Buffalo overcomes a 14-point deficit in the final 6 minutes, wins in OT on CJ Ogbonna’s pass to Lamar Sperling.
There’s chaos, and then there’s MACtion.
The Tuesday night lights shined bright through the frigid air of UB Stadium, serving as the setting for a battle between the Ball State Cardinals and Buffalo Bulls — a rematch of the 2008 and 2020 MAC Championship Games.
More than 60 minutes were required to settle this on-field conflict which featured more twists and turns than a Choose Your Own Adventure book. There were 99 points, 990 yards of offense, four turnovers, four lead changes, and several comebacks from double-digit deficits in the most thrilling midweek MACtion finish of 2024.
The entire fate of the matchup was decided on one play in overtime, as Buffalo quarterback CJ Ogbonna delivered a strike in the corner of the end zone to running back Lamar Sperling, who was blanketed by Ball State’s leading tackler Keionte Newson. A touchdown was the original call as Sperling battled Newson for possession of the ball, and when the ruling was upheld, Buffalo officially emerged victorious in 51-48 overtime fashion — clinching bowl eligibility with the victory.
Ogbonna delivered an incredibly clutch performance, not just in overtime — but in the second and fourth quarters as well. Right before halftime, trailing 28-17, Buffalo’s defense made a monumental play as inside linebacker Shaun Dolac intercepted a pass and raced to the 2-yard line with nine seconds left in the half. After getting stuffed on their first play, the Bulls left their offense on the field and gambled for a touchdown. Ogbonna delivered, walking off the first half with a connection to Victor Snow in the end zone to slice the deficit to one score.
Then in the fourth quarter, Ogbonna’s heroics factored in once more. Things were getting rocky in the second half as he tossed a pair of deep interceptions to Ball State strong safety DD Snyder on consecutive possessions. However, the quarterback overcame that adversity with two-straight touchdown drives to overcome a 45-31 deficit in the final six minutes. On a 4th and 10 from Ball State’s 26-yard line, he called his own number on a designed pass, navigating his way through the Cardinal defense for a 26-yard touchdown run. Buffalo missed the extra point, keeping the score at 45-37 in crunch time.
Buffalo’s defense then stepped up to the arduous challenge of getting the ball back from a scorching hot Ball State offense, as Marquis Cooper logged an instrumental pass breakup on third down. That sent Ogbonna back onto the field, and the quarterback launched a 33-yard heave to the end zone. JJ Jenkins, sandwiched between a pair of defenders, jumped and corralled the ball while falling to the blue paint of the end zone to secure a touchdown with 1:49 to go. The job wasn’t finished though as Buffalo needed the 2-point conversion.
Lembo and his staff dialed up a shovel pass off a fake jet sweep, and tight end Jake Orlando reaped the benefits, powering his way into the end zone to knot the game at 45 apiece. When in overtime, Buffalo’s defense stayed true to tackling, forcing Ball State to kick a 36-yard field goal. That left the door ajar for one last Ogbonna highlight, and the quarterback concluded the night with 264 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, 55 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns.
There was no shortage of game-ball worthy performances for Buffalo in the shootout, as Jenkins and Snow accumulated 131 and 74 receiving yards on six receptions, respectively, while running back Al-Jay Henderson totaled 126 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. Even the Bulls’ dominant linebacking corps loaded the stat sheet as Dolac (who recorded that key second quarter interception) generated 17 tackles while his partner-in-crime Red Murdock landed a game-high 19.
But in a 51-48 result, Ball State’s offense got the best of Buffalo’s defense more often than not. Kadin Semonza reset his career-high with 327 passing yards and four touchdowns as the Cardinals lost their second game when scoring over 40 points this season. Semonza established a valuable connection with breakout receiver Justin Bowick, who manufactured his second consecutive 100-yard receiving game with 148 yards and two touchdowns as the team’s primary deep threat. In short yardage, tight end Tanner Koziol proved lethal with 95 yards on 11 catches — entering the game ranked seventh in the entire FBS in the receptions department. Lastly for the offense, wide receiver Cam Pickett provided important separation in the second half, taking a screen 65 yards for a touchdown to hand Ball State a 35-31 lead and then turning on the burners on an end around to extend that lead to 42-31.
Ball State (3-7, 2-4 MAC) is eliminated from bowl eligibility for the third-straight season. The Cardinals only have one winning season since 2014, and 2024 will be defined as a year of missed opportunities. All six of Ball State’s finishes in MAC play were decided by six points or fewer, with five of those games featuring two or three points of separation. Mike Neu and the Cardinals aim to rebound from the heartbreaker with two of the MAC’s top teams ahead, as Bowling Green and Ohio loom on the November schedule.
Buffalo (6-4, 4-2 MAC) doubled its win total from 2023 in Lembo’s first year on the job. The Bulls will head to a bowl game for the fifth time in seven years after improving to 2-0 in overtime this season. Buffalo avenged its 2020 MAC Championship Game defeat to move to 3-11 all-time against Ball State. To secure a winning record and remain in a crowded MAC title picture, the Bulls must handle Eastern Michigan and Kent State to conclude the season — while receiving help from elsewhere.