The University at Buffalo football team wrapped up its regular season with a 43-7 win against Kent State on Tuesday at UB Stadium.
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1. Depth and breadth in the run game
The University at Buffalo football team wrapped up its regular season with a 43-7 win against Kent State on Tuesday at UB Stadium, and its next stop could be the MAC Championship game – the Bulls still have an outside shot at one of two berths in the title game Dec. 7 in Detroit – but definitely a bowl during the holiday season. The Bulls showed their wares at running back, as Al-Jay Henderson ran for 185 yards on 30 carries, and all told, they finished with 253 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns on 53 carries.
Buffalo Bulls wide receiver Victor Snow (0) makes a run during the second quarter their NCAA football game against the Kent State Golden Flashes at UB Stadium
on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. Joed Viera/Buffalo News
2. Sack lunch
UB linebacker Shaun Dolac, the nation’s leader in tackles (159 after Tuesday), has earned every bit of praise that's come his way this season, but Dion Crawford made the big plays on defense against Kent State, including a pair of sacks in the first half of quarterback Tommy Ulatowski. Crawford finished with two sacks and five tackles and helped UB’s defense limit an anemic Kent State offense to 208 yards on 54 plays. UB finished with six sacks, including two solo by Crawford, and assisted sacks by Dolac (three) and Kobe Stewart (two).
3. Kent State … was Kent State
The Golden Flashes have been anything but golden or flashy, and their troubles continued in the regular-season finale at UB Stadium. The Flashes finished with 208 yards – they entered averaging 235.5 yards per game, last in the nation. The Flashes rotated quarterbacks à la UB’s offense in 2023, swapping in Ruel Tomlinson for Ulatowski for a third-down play at the start of the second quarter, then returning to Ulatowski, who was stopped for a loss on fourth-and-1 from the Bulls 45. Kent State even was penalized at the end of its first possession for “illegal equipment” – the Flashes had two players wearing No. 33 on the field when it lined up to punt, less than four minutes into the game
