BUFFALO, NY - This wasn't the way it was supposed to end.

For 20 seniors, and head coach Craig Cirbus, involved in their final game at the University at Buffalo a mere inches separated them from a tremendous victory or a crushing defeat. Those inches became evident when senior Scott Keller (Amherst, NY/Amherst Central) saw his 21-yard field goal with 7:24 remaining ruled no good as Miami hung on for 17-16 Mid-American Conference win. The Bulls concluded their season 2-9 (2-4 in the MAC East) while the RedHawks (6-5, 4-2) finished their seventh straight winning season.

Keller's field goal appeared to go over the right upright and Cirbus commented that "the official underneath the right upright told me it was a 'judgement call,' that he thought that the ball was above the pole and therefore was not through the uprights. I assumed that would have bounced in if the goalpost had been extended."

The Bulls had one more chance but were stopped on a 4th-and-2 play from their own 34 with 1:49 remaining. The loss ruined an otherwise very strong p erformance by the Bulls against a team that many had predicted might win the MAC East and earlier in the season defeated Vanderbilt on the road.

The Bulls' running game amassed a season-high 290 yards, with freshman running back Marquis Dwarte (Baltimore, MD/Perry Hall) finishing over 100 yards for the second straight week. Dwarte had a career-high 26 carries for 156 yards while junior Derrick Gordon (Brooklyn, NY/August Martin) had 11 carries for 70 yards. Junior Marvin Brereton (Missisaugua, Ontario/Clarkson) also had 39 yards on just five carries as UB averaged 5.2 yards per carry on the day.

The Bulls spotted the RedHawks a 17-6 lead in the first half before rallying and shutting out Miami in the second half. The UB defense was tremendous throughout, forcing a season-high five turnovers and allowing only 17 points when Miami was inside the Buffalo 40-yard line nine times. The RedHawks offense revolved around tailback Steve Little who ran for a career-best 222 yards on 35 carries and scored two touchdowns.

The Bulls began their rally with a touchdown toss from junior Joe Freedy (Bethel Park, PA/Bethel Park) to Dahnel Singfield (Baltimore, MD/Dunbar) from 13 yards out with just :18 left in the first half to make it 17-13 at halftime. Freedy earlier had snuck the ball in from one-yard out for Buffalo's first score.

In the second half, the game went back and forth as a steady snow began falling and both teams fought the turnover bug. At one point, the two teams exchanged the ball on turnovers on three straight plays. However, the Bulls pulled within one at 17-16 on a 20-yard field goal by Keller with :44 left in the third quarter, setting up the drama to close the game.

"It was tough after the game," said Cirbus, who finished his UB career with a 19-47 record while moving the program from Division I-AA to I-A and the Mid-American Conference. "It was a very, very somber mood because there is a lot of transition happening. I think when it comes to the game and the season, I think that everybody understands the tremendous growth that has occurred with this University, its football program and each member of the football team."

Senior tackle David Pruce (Chardon, OH/Chardon), a three-year starter and big part in UB's huge rushing attack on Saturday, was philosophical. "One little thing bounces our way, and we win that game. So many people focused on the losses, but we've jumped up (levels) quick and we've done it with probably at times not the talent that you needed to compete. There is a lot of heart and a lot of people learning good lessons on this team."

The UB defense had plenty of heroes, none bigger than senior captains Chris Gray (Frewsburg, NY/Frewsburg) and Marcus Cole (Buffalo, NY/Turner-Carroll). Gray had 12 tackles, two for losses, and a sack. Cole had eight tackles, two for losses and broke up two passes. Other standouts for UB included junior linebackers Brandon Jordan (Huntington Beach, CA/Edison) and Duane Williams (Detroit, MI/Denby) and freshman Mark Graham (Monroe, MI/Monroe). Jordan had six tackles, a pass breakup and his first career interception. Williams had five tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, his third interception of the season and two pass breakups while Graham had four tackles, a sack, a pass breakup and his third interception of the season as well.

Freedy, meanwhile, became just the fourth UB passer in school history to throw for over 2,000 yards in a season, joining Marty Barrett, Cliff Scott and Chad Salisbury in that club. Freedy completed 11-of-22 passes for 119 yards and finished the season with 2,060 yards passing and 14 touchdowns. Keller, meanwhile, set a new school record with his 71st extra point, passing Mark Mozrall.