 BUFFALO, NY -- After trailing by two touchdowns in the second quarter, Ohio rallied to take the lead before falling, 38-37, in a Mid-American Conference East game at UB Stadium. The 1-4 Bulls exploded for 510 yards of offense and came up with a big defensive stand shortly after Matt Weller pulled Ohio to within one on a 33-yard field goal with 3:23 remaining.
“This one is pretty tough,” Ohio quarterback Tyler Tettleton said. “We feel like we’re a better football team than this. We had our chances. We just didn’t come through.”
The Bobcat defense, depleted due to injuries, had trouble stopping the Buffalo attack, allowing quarterback Chazz Anderson to throw for 343 yards and two touchdowns. Branden Oliver, meanwhile, took advantage of the decimated Bobcat defensive line, gaining a career-high 179 yards on 34 carries and three touchdowns.
The loss was a frustrating one for Ohio, who coupled lapses on defense with squandered opportunities on offense.
“Defensively, we did not control the football game,” Solich said. “But we had several opportunities on offense where we did not put points on the board.”
Buffalo was able to draw first blood on an eight-play scoring drive just inside the 10 minute mark of the first quarter with Anderson passes setting up Oliver’s first touchdown, a 10-yard run.
Ohio fought back on the ensuing drive as Donte Harden made his return to the Bobcat lineup known with a 67-yard kick return that set up his own 13-yard touchdown run two plays later.
Buffalo then seized control of the game, scoring the next two touchdowns much like the first -- the pass setting up the run with relative ease.
With Buffalo holding a 21-7 lead midway through the second quarter and threatening to run away with the contest, Ohio’s Tyler Tettleton then did what he has done the whole season: he stayed composed and made plays when needed. A 40-yard scramble for a touchdown brought the ‘Cats back within a touchdown.
A 58-yard run by Oliver on the ensuing drive brought the Bulls within two yards of another touchdown, but a rare stand by the Ohio defense held the Bulls to a field goal. Ohio was able to tack on one of their own shortly before halftime to make it 24-17 as the teams headed into the locker room.
In the second half, the Bobcats came out firing on all cylinders. A touchdown on the opening drive, a stop on defense and then a 67-yard LaVon Brazill touchdown on a reverse had Ohio up 31-24.
Buffalo, however, put a stop to Ohio’s momentum with yet another big play. A 90-yard screen pass to Ed Young tied the game just one play after the Bobcats pushed ahead. Ohio had another chance to take the lead end when a rare interception from Tettleton, his first since the opener against New Mexico State, ended a scoring threat in the red zone. It was the only turnover for either team on the afternoon.
Despite the critical mistake, Tettleton was able to eclipse the 200-yard mark for the third consecutive week and passed Sammy Shon for the school’s all-time record for passing yards by a sophomore.
Ohio took the lead in the fourth quarter, 37-34, on Matt Weller’s second field goal of the game. But the relentless Bulls showed how much games against teams such as Pitt, UConn and Tennessee have helped. They pieced together an 18-play, 78-yard, 8:43 drive that was capped with Oliver’s third touchdown of the day. The drive almost didn’t end in a touchdown, but a horse collar tackle penalty allowed the drive to continue.
With Tettleton and the offense facing crunch-time, the late comeback attempt got off to a good start when Dallas Brown returned the kick to the Buffalo 22. However, the drive stalled after three plays, and Ohio elected to kick a field goal rather than go for a touchdown. Weller made good on the attempt, bringing the ‘Cats within one with 3:23 left.
The defense came up with a big stop when needed, but Buffalo thwarted Ohio’s last shot at a victory in the final minute when Richie Smith sacked Tettleton for a nine-yard loss and fumble at the Ohio 30 on fourth-and-five. Buffalo took over at 1:52 and ran out the clock.
The upset drops Ohio to 1-1 in MAC play, leaving every MAC East team with at least one conference loss. With the win, the Bulls picked up their first win against a FBS opponent in 2011 and matched their win total from last year.
The Bobcats will look to rebound at home against the Ball State Cardinals Saturday, while Buffalo will try to build on its win against the Temple Owls in Philadelphia.
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