The Western Michigan Broncos erased a 17-10 deficit to beat the Buffalo Bulls 20-17 Saturday at Broadview Stadium in their MAC opener.
Broc Lowry’s 5-yard touchdown run tied the game at 17 with 6:44 left, and Dieter Kelly’s 38-yard field goal with 1:19 remaining put the Western Michigan Broncos ahead for good. Buffalo’s Messiah Burch led all rushers with 106 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, but the Bulls managed just a field goal after halftime.
Key moments: How Western Michigan Broncos won
Buffalo controlled the middle quarters. Jason Wright hit Patrick Clacks III for a 59-yard touchdown just eight seconds after Jalen Buckley’s opening score, and Burch punched in a 1-yard touchdown early in the second quarter to make it 14-7. Kelly’s 43-yard field goal before halftime trimmed the Broncos’ deficit to 14-10 heading into the break.
Neither team scored in the third quarter. Buffalo’s Oliver Hautanen made it 17-10 with a 35-yard field goal to open the fourth, but Western Michigan answered with consecutive scoring drives. Lowry’s touchdown run tied it, and Kelly’s game-winning field goal with 1:19 left sealed it. Buffalo’s final possession came up empty against a Broncos defense that forced a stop.
Top performers
Lowry, the Western Michigan Broncos’ quarterback, completed 19 of 24 passes for 212 yards and rushed for 54 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Jalen Buckley added 62 yards and a score on 15 carries. Nate Levicki paced the receivers with four catches for 76 yards, and Aveion Chenault caught five passes for 56 yards.
Kelly went 2-for-2 on field goals and 2-for-2 on extra points for eight points. Justyce Betts led the defense with nine tackles.
For Buffalo, Wright threw for 170 yards and a touchdown, while Burch’s 106 yards on the ground paced the Bulls’ run game. Chance Morrow caught seven passes for 90 yards. SaVeon Brown topped Buffalo’s defense with 12 tackles, and Cornell Evans recorded a sack.
What it means
The Western Michigan Broncos improved to 3-2 with their first conference win of the season. Western Michigan finished with 327 total yards and controlled possession for nearly 32 minutes, converting the edge into a game-winning fourth quarter. Neither team turned the ball over, so the difference came down to execution in the final frame: Buffalo settled for a field goal on its last scoring chance while Western Michigan found the end zone and then added the deciding kick.
Buffalo dropped to 2-3 despite converting two of three fourth-down attempts. The Bulls’ 5-for-14 mark on third down ultimately limited their ability to close out the lead they built in the first half.
What’s next
Both teams return to MAC action next week.
Official statistics: ESPN (official league data).
