Messiah Burch absolutely blew the game open for Buffalo on Saturday, ripping off an 87-yard touchdown run with just 4:30 left on the clock. That insane burst helped the Bulls finally pull away from Toledo for a 23-8 win.
Bulls Respond in a Flash
You gotta hand it to Buffalo. Toledo had just clawed their way back into it, with Connor Walendzak punching in a 1-yard touchdown to make it 16-8 with 4:45 remaining. It felt like Toledo had all the momentum after their 14-play, 86-yard drive. But Burch said “not today,” taking the very first play from scrimmage on the next series to the house for that monster 87-yard score. What a response! Burch ended up with 137 yards rushing on 17 carries, a massive day for him.
Toledo’s Costly Mistakes Piled Up
Buffalo wasn’t just about Burch though. Jason Wright added a short-yardage touchdown run, and kicker Oliver Hautanen was money, nailing field goals from 24, 29, and 31 yards. That consistency kept the scoreboard ticking for the Bulls, who now sit at 3-3 overall and 1-1 in the Mid-American Conference. For Toledo, it was a rough outing despite John Alan Richter throwing for 203 yards on 22-of-35 passing and Walendzak adding 50 rushing yards. They actually put up 304 yards of offense, not far off Buffalo’s 351, but the Rockets killed themselves with mistakes. They converted only 3 of 14 third downs, coughed up three turnovers, and got flagged a whopping 15 times for 137 yards. You just can’t win like that. Toledo drops to 4-2, 1-1 in the conference.
Next up, Buffalo hosts Massachusetts this coming Saturday. Toledo’s gotta regroup fast because they’re on the road against Eastern Michigan on Saturday. That’s a huge game for them to get back on track and avoid letting this loss spiral.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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