Ohio Football vs. Buffalo Bulls football recap: 'Cats fall apart, lose 41-17

Buffalo completely dominated the second quarter outscoring the Bobcats 17-3 and in effect completely deflating Ohio on its way to a 41-17 win.

The Ohio run game proved once again to be ineffective with the Bulls defense performing impressively to help earn the squad its first MAC win of the season. Buffalo didn't have to go above and beyond in any respect, but still handled Ohio easily without so much as a concerted effort in the second half. The 'Cats were only able to pile up 54 yards on the ground in yet another week in which it struggled on the ground.

Turnovers were the biggest problem Ohio faced on the day with four times in which it gave the ball up.

Ohio quarterback Derrius Vick was forced to throw the ball 51 times totaling 32 completions for 321 yards and three interceptions. Keith Heitzman, Brendan Cope, Jordan Reid and Sebastian Smith were able top put together respectable performances for the 'Cats

Buffalo had no such problems moving the ball though, especially after turnovers. In the absence of Anthone Taylor, backup Jordan Johnson went for 149 yards on the ground and two scores. Joe Licata managed the game effectively for Buffalo, going 21-32 through the air for 212 yards on the day.

Back to the start of things though, Ohio scored on its first drive of the game with Derrius Vick looking nearly flawless. That result was not an indicator of what was to come for the 'Cats. Buffalo responded with a three-and-out, but a tipped screen pass from Ohio on the ensuing drive went back to the house in the hands of Buffalo's Ryan Williamson for a 15-yard touchdown.

Next Ohio drove to the Bulls half of the field before turning it over on downs. Coach Lance Leipold's team responded in turn with a 7-play 60-yard drive that culminated in a nice 4-yard score in which Jordan Johnson pulled a nifty juke out of his toolbox for the touchdown.

The 'Cats didn't go away, and put through a field goal from 24 after a long drive, but things went south for the 'Cats once more.

Interceptions on back-to-back possessions had Ohio fans feeling the Buffalo Blues. Both interceptions landed in the hands of Okezie Alozie, with one going back to the house for a 22-yard score and the other setting up a field goal to effectively put the game out of reach at the half by a mark of 31-10.

The loss continues a trend for the 'Cats in which Frank Solich's team struggles in late October/November. Buffalo meanwhile, has to be feeling good about itself heading into its a very winnable game against Miami.