Nearly three hours late to take the field due to severe lightning and thunderstorms, the Bulls (1-0, 0-0 MAC) struck its first win of the season in the game’s final seconds.
The Bulls defeated the University of Albany Great Danes (1-1, 1-0 CAA) 21-17 Thursday night at Broadview Stadium. Fifth-year wide receiver Chance Morrow caught all three of UB’s touchdowns, while the Bulls’ defense stopped the Great Danes at the goal line to seal the victory.
Senior safety Miles Greer said the Bulls didn’t allow the delay to shake them.
“I thought we held our composure and came out and got the win,” Greer said. “It’s a shame, man. I wanted a rain game.”
Albany hit first with a touchdown late in the first quarter, but the Bulls counterattacked with a 15-play, 75-yard drive that ended with redshirt junior quarterback Elijah Holmes finding Morrow for a nine-yard touchdown.
The two’s connection struck again late in the second quarter, when Holmes found Morrow for a four yard score to give UB a 14-7 lead. That lead got cut down to 14-10 just before halftime when the Great Danes added a field goal before halftime.
The Bulls’ defense held firm the second half. While fifth-year nickelback SaVeon Brown recorded his first career interception in the third quarter, UB’s offense was unable to capitalize overall.
Storms were not the only thing to plague the Bulls throughout the night. UB committed 10 penalties for 119 yards, including a costly roughing-the-kicker penalty in the third quarter.
UAlbany initially settled for a field goal then, but the penalty gave the Great Danes a first down. They took advantage of the second chance and scored a touchdown to take a 17-14 lead.
The Bulls struggled to respond offensively until their final possession.
Starting at their own 39-yard line with 6 minutes and 43 seconds remaining in the game, Holmes connected with junior wide receiver Jaylen Andrews for 20 yards and fifth-year tight end Clint Walker for 25 yards. A 15-yard completion to redshirt junior wide receiver Patrick Clacks III moved UB to the Albany 5-yard line.
Two plays later, Holmes found Morrow once again for his third touchdown of the night, giving the Bulls a 21-17 lead with four minutes and 53 seconds remaining.
Albany had one final opportunity and drove inside the UB 10-yard line. Facing fourth-and-goal, fifth-year linebacker Stevie Bracey made the game-saving tackle at the three-yard line to preserve the Bulls’ four-point victory.
UB’s defense held Albany to five-for-18 on third down, while the Bulls converted 10 of their 21 third-down attempts. Bracey finished with seven tackles, two tackles for a loss and a sack, while senior cornerback Keontez Bradley led UB with eight tackles.
Morrow finished with a career-high seven receptions for 48 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first Bulls receiver to catch three touchdowns in a game since Anthony Johnson against Miami (Ohio) in 2018.
“Just trusting in the process and trusting the preparation for the game that we did all week,” Morrow said. “Just trusting Elijah and coach and the plays he called.”
Head coach Pete Lembo said Morrow’s 6 '4 frame makes him a natural target near the end zone.
“Certainly down in the low red zone; when you have a 6 '4 receiver, you’ve got to let him go to work down there,” Lembo said.
Holmes finished his first Division I start 26-for-47 for 189 yards and three touchdowns. Despite the win, Holmes acknowledged that the offense left opportunities on the field.
“I thought it went pretty well. Definitely a lot to clean up,” Holmes said. “I thought there was a couple things, execution-wise, we could have fixed to elongate our lead and make it not close, but I’m just happy to get the win.”
The Bulls will travel to Miami, Florida to play the Florida International Panthers (0-0, 0-0 USA) for their first road game of the season 6 p.m. Sept. 12. The game will be available to stream on ESPN +.
Will Meyer is the senior sports editor and can be reached at will.meyer@ubspectrum.com.
Photo: Credit: Avery Grant, UB Athletics
