With 12:56 left in the football team’s season opening game against Duquesne, Buffalo trailed 28-24 and were backed up at its own three-yard line.
It appeared the Dukes, a team from the Football Subdivision Championship (FCS) that trailed 21-0 in the second quarter and in its first-ever game against a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent, was going to pull off the upset.
Junior quarterback Joe Licata said he had to stay “calm, cool and collective.”
Licata did just that, leading two fourth-quarter scoring drives, both ending in touchdown passes to junior wide receiver Ron Willoughby, to retake the lead and avoid the upset.
The Bulls (1-0) defeated Duquesne (0-1), 38-28 Saturday at UB Stadium in front of an announced crowd of 20,329. The game featured the first lightning delay in UB Stadium history, resulting in a 44-minute delay with 8:30 remaining in the first quarter. It was also the hottest game in the history of the stadium, with a temperature at kickoff of 87 degrees.
“I told the team nobody owes us anything,” said head coach Jeff Quinn. “We got to go out there and earn it. Certainly not what I expected. There were moments in that game that I saw our kids really dig deep and they came up big especially late in the game.”
Buffalo led 21-0 with two minutes remaining in the first half and were set to get the ball back after forcing a Duquesne punt. Junior wide receiver Marcus McGill muffed the punt, setting up Duquesne on the Bulls’ 29-yard line. The Dukes scored six plays later.
“I don’t know what [McGill] was thinking,” Quinn said. “He wasn’t maybe. Maybe that was the problem.”
It was the start of 21 unanswered points and a 28-3 run for the Dukes, who led 28-24 with 12:56 remaining in the game before Licata’s two touchdown drives, both of which were caught by Willoughby.
Willoughby caught 10 passes for 132 yards in addition to two touchdowns. Willoughby was the only receiver on the Bulls with more than 40 receiving yards.
“I think everyone found out that Ron Willoughby can play football,” Licata said.
Licata said he has a lot of “faith” in Willoughby. The junior wide receiver seems to be the Bulls’ No. 1 receiver.
After Willoughby’s first touchdown put Buffalo up 31-28 and an ensuing Duquesne three-and-out, Buffalo was able to control the rest of the pace. The Bulls held the ball for 6:34 and finished the drive with Willoughby’s second touchdown. The Dukes were left with just 1:24 and trailed by 10.
Quinn’s biggest decision of the day came on a fourth down at Duquesne’s 47-yard line on this game-sealing drive. The Bulls, needing only 1 yard, elected to go for it, and converted on a quarterback sneak by Licata. Licata said he and senior left guard Andre Davis told Quinn they wanted to try the sneak.
“They were hungry to get that one,” Quinn said. “It was very close but they made it and that was a significant play in the game to be able to close things out for us.”
Quinn said the Bulls’ struggling secondary did not factor into his decision to attempt the fourth down conversion, as opposed to punting.
Buffalo’s secondary allowed Duquesne quarterback Dillon Buechel to throw for 322 yards and three touchdowns. Chris King, the Dukes’ most dangerous receiver Saturday, caught six passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns, including an 88-yard score that tied the game at 21.
Junior cornerback Marqus Baker missed the game due to illness.
The Bulls scored on both their two opening possessions. Licata threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Matt Weiser, who was wide-open along the left sideline, on the first drive of the game.
Then the lightning struck.
The delay didn’t seem to affect Buffalo, as junior running back Anthone Taylor scored on an 11-yard touchdown run just three plays after the game resumed.
Taylor saw the most work out of the backfield, carrying the ball 30 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns.
Licata threw for 298 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. The Bulls’ defense put pressure on Buechel and sacked him four times, two of which came from senior safety Adam Redden.
The Bulls were almost upset by another FCS opponent at home last season, but ultimately defeated Stony Brook 26-23 in five overtimes. Quinn said he “tips his hat off” to Duquesne and that he doesn’t expect his team to play more comfortably based on the opponent or if they have a large lead.
“If they [got comfortable] that’s not how we coach them,” Quinn said. “We play one snap at a time … I don’t expect them to worry about what the scoreboard says, whether you’re up or down.”
The Bulls travel to Army next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m.
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