Titus Davis tallied 100 receiving yards and made a go-ahead touchdown reception in the fourth quarter to help the Central Michigan Chippewas to a 20-14 win over the Buffalo Bulls in a Mid-American Conference battle at University at Buffalo Stadium.
Davis recorded a game-high six catches for CMU (5-4, 3-2 MAC), which picked up its third win in four outings. Cooper Rush finished with 231 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 14-of-24 passing efficiency, while Saylor Lavallii racked up 80 yards and two scores on 21 carries.
The Bulls (3-5, 1-3) fell in their first game under interim head coach Alex Wood, who took over during the bye week after Jeff Quinn's sudden firing, and for the third time in a row overall. Joe Licata performed well under center, connecting on 21-of-35 pass attempts for 233 yards and a pair of scores. Ron Willoughby reeled in four catches for 90 yards and a touchdown, but Buffalo was limited to only 38 rushing yards on 22 carries.
CMU opened up the contest with a nine-play, 75-yard drive which was concluded by a four-yard touchdown rush by Lavallii. Neither side managed to produce any points for the rest of the first period.
The Chippewas extended their lead to 14-0 with 10:35 left to play before the break, as Lavallii scored on a nine-yard run. Buffalo cut its deficit down to a single touchdown at the 1:49 point of the second frame, when Licata connected with Ron Willoughby on a 28-yard scoring pass.
Buffalo evened the score just over a minute into the second half, as Licata connected with Malcolm Robinson on a six-yard touchdown pass. The Bulls' second touchdown of the game was set up by a 57-yard kickoff return by Devin Campbell, which gave the hosts excellent field position to start the drive.
CMU took a lasting lead with 8:08 remaining in regulation, when Rush found Davis for a seven-yard touchdown pass to conclude a 98-yard drive that lasted over nine minutes. Brian Eavey missed the ensuing extra-point attempt, leaving the Chippewas with a six-point lead. However, Eavey's miscue did not cost CMU, as Buffalo turned the ball over on downs on its final two possessions of the contest.
The Chippewas achieved a total of 21 first downs, compared to only 15 by Buffalo.
[SportsNetwork.com]
