BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Western Michigan corner back
Joshua Franklin and junior defensive lineman
Scoop Gardner Jr. stopped Buffalo quarterback Jason Wright at the 1-yard line on fourth down to preserve the lead with 2 seconds left as the Broncos (3-2, 1-0 MAC) defeated the Bulls 20-17 at Broadview Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
UB a first and goal on WMU's 4-yard line with 40 seconds to play. Gardner Jr. stopped Nino Hill at the 2-yard line on first down. Linebacker
Justyce Betts broke up a pass intended for Clint Walker in the endzone on second down. Gardner Jr. and
Domanick Moon then stuffed Buffalo running back Messiah Burch for no gain on third down. The Bulls called timeout and kept the offense on the field for their final play from scrimmage. WMU quarterback
Broc Lowry rushed the ball forward for two yards to end the game.
Lowry had a season-high completion percentage of 79.2, going 19-for-24 for 212 yards. Lowry also rushed for 54 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown.
Jalen Buckley had a team-best 62 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Presbyterian transfer tight end
Nate Levicki had his best game as a Bronco, leading the team with 76 yards receiving on four catches.
Aveion Chenault returned from injury to make five catches for 56 yards, while
Egypt Nelson had a career-high four catches for 26 yards.
WMU's defense produced a season-high five sacks, with
Austin Alexander,
Dillon Moore,
KJ Burley and
Dakari Frazier east posting solo sacks, while Gardner Jr. and
DeJuan Echoles Jr. reach recorded a half-sack. Betts led the Broncos with nine tackles, while
Daeh McCullough had eight.
The Bronco defense forced a three-and-out to open the game, with Moore and Gardner Jr. and Echoles Jr. recording sacks. WMU then marched down the field on a 7-play, 59-yard scoring drive that was capped off by a 9-yard touchdown run by Buckley, his fifth of the season.
WMU tried to catch Buffalo by surprise and tried an on-side kick but the Bulls recovered it on their 41. On the first play of the drive, Wright found Patrick Clacks III open for a 59-yard touchdown pass to tie the game up at 7-7.
Buffalo took a 14-7 lead on a 13-play, 63-yard drive that took 6:12 off the clock and went into the second quarter. Burch rushed it in from one.
Before the end of the second quarter the Broncos drove down the field but the drive stalled at the UB 26.
Dieter Kelly then nailed a 43-yard field goal to cut the lead to 14-10.
After a scoreless third quarter, Buffalo added a field goal of its own with 13:03 left to play, pushing the lead to 17-10. The Broncos got the ball and marched down the field, with Lowry capping off an 11-play, 75-yard drive with 5-yard touchdown run. Kelly's extra point tied the game up at 17-17 with 6:56 to play.
After stopping the Bulls, Western Michigan got the ball back at its 20 with 4:05 to play. Lowry and the Broncos marched down the field again. The drive stalled at the UB 21, with a 4th and 1 for WMU. The Broncos sent Kelly out and he nailed the 38-yard field goal to push ahead, 20-17.
Western Michigan returns home to host Kent State on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. for Homecoming/Hall of Fame Weekend. Tickets are on-sale at www.wmubroncos.com/tickets.
