The Bulls, fresh off a ranked win, are dominated in every facet of the game by the Huskies.
Everything was coming up Buffalo. The Buffalo Bulls were 3-1, fresh off their second ranked win in program history after outlasting No. 23 Northern Illinois, 23-20, on the road in overtime in Week 4.
After Buffalo’s only other ranked win — defeating No. 12 Ball State in the 2008 MAC Championship Game — the Bulls suited up in the International Bowl to face UConn, but the momentum did not sustain as the Huskies won in a 38-20 decision.
Once again, Buffalo’s ensuing opponent after a ranked victory was UConn. And this time, the same result reiterated, albeit with greater separation. The Huskies eviscerated Buffalo in a 47-3 blowout, taking complete control of the contest from the get-go in East Hartford, CT.
UConn entered the contest coming off a 48-14 thrashing of Florida Atlantic which was the school’s largest margin of victory since 2013. The Huskies one-upped that when Buffalo paid a visit to the New England region, generating their largest FBS victory since Nov. 2, 2002 in a 44-point obliteration.
The Huskies dominated in both facets of the offense, producing 257 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground while firing for 280 yards and three touchdowns through the air — all without a turnover. They out-gained Buffalo, 537-198, en route to their third 45+ point performance in a four-game span.
The Huskies produced a 23-0 shutout in the first half behind a pair of explosive touchdowns. Cam Edwards raced down the left sideline for a 43-yard score in the first quarter to establish a 10-0 lead. Then late in the second quarter, star receiver Skyler Bell gained over seven yards of separation downfield from the nearest Buffalo defender, catching a wide open 40-yard bomb from quarterback Joe Fagnano.
Fagnano entered the game for the Huskies in the early second quarter after an injury to starter Nick Evers. The backup stepped in with a stellar performance, averaging over 11 yards per passing attempt for his second outing of the season with 3+ touchdown strikes. He connected with Bell two more times in the third quarter — one for a 70-yard touchdown and another for a 12-yard score. Bell torched Buffalo’s secondary all afternoon with a 153-yard hat trick, crossing the century mark for the third time in his fifth career game with UConn.
While the Huskies’ offense thrived, the opposite could be said for Buffalo which was limited to one mere 47-yard field goal on the final play of the first half. The Bulls were motionless on that side of the ball, punting 10 times and suffering eight three-and-outs in the one-sided affair. When the chips were on the table, Buffalo couldn’t get anything going. It finished 1-of-14 on third down and 0-of-3 on fourth down — throwing an interception on a fourth down attempt inside the UConn 10.
It marked the second time this season Buffalo failed to score a touchdown, as the Bulls were shut out 38-0 by Missouri in their only other defeat. The passing game, which utilized CJ Ogbonna and later Gunnar Gray, saw just 16 completions on 36 attempts. No Buffalo running back attained more than 15 rushing yards and the team didn’t generate any explosive plays, failing to accumulate more than 20 yards on a single snap — while UConn countered with four 40+ yard pickups.
UConn (3-2, Independent) has a winning record through five games for the first time since 2012 after back-to-back thorough dominations of Florida Atlantic and Buffalo. The Huskies move forward with game three of a six-game home-stand when hosting Temple next Saturday in an old Big East matchup.
Buffalo (3-2, 1-0 MAC) finished .500 in non-conference action but remains unscathed in MAC play. In year one of the Pete Lembo era, the Bulls continue their quest for a MAC title on Oct. 12. They’ll rest with a bye week before returning home to host perennial contender Toledo at UB Stadium.