Buffalo skates by Robert Morris in 31-28 Homecoming win

The Buffalo Bulls (2-2) did not look comfortable for much of their game against Robert Morris (2-2, 1-0 NEC), but survived long enough to take home a vital win to escape the non-conference section of their calendar on Saturday, downing the Colonials by a final score of 31-28.

Trouble brewed early for the homestanding Bulls, as on the first offensive drive of the game for UB, quarterback Jason Wright tossed a careless interception in the direction of Amanuel Dickson, gifting RMU possession at the Bulls' 33-yard line.

The Colonials cashed in on the early mistake quickly, as halfback Xavier Goulbourne slashed the middle of the defense for a 29-yard score to put the visitors up early at 7-0 with 9:51 to go in the first quarter.

UB's next series would end in a missed field goal by Oliver Hautanen from 35 yards out, but the defense would pick up the slack by forcing the Colonials to punt.

The ensuing drive put Buffalo on the board, as third-string back Nino Hill capped off a 17-play, 75 yard possession with a short rushing touchdown to even the score back up midway through the second quarter.

The Colonials struck back thanks in part to lapses in the UB defense on the next drive, notching a 16-yard pass to move the chains on a play which otherwise would have been a three-and-out, then allowed dual-threat QB Carson Haggard to break the perimeter for a 50-yard rushing touchdown to give RMU the lead with 6:30 remaining in the first half.

RMU looked primed to take the lead after forcing Wright's second INT of the day, this time claimed by Jake Lopinto with under two minutes to go in the first half– but UB would stand the Colonials offense up on a three-and-out to quell the danger.

Buffalo found their footing on offense after that, going on a 21-point unanswered scoring run between Jason Wright's 25-yard scramble score tying the game with 27 seconds left before halftime to start the rally and Wright's touchdown pass to Chance Morrow from 18 yards out with 11:56 remaining to grab a 21-14 advantage.

The third quarter was marked by UB's ability to drive down the field; the Bulls held the ball for 11:45 of game clock, with potential to score on both possessions. Nino Hill managed his second rushing score of the day on the quarter-opening possession, but Oliver Hatanen once again missed on a field goal– this one from 40 yards out– to squander the second one.

The visitors would have at least a few more tricks up their sleeve before the game's end.

The Colonials defense turned the heat up on UB's offense, forcing them into third-and-five at the UB 15-yard line. Wright dropped back to pass and was smothered immediately by Jaylen Williams, popping the ball out in the process. Khalil Hunter was there to scoop the ball up and return it for a defensive touchdown, narrowing the gap to 28-21 UB.

Up by a touchdown with 9:18 remaining and fresh off a sack-fumble touchdown, the Bulls opted to go the conservative route and do what they had done best on the day: run the ball.

UB ran six times after getting advantageous starting position at their own 40-yard line thanks to an RMU penalty on their kickoff, taking off over three minutes of game clock. However, the Colonials defense made a big play once again on third-and-four from the RMU 29-yard line, as Nino Hill was met by a pair of RMU defenders in the backfield for a loss.

Faced with no other choice, Pete Lembo once again asked Hautanen to kick a field goal to try and extend the lead. This time, Hautanen was true, kicking a 48-yarder to give UB some cushion at 31-21 with 5:49 remaining.

RMU responded back by trying to overwhelm the UB secondary, as Haggard would immediately connect for gains of 26 yards and 16 yards to set up shop inside Buffalo territory, but the Bulls stood strong after that, forcing three incompletions– including one on fourth-and-seven– to kill the drive off.

Buffalo's lack of composure would strike back again though, as the offense went three-and-out on the next drive and would draw a flag for a facemask on a first-down sack in RMU's replying drive.

Carson Haggard would recover nicely, with a 31-yard pass to Jaqai Davis to put RMU into UB territory once again before connecting with Swiss national Noah Schaerli for a 32-yard touchdown to pull the game within a score at 31-28 UB with 1:51 remaining.

The Colonials opted to try for an onsides kick to get the ball back with a chance to win, but UB recovered and managed to play keep away with the remaining 1:44 of game clock to seal the win at home.

Needless to say, it was a bit of a rowdy game in Amherst, New York.

The Colonials gave the Bulls all they could muster in what turned out to be a productive effort.

Carson Haggard's final box score was not pretty, sitting at 13-of-31 for 163 yards and a touchdown passing while contributing an additional rushing score. He didn't throw an interception and came up fairly clutch in leverage situations.

Xaveier Goulbourne led RMU's rushing effort with 77 yards– much of it on his 29-yard strike to open the Colonial ledger. Three receivers got to the 40+ yard mark for RMU, with Tyreke Jinks leading in yards (42) while Jaqai Carter and Attawan Mays held the joint-lead for receptions (three).

The Colonial defense put on a show, with four tacklers getting over 10 tackles on the afternoon and notching a touchdown. Linebacker Jake Lopinto led the way with 19 total tackles (placing him second in RMU history for a single game), while Amanuel Dickson had 12 solo tackles on an 18-tackle effort. Each also had an interception.

Buffalo came into the contest down two of their top halfbacks in Terrance Shelton Jr. and James McNeil Jr., but Nino Hill held up admirably despite the circumstances, leading the way with two scoring touchdowns as a short-yardage specialist. Messiah Burch held the majority of the rushing load, with 146 yards on 26 carries.

There are still questions to answer about the UB passing attack, but Jason Wright did manage to toss the eventual game-winner to Chance Morrow and finished 15-of-28 for 140 yards– though his two first-half interceptions and the fourth-quarter fumble will need to be addressed in practice.

Morrow was the team's leading receiver, with five catches for 58 yards and a touchdown.

Montreal, Quebec's own Bradley Ilunga-Bisselele was the leader in tackles at linebacker for the Bulls, with eight total stops, including a tackle-for-loss. Ronnell Davis and Zach Bergmann led the team with two pass break-ups each on a day where the pass play proved important.

Oliver Hautanen had his worst performance of the year, finishing 1-of-3 on field goals with both misses from within 40 yards. he had been perfect on six attempts prior.

Buffalo now prepares for their MAC season opener against Western Michigan on Saturday, October 3rd. They'll host the Broncos, fresh off a loss to Boise State, for a 1 p.m. Eastern time clash.