Lamar Sperling was gone with the wind.
The University at Buffalo’s sophomore broke free in the second quarter for a 63-yard touchdown run to ignite his 100-yard rushing performance.
Big plays from the Bulls’ offense, however, were few and far between, and UB fell 20-17 to UConn in its final nonconference game of the season Saturday in front of 12,717 spectators at UB Stadium.
It was a far better showing compared to last season’s meeting, when UConn defeated the Bulls 47-3. In fact, this year’s game looked like it might be headed to overtime when quarterback Gunnar Gray, making his first start, hit Al-Jay Henderson for a game-tying touchdown with 59 seconds left. But the Huskies countered, getting a Chris Freeman 44-yard field goal with 6 seconds remaining.
Sperling finished with 106 rushing yards on nine carries. He ran through a gaping hole and stiff-armed a Huskies defender on the way to a the touchdown that tied UConn at 7-7 with 6:21 remaining in the first half. Sperling was UB’s change-of-pace running back, spelling workhorse Al-Jay Henderson. UConn (3-2) had no chance of catching Sperling on his way to the end zone.
“Up front, the O-line, they worked really hard all throughout the week for this game. It was a little more personal this game. We felt like we had to come out and do what we needed to do. They made the holes and I just ran through them. And I saw daylight,” Sperling said.
UB reached the end zone once more. The Bulls (2-3) trailed 17-10 when Gray engineered a nine-play, 57-yard touchdown drive to tie the score with 59 seconds left. After Freeman’s 44-yard field goal, UB’s final offensive snap was a hook-and-lateral attempt that went nowhere.
Coach Pete Lembo’s Bulls dropped their second straight game. They’ve scored just 17 points in each of those losses. This time they were without starting quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson, and center Jake Timm exited Saturday’s game with an injury.
Lembo considered Roberson “probable” for next week’s Mid-America Conference home game against Eastern Michigan.
“Another tough loss,” Lembo said. “(I) thought the guys played hard for 60 minutes. Thought we came in with a good plan and we were persistent with that plan throughout the game. We didn’t turn it over on offense, which was good to see, especially with Gunnar playing and Jason (Wright, another backup) getting some of his first collegiate snaps.”
While Buffalo’s defense was up to the task again, and the special teams returned to making game-changing plays, the offense did not do enough to lift UB’s record above .500. Henderson finished with 63 rushing yards on 24 carries. His biggest play was in the passing game, reeling in the 5-yard touchdown pass from Gray on fourth-and-goal to tie UConn at 17 in the final minute.
Gray completed 17 of 29 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. He completed his first four attempts. However, that drive stalled at UConn’s 35-yard line when Gray’s potential touchdown pass to Patrick Clacks III was broken up on fourth down.
“Settling down is super-important when you’re out there,” Gray said. “Those first couple completions really got me into rhythm, and I think I carried that throughout the game.”
Receiver Victor Snow made plays when it mattered. He caught seven passes for 68 yards. He gained 36 yards on two receptions and rushed for 8 yards on Buffalo’s fourth-quarter touchdown drive. Wright, a freshman, rushed five times for 20 yards in the fourth but did not attempt a pass.
UB’s star linebacker, Red Murdock, collected nine total tackles and forced the 14th fumble of his career. Dion Crawford and Jalen McNair each registered seven tackles. Solomon Brown made an impressive pass breakup.
The Bulls’ lone sack came from George Wolo, which upped the team’s season total to 17. UB entered the game in a four-way tie with Oklahoma, Maryland and USC for the most sacks in the nation.
UConn’s star receiver, Skyler Bell, who entered Saturday with 10-plus receptions in consecutive games, caught six passes for 54 yards and a touchdown. Four of those receptions came on one drive, including his 25-yard touchdown catch that gave the Huskies a 7-0 second-quarter advantage. Otherwise, UB’s secondary, featuring the likes of Marquis Cooper and Keontez Bradley, held Bell in check.
“Bell’s a phenomenal player,” Murdock said. “They have a few very good players. Nevertheless, I believe we have a very talented defense as well, and a very good defensive coordinator (Joe Bowen). As long as we execute for four quarters straight, not even up until the last drive, every single play, we definitely can win. It’s just a smaller margin of error when it’s a good team like that.”
UConn entered the game averaging nearly 500 yards of total offense and over 37 points. The Bulls held the Huskies to 20 points and 320 total yards. On special teams, Jack Howes nailed a 39-yard field goal that pulled Buffalo within 14-10 in the third. Malin White rushed 15 yards for a first down on a fake punt. Jon Capo blocked Buffalo’s third punt of the season.
Saturday was another mistake-free day for UConn coach Jim Mora’s offense, though. Quarterback Joe Fagnano threw for more than 1,000 yards in the Huskies’ first four games. Fagnano completed 19 of 31 passes for 155 yards at Buffalo, but his legs hurt UB the most. He was the Huskies’ leading rusher with 64 rushing yards on six carries. Fagnano’s longest run was a 38-yard scramble that set up Cam Edwards’ (15 carries, 57 rushing yards) 8-yard touchdown for a 14-7 third-quarter advantage.
“We gave ourselves a chance. We made just enough plays to hang around and keep it interesting. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to finish it out there,” Lembo said.
Buffalo will return to MAC play when it hosts Eastern Michigan (1-4, 0-1) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Eastern Michigan fell to Central Michigan 24-13 on Saturday afternoon.
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Marquel Slaughter
College sports reporter
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