By Jonah Bronstein
AMHERST — Last year the Buffalo Bulls’ motto was “relentless to finish.”
But it takes more than a motto to win close games.
UB ensured itself a losing season Tuesday night with a 27-24 home defeat against Ohio. The Bulls have lost their last three Mid-American Conference games by a combined margin of seven points.
Naaman Roosevelt was spectacular in his final game at UB Stadium, catching eight passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns, and breaking Drew Haddad’s school record for receiving yards. With two games left to play, the St. Joe’s graduate has 3,571 yards. His 268 receptions and 28 touchdowns are also school records.
Matt Weller kicked a 47-yard field goal with 1:25 left as Ohio improved to 7-3 overall and 5-1 in the MAC.
UB (3-7, 1-5) drove within range of a potential tying field goal, but Zach Maynard’s pass bounced off Marcus Rivers’ hands and was intercepted by Shannon Bell with less than 30 seconds to play.
Maynard completed 17 of 36 passes for 230 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in three quarters. He and reserve receiver Terrell Jackson were suspended for the start of the game because they missed a team meeting.
A.J. Principe made a 26-yard field goal to tie the game at 24 with 7:04 left to play. UB started its drive on the Ohio 40 after defensive tackle Richie Smith plucked a tipped pass out of the air and lumbered 26 yards on the return.
Smith’s interception nullified two Bulls miscues. With the Bulls driving in to tie or take the lead early in the fourth, Maynard telegraphed a pass to Roosevelt and was intercepted. During the return, right tackle Andrew West clipped Ohio’s Marcellis Williamson in the back of the knee, drawing an unnecessary roughness penalty and an ejection.
Roosevelt caught his third touchdown of the night on a beautiful 22-yard pass from Maynard that made it 24-21 at the 7:58 mark of the third quarter.
UB’s Jeffvon Gill lost a fumble three plays into the second half, and Matt Weller converted a 46-yard field goal soon after to put Ohio up 24-14.
The Bulls cut the lead to 21-14 with three seconds left in the first half when Maynard lofted an 18-yard pass between two defenders to a leaping Roosevelt in the end zone. The 10-play drive covered 93 yards.
The rest of the first half scoring came in a span of 3:19. After starting quarterback Theo Scott fumbled at the goal line on Ohio’s first series, backup Tyler Tettleton capped a 69-yard second drive with a 9-yard keeper.
UB responded 13 seconds later when Jerry Davis threw a missle down the sideline that hit Roosevelt in stride for a 71-yard touchdown that gave Roosevelt the yardage record.
Davis, a redshirt freshman, completed 3 of 5 passes for 86 yards in his first career start.
Ohio regained the lead on a two-play 58-yard drive capped by Vince Davidson’s 10-yard touchdown run. Following a UB punt, Ohio went up 21-7 on the first play of the second quarter when Terrence McCrae recovered his own fumble in the end zone after catching a 48-yard pass from fellow receiver LaVon Brazill.
The Bulls play at Miami next Wednesday, and finish the season Nov. 27 at Kent State.
