Ohio (5-5, 3-3 Mid-American Conference) defeated Buffalo (3-6, 1-4 MAC) 37-14 in Athens, Ohio Wednesday night. Buffalo has now lost four straight games and is ineligible for a bowl invitation.
Stat rundown:
- Ohio outgained Buffalo 389 to 134 in total yards of offense.
- Both teams struggled on third down: Buffalo went 2 for 13 on third down conversions, and the Bobcats went 4 of 13. Ohio had 19 first downs, however, compared to Buffalo’s seven.
- The Bulls scored at least 21 points in every game under former head coach Jeff Quinn this season. Buffalo has scored just 14 points in both games under interim head coach Alex Wood.
- Anthone Taylor has ran for 52 yards in his past two games, after running for 685 yards in his previous four.
- Junior quarterback Joe Licata has thrown seven touchdowns and six interceptions in his last four games, after throwing 14 touchdowns and four interceptions in his first five contests.
- Of Buffalo’s 12 drives, six ended in a punt, two with an interception, one with a botched punt snap, one with a fumble, one with a missed field goal and one with a touchdown. Buffalo’s lone offensive touchdown drive started on Ohio’s 19-yard line after a forced fumble.
Turning point:
Buffalo allowed 10 points in less than a minute and a half, allowing Ohio to expand its lead from 17-0 to 27-0 early in the third quarter. On Buffalo’s first play after Ohio took a 20-0 lead, Licata and Taylor fumbled a handoff. The Bobcats recovered and quarterback Derrius Vick ran in a 9-yard touchdown three plays later to give Ohio a 27-0 lead.
When the game was lost:
When Vick ran in for the touchdown to give the Bobcats a 27-0 lead.
Buffalo Player of the Game:
Junior defensive back Okezie Alozie had six tackles, two for losses, and a strip sack that led to Buffalo’s lone offensive touchdown. Alozie now has 2.5 sacks in his past two games after not recording a single sack in Buffalo’s first seven games.
Ohio Player of the Game:
Bobcats freshman running back A.J. Quellette ran for 155 yards on 29 carries (5.3 yards per rush) and two touchdowns. Quellette’s hard running set the pace for an Ohio offense than outgained Buffalo by more than 250 yards.
Quote of the Game:
“We really don’t know what’s going on,” said junior wide receiver Ron Willoughby.
Next game:
Buffalo hosts Akron (4-5, 2-3 MAC) Tuesday, Nov. 11 at UB Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. and the game will be featured on ESPNU.
email: sports@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Paul Hokanson/UB Athletics
