By David Walsh
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Camellia Bowl had another dramatic finish, as Buffalo scored with 1:09 left to take the lead, then held off Marshall on its final drive to escape with a 17-10 victory Friday afternoon at the Cramton Bowl.
The Bulls drove 88 yards in 13 plays to go in front 17-10 when Kevin Marks Jr. scored on a 2-yard run with 1:09 left to play. On the drive, quarterback Kyle Vantrease completed two keys passes to Antonio Nunn — for 26 yards to the Marshall 18 and a 12-yarder on third-and-5 at the Herd 13 for a first down on the one. That set up Marks for the go-ahead score.
Marshall got the ball at its 35 after the kickoff and 5-yard penalty on the Bulls.The Herd, out of timeouts, drove inside the Buffalo 30 in the closing seconds, but the Bulls came up with two sacks on quarterback Grant Wells to ice the victory.
Kadofi Wright had the first big sack for a 9-yard loss back to the 29. Eric Black got the second at the 25 with three seconds to go to end it and secure just the second win for the Bulls all-time against the Herd.
Buffalo and Marshall were Mid-American Conference foes from 1999-2004 and the Herd won eight of nine meetings. The Bulls are 6-0 all-time now against Conference USA teams, which Marshall is a member.
Marshall, which started the season 7-0 and got ranked as high as No. 15 in the two major polls, lost its final three games. The one-time potent offense managed just 23 points in those three games.
“The offense just didn’t get it done,” Herd coach Doc Holliday said. “We’ve been on campus the last seven months (Coronavirus protocols and three-times-per-week testing). We hit a wall at the end. Buffalo went through the same thing. Don’t blame the players. It’s on me and the coaches.”
Holliday’s contract runs out in June and he didn’t speculate on what might happen when he and athletic director Mike Hamrick meet.
“I have not thought about it,” Holliday said of a new contract. “We weren’t consistent enough on offense. We played well enough on defense to get it done. It’s not one person. The first seven weeks we were the best team on the field. The last three we weren’t the best team on the field.”
Buffalo (6-1) entered the game averaging 48 points per game. The Bulls, the top rushing team in the nation at 309 yards per game, had just 155 rushing and 140 passing for a 295 total. Sheldon Marks Jr. led the run game with 138 yards on 35 carries with 117 coming in the first half on 23 attempts.
Wells finished 13-of-20 for 114 yards. Sheldon Edwards topped the rushers with 79 yards on 17 attempts. Corey Gammage led in receiving with six catches for 88 yards. Marshall had just 249 total yards.
Marshall trailed 10-7 at half. The offensive struggles continued until final possession of second quarter when the Herd went 75 yards in 12 plays. Wells completed passes of 15 and 31 yards to Gammage and Knowledge McDaniel got the TD on a 2-yard run. That was Marshall’s first time in Buffalo territory in the half.
The Herd got even at 10-10 on Shane Cuicci’s 21-yard field goal in the third period. Later in the period, the Herd had a chance to take the lead, but Ciucci missed wide right on a field-goal try from 43 yards.
Buffalo drove deep into Marshall territory on first possession, but Alex McNulty missed 34-yard field goal. The Bulls entered game as only FBS team without a field goal.
Buffalo’s Jaret Patterson, running back and MAC Offensive Player of the Year, did not play due to a leg injury. He was 116 yards short of 4,000 for his career. The Herd didn’t have standout linebacker Tavante Beckett or running back Brenden Knox. They opted out of the game to get ready for the NFL Draft.
Buffalo got to the Herd 25 on its second drive, but turned the ball over on downs. On the third drive, Buffalo scored on fourth down on a 1-yard run by Vantrease. Earlier, he completed a 20-yard pass to Jeremy Ruiz to keep the drive alive. Ruiz was put on scholarship for the Bulls on Christmas Eve.
Buffalo took a 10-0 lead when McNulty made a 25-yard field goal with 5:33 left in the half. At that point, the Bulls had 188 total yards to 32 for Marshall (just five passing).
This was Buffalo’s third straight bowl game and second straight win.
This was Marshall’s seventh bowl trip in the past eight seasons. The Herd’s all-time bowl mark is now 12-4 (6-2 under Holliday).