DETROIT — A season that almost didn't happen for Buffalo could end in a Mid-American Conference championship on Friday night, when the Bulls played Ball State in Detroit.
FIRST QUARTER:
- After receiving the opening kickoff, Buffalo gets going quickly. Kyle Vantrease hits Antonio Nunn on 2nd and 7 for a 54-yard pickup to the Cardinals 14. Then Jaret Patterson scores from three yards out. The Bulls take a 7-0 lead on the six-play, 71-yard drive.
- Ball State responds immediately, with an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, ending with a Drew Plitt pass to Yo'Heinz Tyler on 1st and goal from the 10. The Cardinals tie it up, 7-7.
- The Bulls continue their offensive attack on the next drive. Covering 69 yards on eight plays, Kyle Vantrease goes to Trevor Wilson for 24-yard touchdown. Buffalo is back up 14-7.
- The Bulls force a three and out on the Cardinals next drive, ending with a pass broken up by Buffalo's Kadofi Wright on third and long. Buffalo gets the ball back at their own 40 after the Ball State punt.
SECOND QUARTER:
- On an 11-play, 50-yard drive, Alex McNulty's 27 yard field goal attempt is blocked. Ball State begins the next drive on their own at their own 27. They complete a 10-play, 90-yard drive, going for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1, and tying it up at 14 a piece.
- Buffalo quickly countered, though, going 76 yards in three plays and only 78 seconds to reclaim the lead on an 18-yard strike from Vantrease to Nunn. The Bulls lead 21-14.
- In true MAC form, the Cardinals came right back, tying it up at 21 and using only 1:36 off the clock when Plitt found Antwan Davis on a 9-yard touchdown pass. The drive covered six plays and 75 yards.
- Ball State scores on back-to-back drives Drew Plitt hit to Jalen McGaughy for a 56-yard touchdown, and Buffalo would trail for the first time this season, 28-21.
- On the Bulls next drive, Cardinals Jimmy Daw strip sacks Vantrease, and returns it for a 34-yard touchdown. Ball State takes a two-touchdown lead, 35-21, with under a minute to go in the half.
THIRD QUARTER:
- After going down 38-21, Kevin Marks Jr. breaks off a 67-yard touchdown run. The Bulls pull within ten, 38-28. Earlier in the quarter, the Bulls failed to convert a fourth down around midfield but soon forced a punt after a three-and-out.
FOURTH QUARTER:
- The Bulls' offense continues to score points. The first play of the quarter was an interception, the second drive ended with a punt after three plays, and the third drive ended on downs on the Ball State 14. That drive had gone six plays for 38 yards and consumed 1:49.
- After the Bulls forced another Ball State punt, another offense stalled and ended on downs. The 11-play, 42-yard drive stopped at the Ball State 47, and the Cardinals began to run the clock and celebrate.
