By RENALDO DORSETT
Tribune Sports Reporter
rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
The Buffalo Bulls came to the Bahamas with the intention of making history and did just that when they concluded the 2019 season with the first bowl win in programme history.
The Bulls won the Prime Minister’s Trophy with a 31-9 win over the Charlotte 49ers in the 2019 Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl Friday afternoon at the Thomas A Robinson Stadium.
The team that finishes with the most rushing yards remains undefeated in Bahamas Bowl history and the Bulls outrushed the 49ers 205-80 on the ground, led by Offensive MVP and team captain Jaret Patterson.
The sophomore running back finished with 173 yards and two touchdowns on the afternoon and cherished the significance of being the first team in programme history to win a bowl game.
“It means a lot. The feeling is still surreal,” Patterson said, “The guys that came before us paved the way. The support we get from the Buffalo community, this is for them.”
Patterson dominated the second half and controlled the time of possession on the ground to eventually finish with the second most rushing yards all-time in bowl history.
“I want to give a shout out to the guys upfront, it's not how you start but how you finish. I just kept getting in rhythm as the game went on,” Patterson said, “We enjoyed this entire experience here in the Bahamas and you can have us back anytime you want.”
Malcolm Koonce was named the Defensive MVP and finished with two sacks, five tackles (two for a loss) and one forced fumble.
“It's always great to be in the history books as the team that did it,” Koonce said, “This season, it was rough at the beginning and we pulled it together and this was a great way to end it.”
The Bulls concluded the 2019 season with victories in six of their last seven games. The bowl game was also the second consecutive bowl game for the Bulls.
“Really proud of our guys to play as well and as physical as we did. We established our run game, our defence was outstanding. It was a full team effort,” Bulls Head Coach Lance Leipold said, “We talked about making history a lot this week, something they could accomplish that no one else could duplicate. Maybe we didn't hit all the goals we wanted to achieve but this one is something special and one that would separate them from any other Buffalo team. The good thing about it is we also have a chance to keep building on this.”
Charlotte had their most productive drive of the first half on their opening possession, but had a third down conversion called back on a holding penalty and was eventually forced to punt. Over their next four possessions, the 49ers followed with a missed field goal, turnover on downs, interception and fumble.
The Bulls offense set the tone for the remainder of the afternoon on their opening drive, led by Patterson. He rushed for 44 yards on his first four carries. Patterson ‘s 21 yard run got the Bulls in scoring position to the Charlotte 14. Kyle Vantrease capped the drive with a 12 yard touchdown pass to Antonio Nunn.
Charlotte had their first sustained drive - 12 plays, 59 yards that started from the 25 yard line and picked up three first downs, including a fourth and one run converted by Lemay. Went 11 plays and 59 yards but finished short when a Jason Cruz field goal sailed wide left.
Buffalo engineered a 15 play 74 yard drive, highlighted by a spectacular leaping 23 yard catch by Nunn to place the Bulls in the red zone.
Vantrease kept the ball on an option play and his five yard run was initially signalled a touchdown but, following the review, the referees reversed the call. Vantrease would go on to score on a quarterback sneak on fourth and goal to give the Bulls a 14-0 lead with 3:33 left in the half.
Jaret’s twin brother James got into the act on the defensive end on the ensuing possession when he intercepted Charlotte quarterback Chris Reynolds on the first play of the drive and returned it 20 yards to the 49ers 12 yard line. Buffalo converted a field goal to take a 17-0 lead.
The sophomore linebacker was thrilled at the performance of his entire team, most notably his brother’s MVP performance.
“It's nothing new to me, I've seen him do this my whole life, he's the hardest worker I've ever seen and he’s going to continue to do that,” he said, “This win, It feels good, just to get this experience and separate ourselves from the other UB teams.”
The Bulls defense forced another turnover when Reynolds was sacked by Malcolm Koonce and forced a fumble which was picked up by fellow defensive end Ledarius Mack.
Patterson rushed for a six yard touchdown run to cap a seven play 43 yard drive and give the Bulls a 24-0 lead.
The 49ers finally found the endzone when Reynolds connected with Victor Tucker on a slant route that he took 51 yards for a touchdown. They failed on the ensuing two point conversion when Reynolds again went to Tucker but was stopped short of the goalline.
After the Bulls stalled on another drive, the 49ers took over and got in scoring position when Reynolds connected with Tyler Ringwood for a 23 yard gain. The drive ended in a field goal and the Charlotte trimmed the deficit, 24-9.
Patterson was the catalyst behind the Bulls’ drive that put the game away. The first nine plays of the drive were nine rushes by Patterson that picked up 65 yards, including a successful conversion on third and 18.
Patterson scored on a 10 yard touchdown run with 1:43 left to play for the game’s final score.
With the Bulls’ win the MAC has now evened the all-time Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl series, 3-3 with C-USA.
Buffalo became the second school to play in the last two FBS international bowl locations (Nassau, Bahamas and Toronto, Canada), joining Western Michigan (2007 International Bowl; 2015 Bahamas Bowl).
Charlotte ended the season 7-6 and earned the first bowl appearance in the programme’s seven year history. Head Coach Will Healy reflected on the season and placed the accomplishments of the year into perspective.
“I told the guys in the locker, today was not the outcome we wanted but the guys have to realise what they accomplished this year. I can't say enough about the hospitality that was shown all week long, this game is first class, they do it the right way with really good people.”
Healy said on his first season with the programme, “I got choked up a bunch over the last few days with the tailgate, the pep rally, the fans we had in the stands - football is important in Charlotte. It's been an unbelievable ride with a great group of young men, I wanted this one bad for them but it’s not going to dampen my feelings and thoughts on what these guys accomplished. We are going to walk out of here with our heads held high. This is the first step on what we expect to be a really great football programme.”
Comments
K4C 4 years, 3 months ago
Game was on TV in Canada, sure were many empty seats
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