Defense Shines in 33-15 Win Over Florida Atlantic

Saturday, September 19

12 pm

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Florida Atlantic

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FAU

Defense Shines in 33-15 Win Over Florida Atlantic

9/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football

Box Score

BOCA RATON, FL – On a day where the offense struggled to find its rhythm, The University at Buffalo, the State University of New York football team used three defensive scores and a safety to defeat Florida Atlantic, 33-15, on a 90-degree day at FAU Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Basics

Score: Buffalo 33, Buffalo 15
Records: Buffalo (2-1), Florida Atlantic (0-3)
Location: FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
Attendance: 15,397
Weather: Sunny, 90 degrees

How It Happened

Scoring Plays

- Florida Atlantic got on the board first when Joe Licata was whistled for intentional grounding in the endzone, awarding a safety to the Owls. (FAU 2, UB 0 – 8:19 1Q)

- Following a UB turnover at its own 33, the Owls needed five plays and scored a touchdown on a 6-yard pass from Jason Driskel to Nate Terry.(FAU 9, UB 0 - 13:31 2Q)

- Late in the first half, with the Owls driving again, Brandon Berry hit FAU's Jay Warren and jarred the ball loose. Travis Pitzonka scooped it up and raced 60 yards for his first career touchdown. (FAU 9, UB 7, 1:11 2Q)

- The defense struck on FAU's first possession of the second half. Max Perisse forced a Greg Howell fumble that Ryan Wiliamson corralled and rambled 34 yards to the FAU 10-yard line. The Bulls would get a 19-yard field goal on the drive to take the lead. (UB 10, FAU 9 – 8:47 3Q)

- Boise Ross gave the Bulls their second defensive score of the game when he stepped in front of a Driskel pass for an interception and took it 39 yards to the house (UB 17, FAU 9 – 8:30 3Q).

- After a perfect punt by Tyler Grassman pinned the Owls inside their own 1-yard line, Nick Gilbo, Pitzonka and Perisse converged on FAU's Howell for a safety. (UB 19, FAU 9 – 4:40 3Q)

- The UB offense finally got in the act late in the third quarter when Jordan Johnson scored on a 19-yard run up the middle. The four-play scoring drive started with a 43-yard pass play from Licata to Malcolm Robinson (UB 27, FAU 9 – 2:54 3Q).

- The Owls connected on a 54-yard pass play for a touchdown on the first play of the third quarter. (UB 27, FAU 15 – 14:50 4Q)

- Fittingly, the defense put the game on ice when Okezie Alozie sacked Driskel and forced a fumble that Brandon Crawford was able to scoop up and then rumbled 11 yards for a touchdown (UB 33, FAU 15 – 5:40 4Q).

Inside the Numbers:

- This game was about the UB defense. The Bulls forced five turnovers and were able to convert those turnovers into 24 points. With the safety and the three touchdowns, the UB defense scored 20 points on the day.

- Brandon Berry continues to open eyes with his play. The junior linebacker had a career-high 10 tackles, including three for a loss and a forced fumble.

- Nick Gilbo matched Berry's three tackles for loss and added nine tackles of his own.

- Okezie Alozie also had a strong game at linebacker. The senior captain had seven tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and two pass breakups.

- The Bulls had three fumble returns for 105 yards and two interceptions for 39 yards.

- For the second time this season, the Bulls had two interceptions in a game. Ryan Williamson had his first career interception in the first quarter to go along with Ross' pick six. UB now has four interceptions on the season – already twice as many as last season.

- Anthone Taylor rushed for 116 yards on 25 carries.

- Jordan Johnson had 66 yards rushing on 14 carries and a score.

- Joe Licata finished 10-for-20 for 105 yards and an interception. He had his streak of 14 straight games with a touchdown pass snapped.

- Seven different receivers had a catch in the game. Marcus McGill, Matt Weiser and Collin Lisa each had a pair of receptions in the game.

- Kicker Adam Mitchenson was 1-for-2 on field goal attempts – making a 19-yarder and missing a 35-yarder.

- The Bulls were outgained, 490-290, in total offense.

Key Stat

The Bulls had three defensive scores in a game for the first time since become an FBS program in 1999. The last time UB had two defensive scores was the MAC Championship game in 2008.

Game Changer

Travis Pitzonka's 60-yard fumble return for a touchdown, to cut the lead to 9-7, changed the complexion of the game and breathed life into the UB squad heading into halftime.

Nota-BULLS

- It was the Bulls' first non-conference road win since winning at UTEP in 2009.

- It was UB's first-ever win in the state of Florida.

- The Bulls improved to 3-0 all-time against teams from Conference USA. UB also defeated UTEP in 2008 and 2009.

- Joe Licata became just the third quarterback in school history to go over 7,000 passing yards in a career. He joined Drew Willy (8,748) and Cliff Scott (7,578).

- It was Anthone Taylor's 11^th career 100-yard rushing game (116 yards)

- Malcolm Robinson's 43-yard catch was a career long.

- Brandon Berry had a career-high 10 tackles in the game.

- Nick Gilbo's nine tackles were a career high.

- Ryan Williamson had both an interception and a fumble recovery in the game.

- The Bulls have now forced eight turnovers over the first three games.

- Boise Ross' interception returned for a touchdown was the Bulls' first pick six since Khalil Mack had one against Massachusetts on Oct. 19, 2013.

- The last time the Bulls returned a fumble for a touchdown was Okoye Houston at Miami (OH) on Nov. 19, 2013.

- 25 different UB players registered a tackle in the game.

- The Bulls wore white helmets in the game for the first time since the 2001 season.

Quota-BULLS

Head Coach Lance Leipold

"I don't know if I have ever been a part of a game like this, but the important thing is that we found a way to win. The way our defense went out there and the way they made big plays was huge for us. [The fumble recovery at the end of the first half] that is the play that really gave us the spark to get this victory."

Junior Linebacker Brandon Berry

"I'm still in shock. I mean we prepare for moments like this, but the way we swarmed and the way we pursued was amazing. We got into the locker room and we talked to the coaches and we promised the offense we would hold them up until they could get on their feet and that's what brothers are for, so we just did what we had to do."

Senior Quarterback Joe Licata

"Our defense played amazing today and they were out of their minds like they have been these last two weeks. It was frustrating as an offense to not be able to hold your own weight, but they did a great job and it was almost funny to watch sometimes. It was just incredible."

Junior Defensive Lineman Brandon Crawford

"We just came out as a defense and played really hard. Our coaches just told us that when you go out and you play hard, that you cause turnovers, and that is what we did today. Everybody just went out today and did their jobs."

Up Next

The Bulls will return home to host Nevada next Saturday at 3:30 pm at UB Stadium. The Wolfpack is 1-2 and is coming off a 44-27 loss at Texas A&M on Saturday.