for the end zone, but sophomore cornerback Josh Thomas popped the ball loose a yard from the goal line. Junior safety Mike Newton then picked up the ball and ran 92 yards, giving the Bulls a touchdown on a costly Cardinal mistake.
"That play was the turning point of the game," Newton said. "I saw it, scooped it up and just kept running."
On the following Ball State drive, Davis let the ball slip by him on a shotgun snap and junior cornerback Sherodd Lott returned that ball for 74 yards, putting the Bulls up 11 points.
Senior quarterback Drew Willy was 19-of-28 for 206 yards and two touchdowns. He thanks his coaches for the belief that they could win.
"The coaches told us in the hotel we were going to win this game," Willy said. "Once Mike Newton made that tremendous play, it got everyone going and the rest is history."
A teary-eyed Gill was proud of his team, which only won 10 games in its first seven seasons in Division I-A before he arrived in 2006.
"I'm just proud," Gill said. "We came to a program where there wasn't a lot of hope or expectations. We came together as a unit and that's why this football team is successful."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
