UB Bulls are Champions – USRT Day 1 report

Turner Gill (white shirt at the 48 hash mark) about to get his Gatorade shower

From time to time, the planets align for the Ultimate Sports Road Trip in the most unexpected of ways.

This was supposed to be our “Bills In Toronto” weekend… and we were going to tack on a couple OHL games. That would have been just fine. Until we learned two weeks ago that the University at Buffalo was going to the MAC Championship. “We gotta go” said Pete, and before the night was done, the hotel booking in Kingston, Ontario was cancelled, and the hotel in Detroit was booked in its place.

Our expectations coming to Detroit were low… Buffalo was a 15 point underdog. Buffalo was facing the 12th ranked team in the nation, Ball State with a 12-0 record and a date with destiny of their own. Heck, we should be happy just to be here right?

So as we made the brisk walk from our hotel over to FordUnited States Taxpayer Federal Bailout Field a few blocks away (With Matt Pearl in tow, and Jon Splett catching up with us from his hotel), we figured that if the guys could just keep it competitive, keep the score close, at least we wouldn’t be embarrassed on national TV.

The stadium wasn’t exactly a building packed with rabid fans… they announced 12,871 paid tickets, we figured about 10,000 in the building… with the 60-40 split favoring Ball State. But don’t discount the Buffalo faithful… they were noisy, up on their feet almost the whole game, chants of “Lets GO Buffalo!” wafting through the stadium. By the end of this night these fans would be richly rewarded for their attendance and their passion.

Buffalo got the first touchdown… the defense made plays. Ball State countered. a late fumble cost Buffalo three points at the half, and by halftime it was a respectable 10-7 score, Buffalo down by only 3.

But make no mistake, what turned this game around happened in the 3rd quarter. Ball State was knocking at the door with a 17-14 lead. On the previous play they appeared to have crossed the goal line for what should have been a score padding touchdown to make the score 24-14. Lights out. The cream rises to the top. Heck, plug in your own cliche.

But despite the video review which looked like a Ball State touchdown, the call on the field held up… and Ball State’s next play was disaster. Quarterback Nate Davis went airborne towards the end zone, the ball was popped loose, and Buffalo defender Mike Newton was off to the races… a 92 yard touchdown return.. Just like that it was 21-17 Buffalo. Later in the quarter, a muffed snap by Davis resulted in yet another Buffalo fumble recovery returned for a touchdown, tying a NCAA record.

By the 4th quarter, the UB Bulls threw the hammer down, playing tight D and forcing possession changes. When the dust settled it was 42-24 UB. Buffalo… the one time laughing stock of all of NCAA football… were conference champions. On the Buffalo side of the stands there was celebration and jubilation. Coach Turner Gill fought back tears as he talked to the ESPN reporter on TV down on the field. The players celebrated in unbridled joy. It was one of those sports moments that one cherishes and embraces and talks about again and again years later. And we were there to be a part of it.

In the postgame media room, the Ball State players looked bewildered and shell shocked. How could this have happened? they must have been thinking. They talked about the pride on the team, how this loss shouldn’t diminish the accomplishment of a 12-0 regular season, Nate Davis announced he wold be returning to play his senior year. The room was mostly Ball State media, and even they seemed in disbelief about what they had just witnessed.

Make no mistake, Ball State came into this game with a lot of swagger. They were undefeated. They were setting the terms for their bowl appearance. They were blowing off Boise State and the Humanitarian Bowl and a would be matchup of undefeateds, because they would be dictating their own terms. Yet this scrappy, never-say-die bunch of underdogs from Buffalo showed them up, before a national television audience no less, and this morning on ESPN Sportcenter, this game is all the talk.

Following the game, we got our media tasks finished (Pete for WNY Media, me for Sports and Leisure), headed to a bar near the hotel and yeah, I proceeded to get smashed.

Day One of this USRT adventure is in the books… now we head back to Canada, and a visit to Peterborough Memorial Center and the OHL Peterborough Petes on the schedule tonight. But believe this… last night was a great moment, and we couldn’t be more proud of our UB Bulls, Coach Turner Gill and his boys.

-AK, University at Buffalo ‘79, School of Management