Make no bones about it, the Miami of Ohio RedHawks (5-3, 3-1) are a standout team and undoubtedly deserved to win this game with the way they came out and took it to the Buffalo Bulls (1-7, 0-4). Yet something was different about this loss in comparison with the other UB games this season. This time the Bulls actually looked pathetic for the full 60 minutes.
Last week against Marshall Buffalo played hard till the end, scoring 21 points after the game was decided, but on Saturday UB was still making mistakes and looking disinterested until the final whistle.
The RedHawks 49-0 desecration of the Bulls on Saturday afternoon was quite the bitter pill to swallow. There was absolutely no reason for the Bulls to lose the game in the manner that they did at UB Stadium.
"This was a very, very disappointing performance by our team and a very good performance by Miami," said Bulls Head Coach Jim Hofher. "It's just disappointing to do many of things that we try to do and not perform well. Anyway you slice it, it was poor football on our part and it was excellent football on their part."
Miami has one of the better passing attacks in the MAC with sophomore quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and senior wide-out Jason Branch, but it was junior tailback Luke Clemens that was the story early in the game. Clemens scored on a 12-yard run to open the scoring for the RedHawks and followed that up with a 36-yard touchdown on their third possession. Clemens would end the day with 15 carries for 98 yards and two touchdowns.
During the early going Buffalo was finding ways to help Miami. The Bulls' first three drives were cut short by dropped passes, which would plague UB's receivers for most of the game.
"We didn't do anything well, certainly the drops," said Hofher. "The drops are as big a disappointment as anything because there were opportunities to keep drives alive. There were drops on balls that would have been first downs."
In the second quarter Roethlisberger and Branch went to work on UB's secondary. To open the quarter Miami went on a 13-play, 78-yard drive that ended with Branch scoring on a 9-yard pass from Roethlisberger, making the game 21-0. The drive was a long one, taking 6:32 off the clock, but the most vexing part was that the RedHawks were allowed to convert on a third and seven and on a fourth and three to keep the drive going.
After the kickoff the Bulls' drive stalled around their 40-yard line. Hofher called for a fake punt which sophomore J.J. Gibson ran for a long gain that would have resulted in a Bulls first down, but a false start penalty brought back the play. On the next play senior punter Scott McMahan couldn't handle the snap and Miami recovered on UB's 26-yard line. 37 seconds later Roethlisberger found Branch in the back of the endzone to extend Miami's lead to 28-0.
Talk about a turn of events.
Roethlisberger finished the game 16-24 for 228 yards and three touchdowns. Branch would have four catches for 36 yards and two touchdowns.
"At the quarterback position you get a feel of how everyone is reacting to things," said Roethlisberger. "I got that feel from the rest of the team that nothing could really stop us today."
UB closed out the first half with their best drive of the afternoon going sixty yards. Twice the Bulls went for it on fourth down and converted, but on fourth and six kicker Dallas Pelz missed a 24-yard field goal which sadly enough, was the Bulls' best scoring opportunity all day.
The second half brought more of the same; Miami was facing third and 20 when Roethlisberger hit senior receiver Eddie Tillitz over the middle for a gain of 32 yards. The very next play Roethlisberger found sophomore receiver Michael Larkin on the left side for a 39-yard touchdown.
Miami picked off UB quarterback Randall Secky at Buffalo's 30-yard line on the Bulls' next possession. Six plays and 29 yards later junior running back Cal Murray dove two yards into the endzone taking Miami out to a gaudy 42-0 lead.
Secky had another sub-par showing, going 16-41 with 106 yards while being intercepted three times. All the of the passing problems cannot not be attributed to him however, as his receivers dropped balls time and again.
On the Bulls' next possession Secky threw a great pass to senior wideout Maurice Bradford who had gotten behind the RedHawk secondary and would have had a clear run to the end zone had he not dropped the ball. This play and the missed field goal were UB's only two legitimate chances to score.
"We always talk about what we can do but we never did," said Miami junior linebacker Terrell Jones. "By shutting (UB) out today it was a statement to let everybody know we got talent and we're ready to produce now."
Not all of UB's defensive play was bad news though. Junior safety Mark Graham picked off Roethlisberger twice, once in the endzone, and also defended two other passes on the day to become Buffalo's all-time leader with 30.
On the other side of the ball however, the Bulls' running game was virtually non-existent with freshman Aaron Leeper and Dave Dawson combining to rush 21 times for 49 yards.
Miami's second string got into the act late in the game with sophomore running back Mike Smith breaking off a 32-yard run to give the RedHawks their final 49-0 score.
Buffalo will have to find their competitive spark again for next week as they host Kent State at 1 p.m. in UB Stadium.
