Buffalo-Miami (OH): Blue Wins Another Red Vs. Blue Battle on Election Day

Drew Willy lit up the scoreboard at UB Stadium on a night where history was made for the blue of the Buffalo Bulls and the blue of the Democratic Party. In the Election Day-inspired Red vs. Blue battle, the Buffalo Bulls defeated the Miami (OH) RedHawks 37-17.

The teams traded scores to begin the game, with Buffalo striking first on a Willy one-yard touchdown run. The RedHawks answered with a 39-yard field goal, which the Bulls answered with a 34-yard bomb from Willy to Naaman Roosevelt in the corner of the end zone, extending the lead to 14-3 at the end of the first quarter.

Miami came out in the second quarter with a touchdown drive that was capped by a seven-yard touchdown run by redshirt freshman quarterback Clay Belton. Willy answered the touchdown with another bomb, this time only 25 yards, which found Brett Hamlin in the middle of the end zone to give the Bulls a 21-10 halftime lead.

Miami started the second half with a touchdown drive that ended with J.R. Taylor's three-yard touchdown run. Unfortunately, the RedHawks defense failed to stop the Bulls' march down the field, and James Starks added to the Bulls' lead with a one-yard touchdown run. A.J. Principe missed the extra point off the left upright, and the Bulls led 27-17 after the third quarter.

However, the Bulls controlled the fourth quarter. Principe added a 34-yard field goal to begin the Bulls' monumental fourth quarter. After a Miami fumble, Starks put the game away with a 52-yard touchdown run, thereby, giving the Bulls their first win against the RedHawks.

Buffalo coach Turner Gill made some very gutsy calls to begin the game. He went for it on 4th-and-2 from the Miami 39 on the Bulls' first drive and faked a punt on the second drive. Fortunately for Buffalo, both plays resulted in first downs. This definitely set the tone for the game.

The Bulls offense accumulated 476 yards of total offense and only punted three times. Willy went 18-20 for 245 yards, and Starks ran for 177 yards on 26 carries.

Miami, on the other hand, gained a respectable 383 yards of total offense but fumbled twice, punted twice, missed a field goal, and turned the ball over on downs twice inside the red zone. In the end Belton went 17-30 for 178 yards, and Taylor ran for 69 yards on 16 carries to lead the RedHawks in rushing.

The Bulls move into sole possession of first place in the MAC East for the time with a 3-2 conference record to go along with their 5-4 overall record, one win shy of the Bulls' first bowl eligible season in their I-A history. Miami falls to 2-7 overall and 1-4 in conference.