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ATHENS, OH - The University at Buffalo football team went from one of the most improbable comebacks in school history to one of the most disappointing losses in just a few minutes.

Ohio kicker Kevin Kerr drilled a 37-yard field goal with :10 remaining to give the Bobcats a 34-32 win over Buffalo after the Bulls had rallied to take the lead from a 19-point second-half deficit before 12,512 fans at Peden Stadium in a Mid-American Conference game.

The Bulls had come all the way back from that deficit to gain their only lead of the game on a 29-yard field goal by Dallas Pelz (Holland, NY/St. Francis) with 4:39 remaining. That field goal capped a 29-3 rampage by the Bulls after Ohio (1-4, 1-0 in the MAC) had taken a 28-9 lead with just 5:01 remaining in the third quarter.

"It was a tremendously competitive football game tonight," said UB head coach Jim Hofher. " I'm very proud of how our kids, after being down by a significant amount, battled the only way they know how in the second half. A lot of credit goes to OU to get the final points on the board, they did a terrific job of coming back as well. I'm really very proud to be a part of a team with guys like this. At UB, we haven't been in too many close games and we'll win our share if we can keep getting in close games."

The loss spoiled a tremendous effort by the Bulls as a team and several players who had career-defining games.

Things didn't start well again for Buffalo as the Bobcats scored on their first two possessions to take a 14-0 lead just over eight minutes into the game. Ohio tailback Chad Brinker had 75 of his 149 yards in the first quarter alone as the Bobcats controlled the line of scrimmage and the clock.

The Bulls got on the board early in the second quarter on a 22-yard field goal by Pelz, but saw Ohio answer with a one-yard touchdown run by quarterback Dontrell Jackson - who finished with 157 yards on 28 carries and scored twice - to take a 21-3 halftime lead.

Buffalo, however, had plenty of fight left in the second half.

Randall Secky

The Bulls capped an 80-yard drive to open the second half when quarterback Randall Secky (Bemus Point, NY/Maple Grove) hit freshman Ramon Guzman (Bronx, NY/DeWitt-Clinton) with a six-yard strike for a touchdown on Guzman's first-ever touch as a Bull. However, the extra point by Pelz was missed, leaving the score at 21-9.

Ohio appeared to salt the game away when they answered with a 66-yard drive on 10 plays, capped by another one-yard Jackson touchdown run to make it 28-9 with 5:01 remaining. Again, however, the Bulls would not go away.

Secky, running a no-huddle offense almost the entire second half, brought the Bulls back again. Freshman tailback Aaron Leeper (Jamestown, NY/Jamestown) scored his fourth touchdown of the season from six yards out to cut the lead to 28-16.

After a 39-yard field goal by Kerr made it 31-16 in favor of the Bobcats, the Bulls again rallied this time

Rodney Morris

via turnover. Sophomore J.J. Gibson (Amherst, NY/Sweet Home), who had nine tackles on the day, forced a fumble by Jackson that was recovered by Rodney Morris (Pahokee, FL/Pahokee) at the UB 48. Morris had a tremendous game for Buffalo with a career-best 13 tackles (12 solos) and a pass breakup.

Secky than connected on five-of-seven passes and drove the Bulls 52 yards in eight plays capped by an acrobatic touchdown reception in the corner of the end zone by senior flanker Andre Forde (Penfield, NY/Penfield). Buffalo's two-point conversion try failed, however, and UB still trailed, 31-22 with 10:35 remaining.

After forcing an Ohio punt, UB took just three plays to put a jolt into Ohio. Secky connected on a crossing pattern with Forde that the senior turned into a pulsating 60-yard touchdown catch to cut the lead to 31-29 with 6:32 remaining. Buffalo than forced another turnover, when Jackson was stripped by junior captain Lamar Wilcher (Ossining, NY/Ossining) and senior corner Mike Lambert (Syracuse, NY/Jamesville-DeWitt) pounced on it.

Buffalo took its very first lead of the game five plays later when Pelz drilled a 29-yard field goal with 4:39 remaining, stunning the Peden Stadium crowd. The Bobcats, who converted 11-of-17 third down conversions in the game, had one last drive in them as well.

The Bobcats converted a third-and-six at their own 17 on a 15-yard pass from Jackson to Brinker and got into field goal range on a 32-yard hookup from Jackson to Ray Houston. OU also converted another third down when Brinker went six yards on a third-and-four from the Buffalo 27. That would set up Kerr's decisive kick with just :10 left, ruining a tremendous effort by the Bulls.

Andre Forde

The final kick also spoiled tremendous performances by Secky and Forde, who both had career days. Secky was 29-of-43 passing for 350 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Forde, meanwhile, became just the second UB player in school history to go over the 200-yard receiving plateau in a game, catching a career-best 12 balls for 202 yards and finding the end zone twice.

Said Hofher of Secky and Forde, "We've got a young quarterback who's learning every game and is doing a tremendous job of respecting the football and not creating turnovers. We also have a very experienced receiver who is showing why he is among the best in our conference. Andre really is playing terrific."

The Bulls' defense had several standout performances as well. Wilcher, playing with a sprained thumb, added nine tackles (eight solos), while redshirt frosh Rich Sanders (Miami, FL/Coral Reef) had seven solo stops and a fumble recovery in his first action of the season. Another redshirt frosh -Kevin Concepcion (Rochester, NY/East) had seven solo tackles and a pass breakup as well.

BULL-etins: Randall Secky's 29 completions are tied for fourth all-time for a single game and his 350 yards through the air is the 11th best total in school history. Secky now has eight touchdown passes on the season and just two interceptions and is also on a current streak of 81 throws without an interception...Andre Forde not only set a career-high with his 12 receptions, but that figure also is tied for second in a single game behind Chaz Ahmed's 13 receptions at Mercyhurst in 1990. In addition, Forde's 202 yards is second to Joe D'Amico (218 yards vs. Cortland in 1981) all-time and only the second time a UB receiver has crossed the 200-yard receiving barrier. Forde now has seven touchdowns on the season, 14 touchdown receptions in his career (tied for fifth) and moved up to fifth-place in all-purpose yardage with 3,054 in his career...senior tight end Chad Bartoszek (Salamanca, NY/Salamanca) had a career-best eight catches for 61 yards for Buffalo as Secky completed passes to ten different players...Dallas Pelz is now 8-of-10 on the season in field goals and has moved up to a tie for third with 20 field goals in his career, eight behind career leader Gerald Carlson...redshirt freshman Tim Dance (Erie, PA/Cathedral Prep) made a nice impression on the offense, carrying the ball twice on reverses for 25 yards and making a 25-yard reception to set up Leeper's touchdown...linebacker Rodney Morris set a career-high with his 13 tackles and matched the season high by a UB player this year (Mark Graham had 13 stops vs. Lehigh)...Buffalo is still looking for its first MAC road win after the heartbreaking defeat...each team recorded one sack in the game...the Bulls were just 2-of-11 on third down, but were 2-of-2 on fourth down in key spots...after playing three of its first five games on the road, Buffalo is now home for four of its next five opponents, including Western Michigan next week at 1 pm at UB Stadium.