Riding positive momentum following last week's 48-20 trouncing of the University of Central Florida at home, the Buffalo Bulls struggled in a loss to the vulnerable Akron Zips Saturday night at the Rubber Bowl.
Despite jumping out to an early lead, the Bulls were ultimately bounced by the Zips 44-21, thanks in part to the offensive clinic that Akron quarterback Charlie Frye put on in front of 7,123 fans.
"Akron did an outstanding job tonight. They beat us in every phase of the game," said UB head coach Jim Hofher. "Charlie Frye played like the veteran and elite quarterback that he is. That has given him a reputation that he deserves. He was outstanding."
Frye was 13-23 on the night, throwing two touchdown passes and accumulating 202 yards in the air.
"I sensed that we would have a good game all week," said Frye. "I thought the line had a great week of practice. When that happens, you know it will carry over to the game."
The Bulls were also hampered by poor special teams play all night and five fumbles that resulted in extremely poor field position for UB and served as spoilers to the early impetus that UB had established against Akron.
"We played hard at times and smart at times but we need to be smarter in our execution. There were several opportunities we had offensively when we did not capitalize," said Hofher. "Certainly there were several opportunities where we lost yards and created opportunities for Akron. We did not execute a shotgun snap effectively and that created a big loss."
Additionally, Buffalo's defense was unable to slow down the antics of speedy Akron running back Brett Biggs. On the night, Biggs was responsible for three Zips touchdowns, rushing for 165 yards on 20 carries.
"He's very tough to tackle and really hit the creases very well and they created creases up front," Hofher said of Biggs.
The Bulls got off to a quick start, scoring on their very first possession when Steven King scampered 23 yards to give the Bulls a 7-0 advantage just 4:45 into the game.
The Zips took little time in responding to the Buffalo score, however, as Charlie Frye completed a 10 yard pass to Dennis Basch following an eight-play, 65-yard drive.
On the next possession for the Bulls with the score tied 7-7, UB's true freshman quarterback Datwan Hemingway, who platooned at quarterback with starter Chris Moore, took control for the Bulls. Hemingway made the most of his time behind center, completing three passes - the first three of his career - and ultimately found Chad Upshaw in the end zone to give the Bulls a 14-7 lead.
The lead was short-lived however, as Akron's Domenik Hixon found a hole in the Buffalo special teams' defense and responded with a 93-yard kickoff return to tie the game for the Zips, 14-14 with 14:41 left in the first half.
Following that play, the Zips took off and never looked back, scoring two more times to take a 28-14 lead going into the half.
"We always talk about adversity and getting hit pretty early," said Akron head coach J.D. Brookhart. "(Akron) responded and fought back to take the lead. I asked them to finish the game with the same intensity that they showed in the second quarter."
The Bulls came out charging to begin the second half, as King continued his solid play for UB. King put the football in Akron territory following a career-long 52-yard run that ultimately led to a Jared Patterson touchdown to cut the Zips' lead to 28-21 with 12:40 left in the third quarter.
The Patterson touchdown would be the last poke the Bulls would make in the scoring column, as Akron went on to score two more touchdowns and a field goal to seal the 44-21 victory over the Bulls.
King emerged as the most successful member of the UB running back quartet. The sophomore had a career night for the Bulls, rushing for 120 yards on 12 carries. This marked the second occasion that King gained over 100 yards on the ground for UB.
Starting quarterback Moore completed seven passes on 10 attempts, good for 57 yards in the air for the Bulls. Hemingway was 4-for-10 gathering 79 yards and a touchdown pass.
UB's defense was led by J.J. Gibson. Gibson led the Bulls with five solo tackles and 11 total tackles on the night.
Frye finished the contest with 13 completed passes on 23 attempts. En route to throwing two touchdown passes, the pre-season Heisman Trophy candidate collected 202 yards in the air for the Zips.
The Bulls will return to action next Saturday at UB stadium against defending MAC champion Miami (OH). Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
