2025 MAC Football Week 14 Game Recap: Ohio Bobcats 31, Buffalo Bulls 26

On a cold and windy afternoon in Amherst, New York, the Ohio Bobcats (8-4, 6-2 MAC) held off a resilient Buffalo Bulls (5-7, 4-4 MAC) team to keep championship hopes alive for at least one more day.

What looked to be on the verge of a Bobcat blowout at the end of the first half was a game still in the balance late into the fourth quarter, with Ohio salting things away in the waning minutes.

Ohio took the first quarter lead 7-0 based on a good series on both sides of the ball.  An early Ohio drive was promising but came to a screeching halt after a fumble was recovered by Jalen McNair at the Buffalo 46-yard line.

The ‘Cats defense responded to the adversity well, holding the home team’s offense to five yards and a turnover-on-downs.

The visitor’s offense did not waste this opportunity, covering 41 of the 52 yards to paydirt on six runs led by running back Sieh Bangura’s four straight runs to start the drive.  At the Bulls 11-yard line and with Buffalo very focused on the run, Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro found tight end Mason Williams on an RPO around right end for the game’s first touchdown.

Heading well into the second quarter, the game settled into a defensive battle with Buffalo content to try to control the ball on the ground while keeping it out of harm’s way with conservative passes.

The ensuing battle of attrition ultimately paid off for the Royal Blue and White, as Ohio’s offense found itself deep in its own territory to begin a drive. Shortly after the drive began, cornerback Kobi Blackwell easily stopped in front a forced Navarro throw to give the Bulls offense starting field position in the red zone.  The home team was dancing two plays later when quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson took a chance on wideout Morrow in the back of the end zone for a t0-yard touchdown pass.

Ohio regained the lead 14-7 on the next drive on one of the key plays of the contest.  The Bobcats’ offense stalled on the next drive on three plays, but the visitors turned the tide on a brilliantly clutch fourth-down conversion.  With Ohio in punt formation and the Bulls punt return team— one of the nation’s leaders in punt blocks—overloaded on the right side of the line, the Bobcats direct snapped the ball to tight end Jake Bruno, who gashed Buffalo for a rambling 48-yard run to the 10-yard line. Bangura and company easily converted on a one-yard touchdown run a few plays later.

Navarro took center stage later in the half, combining for 77 yards on the ground and through the air while capping things off with an 11-yard run to put the Bobbies up 21-7.

With a minute left in the first half, the Bulls were on the ropes with Ohio just 21 yards away from another score when Buffalo EDGE Malin White turned the ‘Cats away with a textbook punch out for a fumble, which was eventually recovered by teammate Oliver Bridges.

The second half settled into a back-and-forth affair.

The home team started the half with a bang to get back in it on an 86-yard drive taking only two minutes with key plays by wideout Nik McMillan, including a 46-yard reception and a sustained run block to help spring running back Al-Jay Henderson’s 23-yard touchdown.

The Bulls continued to battle into the fourth quarter on another touchdown, this one set up on a 58-yard pass from quarterback Robison to wideout Victor Snow.

Despite the success on offense for the Bulls, execution was lacking on one major part of the comeback effort: the point after touchdown play.

Buffalo rolled the dice and went for a two-pointer down 21-13 and missed on an incomplete pass. When they scored later on Ta’Quan Roberson’s five-yard rush to open the fourth quarter, instead of kicking the extra point to pull within eight points, the Bulls opted to chase the points, failing to convert once again.

The second missed two-fer proved to be too much to overcome.

Behind a dominant rushing attack that totaled 359 yards on the day and Navarro and Bangura over 100 yards each, the Bobcats scored 10 second-half points while keeping the ball out of the Buffalo offense’s hands, maintaining at least a two-score lead from the 14:07 mark of the fourth quarter onwards.

In fact, while only scoring three points in the fourth quarter, Ohio drained over 10 minutes off the clock in the final period alone.  The Bulls got a final opportunity, but it was too little, too late. Deep in their territory and down 31-26 with the ball and less than 30 seconds to go, Ohio’s defense held the Bulls at bay to run out the clock.

Next for the Bobcats depends upon what happens tomorrow, as Ohio will need wins by Ball State over Miami RedHawks and by Central Michigan over Toledo to have even a chance of getting to Detroit for the MAC championship.  If the ‘Cats don’t qualify for the title match, the squad will await their bowl assignment.

For the Bulls, they were unable to attain the sixth win, which would have secured bowl eligibility. It completes a month-long slide which saw the Bulls lose four of the their last five contests.