Published: September 23, 2007 01:31 pm      

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Starks scores three touchdowns in UB loss

AMHERST — The Buffalo Bulls left their upset bid in the locker room Saturday night.

After a close first half, the Baylor Bears dominated the third quarter on their way to a 34-21 win before the season’s first UB Stadium crowd, a robust one that filled the lower portion of both sideline grandstands but didn’t, however, appear close to the 22,676 announced attendance.

The Bulls trailed 10-7 after two quarters and would’ve led had kicker A.J. Principe not missed wind-aided field goals from 43 and 46 yards. But Baylor’s offense woke up in the third quarter and, with the help of UB mishaps on offense and in punt coverage, was able to run 28 plays for 160 yards and 17 points.

Bears quarterback Blake Szymanski waent 10-for-14 for 78 yards and two touchdowns in the third quarter. On the evening, he was 21-for-45 for 172 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 91 yards and another score. The Bears gained 10 first downs in the quarter, compared to just one for UB.

James Starks gave UB new life early in the fourth quarter, scoring from 10 yards out on a middle screen pass from Drew Willy to make it 27-14. The Niagara Falls native also scored on 1-yard runs in the second and fourth quarters.

For the first time in four games, Starks was more effective than his backup, Mario Henry. Starks started slow, getting thrown for a loss on his first carry and dropping a short pass from Willy on the Bulls’ second play from scrimmage. On the next drive, Starks gained 35 yards on five consecutive runs. He touched the ball on all four plays of UB’s first scoring drive, which started on the Baylor 24 when Alex Pierre rushed up the middle and tackled punter Derek Epperseon before he could put his foot on the ball. Starks finished with 64 rushing yards on 14 carries and 33 additional yards on four receptions. But he wasn’t satisfied with the performance.

“I have to work harder,” Starks said. “We all have to work harder.”

Willy had his worst game of the season, throwing three interceptions, missing open receivers downfield and taking three sacks. Willy completed 29 of 46 passes for 276 yards.

“It wasn’t one of his better games,” UB coach Turner Gill said. “But he did make some good throws. Its a situation where he just needs to bounce back.”

Baylor’s first touchdown of the second half, a 9-yard pass from Szymanski to Krys Buerck, who beat Domonic Cook on a slant, completed an 11-play 85-yard march. Szymanski was 5-for-5 for 53 yards on that drive after struggling in the first half

“We didn’t shoot ourselves in the foot,” Szymanski said. “We put together two good drives in a row, including one as a touchdown. We ran the ball better and everything clicked. We have to play like we did in third quarter, especially when it comes to conference play.”

The Bears started their next drive on the UB 22 after Ben Wood’s beautiful 56-yard punt out of his own end zone was returned 43 yards. UB’s Jesse Ruck fumbled on the first play of UB’s next drive, giving Baylor the ball on the UB 42. Shea Brewster’s 39-yard field goal made it 24-7.

Baylor coach Guy Morriss indicated that his team took a while to adjust to UB’s “five under, three deep” coverage scheme. “That was the first time we saw that,” he said.

Baylor ran the ball on four of the first five plays and ended up gaining 229 yards on the ground, their most in two years. The Bulls started safeties Josh Copeland and Davonte Shannon to combat Baylor’s four-receiver set. Shannon had to be helped off the field in the second quarter after taking a hit on the head in a collision with Mike Newton. He returned later in the quarter to make an interception and had three more pass breakups in the game.

Naaman Roosevelt (St. Joe’s) also appeared to sustain a head injury early on. He returned to catch six passes for 79 yards and recover an onside kick well downfield in the fourth quarter.

The Bears’ first 10 points came off an interception and a fumble recovery by safety Jordan Lake, who picked off a second pass and forced another fumble later in the game.

For once, it felt like college football Saturday at UB, with parties in the parking lots before the game and rowdy fans dancing on the new video scoreboard throughout. The Bulls 38-point victory over Temple and surprising effort at Penn State in the previous two games clearly engaged a fan base that has largely ignored the Bulls since they entered Division I eight years ago.

“I was a great crowd and great atmosphere,” Gill said. “I think they saw a pretty good football game. They saw us play with great effor and we’ll get some things done as far as Ws here soon.”

Contact reporter Jonah Bronstein at 282-2311, ext. 2258 or bronsteinj@gnnewspaper.com