Saturday, September 14
Buffalo, NY
1:00 pm
2-1 , 0-0
34
vs
3
UMass
0-3 , 0-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Massachusetts
0
3
0
0
3
Buffalo
7
3
17
7
34
Photo by: Paul Hokanson/UBBulls.com
Second-Half Surge Lifts Bulls Past UMass
9/14/2024 6:15:00 PM | Football
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo football team scored 24 second-half points to defeat UMass, 34-3, on a sunny and hot Saturday afternoon at UB Stadium. Once again, the defense shined, keeping the Minutemen out of the endzone.
The Bulls marched right down the field and scored on their first possession of the game when C.J. Ogbonna connected with J.J. Jenkins for a 40-yard touchdown pass to give UB an early 7-0 lead. It would prove to be all the points the Bulls needed as the defense was in shutdown mode after that.
Shaun Dolac had 14 of his career-high 16 tackles in the first half to set the tone. He added a sack and two tackles for loss. Fellow linebacker Red Murdock had a career-high 12 tackles and added a career-best three tackles for loss and a sack.
Cornerback Marquis Cooper had another standout performance, finishing with eight tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and returned his first career interception 100 yards for a touchdown. It was the longest interception return in program history, a record that stood for nearly 60 years.
All told, the Bulls had a season-high 12 tackles for loss in the game.
Offensively, Ogbonna had a solid game under center, finishing 14-of-22 for 185 yards and a touchdown and adding an eight-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. He hooked up with nine different receivers in the game. The Bulls were able to connect on big plays as Jenkins, Victor Snow and Taji Johnson all had receptions of 30+ yards.
Lamar Sperling led the rushing attack with the best game of his young career. The redshirt-freshman rushed for 86 yards on 16 carries and scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter for his first career touchdown.
The Bulls improved to 2-1 with the win. They will next play at Northern Illinois next Saturday.
The Bulls marched right down the field and scored on their first possession of the game when C.J. Ogbonna connected with J.J. Jenkins for a 40-yard touchdown pass to give UB an early 7-0 lead. It would prove to be all the points the Bulls needed as the defense was in shutdown mode after that.
Shaun Dolac had 14 of his career-high 16 tackles in the first half to set the tone. He added a sack and two tackles for loss. Fellow linebacker Red Murdock had a career-high 12 tackles and added a career-best three tackles for loss and a sack.
Cornerback Marquis Cooper had another standout performance, finishing with eight tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and returned his first career interception 100 yards for a touchdown. It was the longest interception return in program history, a record that stood for nearly 60 years.
All told, the Bulls had a season-high 12 tackles for loss in the game.
Offensively, Ogbonna had a solid game under center, finishing 14-of-22 for 185 yards and a touchdown and adding an eight-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. He hooked up with nine different receivers in the game. The Bulls were able to connect on big plays as Jenkins, Victor Snow and Taji Johnson all had receptions of 30+ yards.
Lamar Sperling led the rushing attack with the best game of his young career. The redshirt-freshman rushed for 86 yards on 16 carries and scored on a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter for his first career touchdown.
The Bulls improved to 2-1 with the win. They will next play at Northern Illinois next Saturday.
Team Stats
UMS
BUF
Total Yards
193
314
Pass Yards
121
185
Rushing Yards
72
129
Penalty Yards
45
21
1st Downs
11
15
3rd Downs
4
6
4th Downs
2
1
TOP
32:04
27:56
1st Quarter
UMS 0, BUF 7
BUF - Jenkins,JJ 40 yd pass from Ogbonna,C.J. (Bellenfant,Upton kick) 6 plays, 85 yards, TOP 02:01
2nd Quarter
UMS 0, BUF 10
BUF - Bellenfant,Upton 37 yd field goal 6 plays, 18 yards, TOP 02:14
UMS 3, BUF 10
UMS - Lurie,Jacob 34 yd field goal 13 plays, 39 yards, TOP 06:20
3rd Quarter
UMS 3, BUF 13
BUF - Bellenfant,Upton 34 yd field goal 10 plays, 55 yards, TOP 03:22
UMS 3, BUF 20
BUF - Ogbonna,C.J. 8 yd run (Bellenfant,Upton kick), 2 plays, 20 yards, TOP 00:35
UMS 3, BUF 27
BUF - Cooper,Marquis 100 yd interception (Bellenfant,Upton kick)
4th Quarter
UMS 3, BUF 34
BUF - Sperling,Lamar 1 yd run (Bellenfant,Upton kick), 13 plays, 75 yards, TOP 08:07
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
14
TD
1
YDS
185
INT
0
Players Mentioned
CB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
LB
/ FootballQB
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WR
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RB
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Coach Lembo Week 2 Press Conference (vs. St. Francis)
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