The anemic Buffalo offense had fans panicking and critics clamoring.
Were Chazz Anderson and Branden Oliver the men that would save the Bulls from their recent history of mediocrity, or were they just the latest purveyors of Buffalo's long line of disappointments?
Their doubters were silent on Saturday.
After suffering a 41-10 thumping last week in Tennessee, Buffalo (2-4, 1-1 Mid-American Conference) returned to MAC play and hosted Ohio (4-2, 1-1 MAC) in hopes of breaking an eight-game losing streak against conference opponents. The Bulls rode Oliver's and Anderson's performance to triumph over the Bobcats, 38-37.
The two struggled last week – Anderson threw for 99 yards and Oliver ran for 61 – but they rose to the occasion and put up career-high numbers in Buffalo's huge victory over Ohio.
Anderson threw for a career-high 343 yards, higher than his past two games combined, and two touchdowns. This marks Buffalo's greatest passing output since Jerry Davis' 302 yards against Rhode Island last year.
Not to be outdone, Oliver ran his way back into the spotlight. The sophomore dominated the Ohio defense, running for a career-high 179 yards and three touchdowns on 34 rushes. He also caught five passes for 43 yards.
Anderson remained poised throughout the pressure-packed, back-and-forth conference matchup. He threw for 106 yards in the first quarter, highlighted by a methodical 13-play, 88-yard scoring drive in which he went 6-for-7.
Head coach Jeff Quinn said Anderson's performance was a long time in the making.
"He's been a great leader for us," Quinn said. "I've known all along that this was a quality young man who has his priorities in the right place and that he's a great competitor. We knew he had it in him."
Senior wide receiver Ed Young was the main benefactor of Anderson's elevated play. He exploded for a career-high 135 yards on five receptions. He provided what proved to be the game-changing play for the Bulls. Down 31-24 in the third, Young caught a short pass from Anderson and ran 90 yards for the game-tying touchdown.
The play was the second longest in Buffalo history. Young has been battling to get back in good favor with Buffalo fans since dropping two big passes in the season opener at Pittsburgh.
"I kept saying to [Ed]: ‘Don't get down; just stay with it,'" Quinn said. "You're going to get that moment. And look what happened tonight."
Ohio answered with a field goal, making it 34-31, but Buffalo went on a drive that lasted 8:26 and 18 plays – Buffalo's longest drive of the year – to retake the lead.
The Bobcats stopped Buffalo three times at the 1-yard-line at the end of the drive. Quinn made the gutsy call to go for it, and Oliver lunged his way into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.
Quinn said he looked all his players in the eyes and told them they were going to win the ball game. He didn't even consider kicking the field goal.
That play was no rare occurrence; Oliver imposed his will on Ohio all game long. Early in the game, he barreled his way past the Ohio front seven and went 12 yards to put Buffalo on the scoreboard first. His second touchdown came just five minutes later, as he punched it in from one yard out.
The sophomore struck again in the second quarter. Oliver took an Anderson handoff to the right and burst through the Ohio secondary for a career-high 58-yard run.
Buffalo's defense wasn't as efficient as its rejuvenated offense. Ohio rushed for 239 yards and three touchdowns, including a 67-yard reverse by wide receiver LaVon Brazill that put the Bobcats ahead, 31-24, in the third quarter. Ohio quarterback Tyler Tettleton also exploited Buffalo's struggle in stopping the run, running for 66 yards and a 40-yard touchdown.
However, the Bulls came through in the game's most crucial moments. Ohio had one last chance to make a comeback with 2:46 remaining in the fourth quarter. Ohio picked up a quick first down, but the Buffalo defense tightened up.
On the next series, the ‘D' forced a 4th-and-5. Tettleton took the snap and looked for an open man, but senior defensive tackle Richie Smith was not about to let the Bulls lose again. He shot straight through the middle and drilled Tettleton for the game-winning sack.
"The sack felt great," Smith said. "The win felt better, though. It's all about the defense getting off the field on fourth down and critical moments like that."
The defense made big plays when it mattered most. At the end of the first half, the Bobcats maintained possession after a controversial roughing the kicker call. Ohio made its way inside Buffalo's 5-yard-line with less than a minute remaining, but junior defensive end Steven Means stepped up and sacked Tettleton to force an Ohio field goal.
Means started for Buffalo even though he was still recovering from a painful root canal he received earlier that morning.
"Steven really fought hard," Quinn said. "After the game, he was very emotional. He's just a great young man, and to see him be able to fight through it just says everything you want about a kid like him."
Buffalo will try to finally get a winning streak going when the Bulls face Temple (4-2, 2-1 MAC) at Lincoln Financial Field next Saturday at 1 p.m.
Email: sports@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Breadchastick / Wikimedia Commons
