Buffalo reaches seven wins in a regular season for the first time since 2019 after a successful trip to The Factory.
Wednesday night MACtion pitted Buffalo and Eastern Michigan together at The Factory for another installment of the Ontario Sandwich rivalry.
Buffalo entered on a roll, unlocking its offense en route to two-straight victories. Eastern Michigan strolled onto its grey turf in a dryspell, dropping three-consecutive games with bowl eligibility on the line. After the 60-minute affair, both trends sustained.
Buffalo knocked off Eastern Michigan 37-20 to claim a valuable road victory and clinch a winning season for the Bulls. By triumphing for the seventh time in 2024, Buffalo notched its highest regular season win total since 2019.
The Bulls emerged through spectacular highlight playmaking on both sides of the ball. Quarterback CJ Ogbonna started the party with a 90-yard heave to JJ Jenkins in the middle of the first quarter. Then in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, inside linebacker Shaun Dolac delivered the punisher, hurdling multiple defenders and weaving about the field on a breathtaking 60-yard interception return for the game-sealing score.
The playmaking of Ogbonna and Dolac was instrumental throughout the night. The quarterback finished 18-of-28 for 260 yards and three touchdowns, refraining from an interception in a turnover-free game for the Bulls. Buffalo won the turnover battle 3-0 thanks in part to Dolac’s contributions. The nation’s leading tackler intercepted his fourth and fifth passes of the year while registering nine tackles, two tackles for loss, and one sack in a standout performance.
Ogbonna’s early deep ball to Jenkins was the tone-setter. Immediately after piecing together its longest play of the season, the Bulls caught Eastern Michigan off guard and successfully notched a two-point conversion out of an unorthodox special teams formation. Buffalo then built its first half lead to double-digits as inside linebacker Dion Crawford stormed into the backfield and sacked Eastern Michigan quarterback (and former Buffalo teammate) Cole Snyder for a safety. Later in the second quarter, Victor Snow snatched a 7-yard touchdown reception to catapult the Bulls ahead 17-0 at the midway point.
But Eastern Michigan’s night was far from over, especially with Snyder playing in a revenge game against his former program. Snyder delivered fireworks early in the third quarter on a 38-yard fling downfield fling, getting wide receiver Terry Lockett Jr. open thanks to a powerful pump fake. After Buffalo responded with an Al-Jay Henderson touchdown later in the quarter, Snyder once again turned to Lockett to keep the Eagles in the ballgame. From the 13-yard line, he found Lockett open on a hitch, and the receiver did the rest to slice the deficit to 23-13.
Peak chaos was reserved for the fourth quarter. That’s when Snyder knocked one out of the park. Once again, he sold a pump fake and then directed his vision down the field. This time, Markus Allen was four or five steps behind a pair of Buffalo defenders. When Allen caught the ball around the 50, he was gone. He raced to the house for a 78-yard touchdown, and Eastern Michigan finally worked its way back to a one-score game, down 23-20.
Buffalo refused to live more than one snap in a one-score game. Immediately after a touchback on the kickoff, the Bulls delivered the counterpunch. Henderson perfected a wheel route from the backfield and Ogbonna hit him in stride for a 75-yard touchdown. The running back torched the defense in a footrace to the house, rewriting the score to 30-20 after back-to-back home run scoring plays.
Eastern Michigan still had 8:43 of clock to respond, but the Eagles never inched that close again. On a critical 4th and 10 from his own territory, Snyder took a brutal hit on a scramble, leaving the game with an injury. The Eastern Michigan starter finished 24-of-33 for 351 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions against his former team, with Allen registering 187 yards on nine receptions and Lockett managing 122 on eight.
The backup Jeremiah Salem checked in to conclude the game, but he tossed a 60-yard pick six to Dolac, effectively pushing Eastern Michigan to the brink of bowl eligibility.
Eastern Michigan (5-6, 2-5 MAC) now must win its Nov. 30 finale vs. Western Michigan to secure a bowl game for the fourth-straight season. The Eagles ride a four-game losing streak into their upcoming road matchup, and a win in Kalamazoo not only ensures the postseason, but it also secures the Michigan MAC Trophy.
Buffalo (7-4, 5-2 MAC) is firmly above .500 after chalking up its third-straight win. The Bulls round out year one of the Pete Lembo era on Tuesday, Nov. 26 by hosting winless Kent State on senior day. A win would mark the third 8-win regular season in Buffalo history — a feat the program only accomplished in 2013 and 2018.