Buffalo and Bowling Green came into Saturday identical at 3-2 overall and 1-0 in the MAC. Both teams came in with a hot offense and cold defense. Nothing changed in week six.
James Knapke continues his 2014 campaign with a solid conference game. He dished out 321 yards on 39 attempts with a touchdown. His lone interception went through a receivers hands but he made up for it with 56 yards on the ground and his own touchdown.
Buffalo's Joe Licata finished with only 134 yards on 24 attempts and matched Knapke with a touchdown and interception.
Travis Greene and Fred Coppet combined for 135 yards and two touchdowns.
The first possession for the Buffalo Bulls was executed to perfection. Jeff Quinn's offense was able to control the tempo and took advantage of a battered Falcon defense. Joe Licata sneaked in on a fourth and goal to put Buffalo on the board. The drive went 75-yards on 15 plays in 9:24. The plan was to keep the Falcon Fast offense off the field and that's exactly what the Bulls did.
It didn't take long for Travis Greene and company to respond. Bowling Green sped 75-yards in just under three minutes capped off by Greene's four yard score. Greene was the centerpiece of the drive raking up 49 of the 75 total yards.
Everyone knew the Falcon defense isn't the same as last year. Well, Joe Licata falls into the ‘everyone' department. He was a perfect 7/7 going into his third drive and kept the streak alive. He took advantage of the depleted secondary drew a pass interference call after the big rush by Anthone Taylor. Licata followed it up with a 16-yard touchdown pass to give the Bulls a 14-10 lead.
The Falcons and Bulls went back and forth the next two possessions. James Knapke squeezed himself into the promise land from the 1-yard line to take back the lead, 17-14. Athone Taylor responded with a 8-yard scamper to give the Bulls a four point lead with 6:50 left in the second.
Apparently the Buffalo and Bowling Green ball boy's came to a mutual agreement after the back and forth touchdowns in the first half. They decided to grease up the pigskins to slow down play in order for them to catch their breath. Yeah, lets go with that.
On the ensuing kickoff, Ronnie Moore fumbled and Buffalo recovered on the Bowling Green 21. Licata was a perfect 9/9 until his pass was intercepted by Gabe Martin on the 2-yard line and returned to the Bowling Green 39. It then took three plays for the Bulls to get it back. Brandon Crawford forced a fumble on the sack and Nick Gilbo recovered the ball for Buffalo.
Athone Taylor decided to stop the turnover carousel and carried the ball six times for 26-yards and punched in a touchdown to extend the lead 28-17.
The Falcons went into the half down by eight after the dependable Tyler Tate made his second field goal of the game.
The second half started quick . The Falcons cut the lead to a single point after Ronnie Moore extended ball over the pylon for a 9-yard touchdown reception. Moore finished the game with 178 yards on 9 receptions and a touchdown. It took Dino's crew 1:26 to start of the third quarter, #FalconFast. After a three and out by the Bulls, Bowling Green took it into the redzone and Mr. Dependable Tate gave them the lead on his third field goal of the game.
Following a blocked field goal, Buffalo's Aathone Taylor took in his third touchdown from the 12-yard line to take back the lead 35-30 with 8:35 left in the game. Taylor finished with an impressive 219 yards on 36 carries.
The thought-to-be dagger in the chest came with a little over five minutes left in the fourth. Buffalo was facing a third and thirteen in Falcon territory when Anthone Taylor rushed the ball for an easy first down. Dino Babers spoke earlier in the week defending his defense after they gave up record numbers to an average at best UMass offense. Buffalo failed to go up by eight after a missed 33-yard field goal.
With the huge defensive stop, the offense recharged itself and bolted 80-yards down the field in four plays and finished on a Fred Coppet touchdown run. Being up 36-35, Babers offense went for the two point conversion but failed.
The game came down to Buffalo at the Bowling Green 48-yard line, fourth and eight with 1:35 to go. Licata threw into triple coverage where the ball was deflected by a defender and fell to the ground.
The Bowling Green offense milked the rest of the clock on the back on Travis Greene who came through in the clutch all game.
The Falcons now stand at 4-2 (2-0 MAC) and head to Athens next week to take on Ohio University. The Bulls fall to 3-3 (1-1 MAC) and are also on the road next week against Eastern Michigan.