One play wasn’t going to win the game for the University at Buffalo football team. But one of the first defensive plays for the Bulls set the tone in a 37-13 win against Central Michigan, and could spark a certain momentum as they progress into the heart of their eight-game Mid-American Conference schedule.
Devin Grant needed less than three minutes into Saturday’s game at UB Stadium to make something happen. The sophomore safety intercepted Chippewas quarterback Jase Bauer on third-and-8 at the Central Michigan 29-yard line; Bauer’s pass deflected off a receiver in coverage, and Grant caught his own redirection off the carom and zipped to the end zone to help UB to an early 7-0 lead.
It was the start of a career day for Grant, who had three interceptions, including a pair of pick-sixes, and four tackles, a week after he blocked Owen Wiley’s 48-yard field goal attempt to help the Bulls to a 13-10 win at Akron on Sept. 30.
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“We live on starting fast,” Grant said. “With the defense going out there and setting the statement, setting a tone, after putting points on the board, that just brings the whole team alive.”
Here’s Devin Grant’s pick-six for @UBfootball ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/gfeBJM2dFB
— Rachel Lenzi 💁🏻♀️😎 (@rachelmlenzi) October 7, 2023
It was also the start of UB’s second-highest offensive output this season — UB also scored 37 points in its loss Sept. 10 against Fordham, and scored 38 points in a loss Sept. 23 at Louisiana.
Grant led UB in what was probably its most complete and consistent game this season. The Bulls extended a 13-7 lead with five minutes left in the first half to 30-7 less than two minutes into the third quarter on Grant’s second interception return, a 58-yard scamper. Grant’s two pick-sixes sandwiched a third interception of Bauer (28-for-49 passing, 280 yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions) with 4:16 left in the first half, and Grant capped off the play by giving the ball to his mother, Stephanie Blake, who was sitting in the stands.
“She’s my No. 1 supporter,” Grant said. “Her and my dad and my whole family. It was out of the joy of the moment. First touchdown. Second touchdown. It was just, ‘Hey, Mom, thank you for the support that bring. Doing this path with me.’”
Devin Grant’s second pick-six of the day for @UBFootball ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/SJAf149aZl
— Rachel Lenzi 💁🏻♀️😎 (@rachelmlenzi) October 7, 2023
The flair was there for Grant. It was there for the defense, which also forced three fumbles and had a fumble recovery. UB’s performance on defense sparked a sermon of sorts from Bulls coach Maurice Linguist, about the value of possessing the football itself.
“The ball, the ball, the ball,” Linguist said. “The ball is the program. The ball is king. We honor and praise and recognize and we’ll hoist your name. Check the ball. Those that chase the ball, those that cover the ball, those that get the ball, those that take the ball away. We emphasize it every single day. We know our program is based off the identity of how we expect the ball. For our ability, just to show a great amount of respect to the ball.”
Believe it or not, the Bulls (2-4, 2-0 Mid American Conference) are tied with Miami (Ohio) and Ohio for first in the MAC East Division, after an 0-4 start. UB is on a similar path to 2022, when they rattled off a five-game winning streak after opening the season 0-3.
“After the first four games, sometimes you have to learn lessons the hard way and unfortunately, that’s what we had to do,” UB quarterback Cole Snyder said. “This team could have laid down and just decided not to learn anything, and just laid down the rest of the season. We decided to take those lessons and run with them and really learn from them.”
The Bulls still face a challenge: How do they continue the energy, the drive from winning back-to-back games? They’re without linebacker Shaun Dolac, who missed a second game after sustaining a left-ankle injury, wide receiver Nik McMillan (right arm) and tight end Jake Orlando (right leg/ankle).
“We don’t want to get complacent,” said Grant, whose team hosts Bowling Green at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at UB Stadium.
“Just keep going out there and making plays. When the clock hits ‘zero,’ that’s when we define that the game is over.”
More fluidity in offense: UB finished with 355 yards against Central Michigan, including 232 passing yards by Snyder, who completed 20 of 32 passes.
“The running backs came out and ran really hard,” Snyder said. “The offensive line did their thing, up front, and opened the pass game for us. We were getting the ball in your hands, quick, and at the end of the game, it wasn’t just the throwing game, it was the run game.”
Eight players had carries for the Bulls, who ran for 123 yards on 35 carries – led by Ron Cook Jr.’s 53 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. Another highlight was Mike Washington Jr.’s 16-yard run in the fourth quarter, deep in Central Michigan’s end of the field, which included an emphatic hit on Chippewas defensive back De’Javion Stepney.
“Every play is not going to be a home run,” Cook said. “Every play is not going to be a big run. We just keep hitting the wall and make sure we keep running as hard as we can, because eventually, it’ll break.”
UB also continued flexing its depth at wide receiver, as nine players caught passes, including Boobie Curry, who had a game-high four catches for 74 yards. UB has utilized at least eight receivers a game in its first six games.
Grinding down the ground game: UB limited the Chippewas to a season-low 80 rushing yards on 25 carries; Central Michigan entered averaging 161.6 rushing yards on 38.4 carries in its first five games, but did not play quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr., who emerged as a late-season rushing threat in 2022.
UB’s linebackers, in particular, continue to rally in Dolac’s absence. Joe Andreessen and Dion Crawford each had six tackles, while Red Murdock added four.
“We have other guys who do their job, and that’s what we came out and did,” said Andreessen, a Lancaster graduate who also had two quarterback hurries. “Everyone was in the right place and the right time … 11 hats to the ball, and we were hitting, on every play.”
Dolac continues to wear a walking boot on his left leg, and navigated the UB sidelines Saturday on a scooter.
“When you’re on the sidelines, sometimes the up-and-down on a game, rather than having three hours of pressure on his leg, it’s a little easier to get by on the scooter,” Linguist said. “But he’s given us everything he’s got, and we’re going to get him back in there, pretty soon.”
Next: UB hosts Bowling Green at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at UB Stadium
Coach: Scot Loeffler, fifth year
Bowling Green record: 2-4, 0-2 MAC
What to know about Bowling Green: The Falcons became one of college football’s mid-major darlings after registering a 38-27 win Sept. 30 at Georgia Tech – an upset of an Atlantic Coast Conference team that netted the Bowling Green athletic department a $1.1 million payout, according to USA Today Sports. Miami (Ohio) bluntly brought the Falcons back to earth by beating them 27-0 Saturday in Oxford, Ohio. The RedHawks maintained possession of the ball for nearly 40 minutes against the Falcons, who had only 135 yards of offense.
Contact Rachel via email at rlenzi@buffnews.com, or via direct message at twitter.com/rachelmlenzi or instagram.com/rlenzireporter