UB puts up fight against Auburn, lose 38-7

The University at Buffalo football team put forth an inspired effort before eventually falling to second-ranked Auburn University, 38-7, before the largest crowd to ever see a Bulls' football game, 84,921, at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

"This was a great experience for our football team to come here and play an excellent football team in Auburn,"said UB head coach Turner Gill. "Our players responded well to the situation and I'm proud of them for what they did. I hope that we can learn from what we did here and take it to where we can be better." The Bulls - seven touchdown

underdogs going into the game - played an inspired first half, matching Auburn with seven first downs and trailing 10-0 at intermission. Auburn held just a 123-101 advantage in total yards in the first half.

One play in the second half seemed to turn the momentum of the game. After a chop block penalty forced Auburn into a second and-24, Cox hit fullback Carl Stewart with a screen pass that covered 54 yards inside the Buffalo 15-yard line. Lester eventually scored from four yards out and the PAT gave the Tigers a 17-0 lead with 12:28 remaining in the third quarter.

The Bulls became the first team to score a touchdown against Auburn since week one - a span of over 11 quarters - when they narrowed the lead to 17-7 with 5:33 remaining in the third. It capped a lengthy drive of 15 plays and covered 80 yards and was interrupted for several minutes for a video review of a fourth down catch by freshman Naaman Roosevelt, a St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute graduate. Willy hit four-of-six passes on the drive, including the crucial fourth down connection to Roosevelt, and finished the drive by rolling right and hitting senior Evan Wallace on another fourth-down play from the Tiger five-yard line.

The Tigers, winners of 17 of their last 18 at Jordan-Hare Stadium, responded with a 71-yard drive of their own with Tre Smith going the final three yards. Smith also had a big 23-yard run on the drive as well. That score sealed the victory for Auburn.

On UB's first drive of the game, the Bulls moved from their own 20-yard line to the Auburn 40, converting a fourth down and one in the process. The Bulls picked up three first downs on the drive before they were eventually stopped on a fourth down and seven at the Tigers' 40-yard line on an incompletion by sophomore quarterback Drew Willy

The Tigers' took advantage of the good field position by driving 60 yards in 11 plays with tailback Brad Lester going the final yard for the score. The key play in the drive was a third-and-14 completion from Brandon Cox to Courtney Taylor.

On the Bulls' second possession, Buffalo again drove the ball down the field on Auburn's first-team defensive unit. Starks had 33 yards rushing on the drive to move the Bulls inside the Tiger 30-yard line. However, freshman kicker Taylor Packwood missed a 30-yard field goal.

The Bulls' had another drive start inside Auburn territory after redshirt freshman Kendric Hawkins picked off Cox and returned the ball 33 yards to the Tiger 33-yard line. However, two sacks of Willy short-circuited the Bulls' hopes of getting points on the board.

Willy finished the day 12-of-21 for 111 yards and a touchdown. Senior tight end Chad Upshaw led the Bulls with four catches for 63 yards.

Defensively, the Bulls were led by junior Ollice Ervin with nine tackles. Kendric Hawkins finished with four solo stops, a tackle for loss and an interception.

UB hosts Ball State at 1 p.m. Saturday.