A week after struggling at Liberty, and with a number of players out with injuries, the Bulls' defense . . .
Temple, which entered the game 2-0 and coming off an upset win over No. 21 Maryland, jumped out to a 7-0 lead following its first possession. However, sparked by a 52-yard field goal by freshman Jackson Baltar - the second longest in school history, the Bulls scored 24 unanswered points in the second quarter to take total control of the game.
Midway through the second quarter, Ledarius Mack sacked Temple quarterback Anthony Russo and jarred the ball loose. Eric Black pounced on the fumble and the Bulls were set up with a first down at the Temple 19-yard line. Three plays later, Matt Myers kept it himself on a seven-yard touchdown run to put the Bulls ahead, 17-7.
Kevin Marks scored on a two-yard touchdown run with just 22 seconds left in the half to extend the UB lead to 24-7 at the break. His touchdown capped a 14-play, 84-yard drive that ate up nearly six minutes off the clock.
The Owls took the opening kickoff of the second half and were driving deep into UB territory. However, sophomore cornerback Aapri Washington came up with a huge interception at the goal line to thwart a Temple score.
Devon Russell notched the Bulls' second interception of the game midway through the third quarter to once again give UB a short field. Four plays later, Patterson barreled into the endzone for his second score of the game to put Buffalo ahead, 31-10.
Fittingly, the defense put the cap on the win when senior safety Joey Banks returned an interception 46 yards for a touchdown to extend the UB lead to 38-10 in the fourth quarter.
"To watch our defensive effort and some of the pieces of the puzzle that we had to address with guys being out, really says a lot about guys stepping up when their opportunity came," head coach Lance Leipold said.
This game was won in the trenches as the Bulls dominated both the offensive and defensive line of scrimmage. The offensive line blocked for a rushing attack that gained 217 yards on the ground. Conversely, the defense held the Owls to just 31 yards rushing.
"This win was as a huge boost," Leipold said. "You could see the moral was down after last week, and rightfully so. We had it handed to us. We are a young team. Wins like this should help us with confidence."
Buffalo opens conference play next Saturday at Miami (OH).
(Courtesy of UB Athletics)