The University at Buffalo football team had a tough choice to make, in the immediate wake of the Bahamas Bowl.
They had to decide, on their feet, what was the more awe-inspiring performance: Al-Jay Henderson lifting the Bulls in the second half of a 26-7 win against Liberty on Saturday at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, or Red Murdock’s all-star performance that included a pick-six to ultimately seal UB’s fourth bowl win since 2019.
UB running back Al-Jay Henderson carries the ball during a game against Ball State on Nov. 12. Joed Viera, Buffalo News
“Both,” kicker Upton Bellenfant said.
Like Bellenfant, wide receiver Taji Johnson split the difference between the pair.
“I can’t pick between the two,” he said. “I love both guys.”
And as someone who’s gotten plenty of flowers, UB linebacker Shaun Dolac threw plenty of his own to his teammates, after Henderson was named the offensive player of the game and Murdock the defensive player of the game.
“Oh man, all of it was so impressive,” Dolac said. “Al-Jay and Red worked so hard, throughout the whole season, and they get a chance to show it on a big stage, and that’s what they did today.”
Henderson and Murdock teamed to lead UB (9-4) in the postseason again; UB won the 2019 Bahamas Bowl, and the 2020 and 2022 Camellia Bowls in Montgomery, Alabama. The Bulls also capped Pete Lembo’s first year as head coach by winning at least nine games in a season for the second time as a Football Bowl Subdivision Program. UB was 10-4 in 2018.
Henderson, a redshirt junior and running back, broke open the game after halftime with a 45-yard touchdown run, UB’s longest play from scrimmage against Liberty. Henderson led all rushers with 119 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, finishing the season with 1,078 yards and nine touchdowns on 204 carries.
But his touchdown provided proof that UB didn’t stop grinding, even when it couldn’t finish drives in the first half. The Bulls left two scoring chances on the table inside the 25-yard line in the first half. One was Liberty’s stop of wide receiver Victor Snow at the 2, on a 2-yard pass from quarterback C.J. Ogbonna (9 for 19, 137 yards) on third-and-goal late in the first quarter.
Bellenfant kicked a 20-yard field goal to make it 9-0 at the half. But even against a Liberty team that was playing Ryan Burger, its backup quarterback (4 for 12, 40 yards), the Bulls figured they weren’t going to win with just field goals after gaining just 25 yards on 22 carries in the first half.
“It may be frustrating, from the outside,” Henderson said. “But we let the game come to us.”
Henderson’s touchdown run, though, took some pressure off the offense. Lembo gave away the secret to the proverbial sauce, crediting UB’s offensive line and Henderson’s patience.
“Inside zone, into the boundary,” Lembo said. “That was a big part of the plan, and to be honest, it’s been a big part of the plan, every week. We try to window dress in a lot of different ways, but at the end of the day it’s pretty simple stuff.”
Murdock, meanwhile, extended UB’s lead less than three minutes into the fourth when he intercepted Nate Hampton, who relieved Burger to start the quarter.
Murdock’s 31-yard pick-six made it 26-0 and added to an already spectacular day for the redshirt sophomore linebacker — a game-high 13 tackles and two forced fumbles. Murdock leads the nation with seven forced fumbles.
“Red is just so humble and such a hard worker, and he continues to amaze me and surprise me, and he deserves this moment,” Dolac said. “Al-Jay’s the same, exact way.
