Published: November 02, 2009 10:37 pm      

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: UB hosts Bowling Green, ESPN2 cameras

AMHERST — For the second year in a row, the biggest Election Night party in town will be at UB Stadium.

Last year, the Buffalo Bulls made history shortly before Barack Obama did, playing before a national television audience for the first time, and earning their first-ever win over Mid-American Conference rival Miami, which began a four-game winning streak that resulted in a MAC East division title.

The ESPN2 team will return to UB Stadium tonight when the Bulls battle Bowling Green. And while the results of this year’s election won’t be quite as monumental, neither would a Bulls victory.

UB (3-5, 1-3 MAC) is essentially out of contention for the East division crown after last week’s 34-31 overtime loss at Western Michigan, needing to win its final four games and have Temple (5-2, 4-0) lose four in a row to have any chance at playing in the MAC championship game.

But four straight wins would put the Bulls in good position for another bowl invitation.

Bowling Green (3-5, 2-2), which is coached by former Lewiston-Porter quarterback Dave Clawson, has a slightly better chance of winning the East, but is probably in the same bowl situation.

“We’re both trying to fight to be bowl eligible,” Clawson said. “Buffalo is a lot like us. They’ve lost some close games and are very talented.”

The MAC has tie-ins with the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, the GMAC Bowl and the International Bowl, and a conditional spot in the EagleBank Bowl if the Atlantic Coast Conference doesn’t have at least nine bowl-eligible teams.

Six wins are required to be bowl eligible, but with seven MAC teams already at four wins with four games to go, UB and Bowling Green can’t count on 6-6 being good enough to extend the season.

UB coach Turner Gill said this week that he doesn’t feel his team needs to run the table to get a bowl bid.

“You never know what’s going to happen at the end of the season,” he said. “We’re going to take it one game at a time, that’s all we can do, and at the end of the season we hope we’ll have an opportunity to play in the postseason.”

Tonight’s game should be a shootout. Bowling Green has the nation’s fourth-best passing attack, led by senior quarterback Tyler Sheehan, and wideout Freddie Barnes, who after eight games leads the nation in receptions (99), receiving yards (1,054), and receiving touchdowns (nine).

Meanwhile, UB is averaging 411 yards per game, the most in the Turner Gill era.

Contact reporter Jonah Bronstein at 282-2311, ext. 2261.



GAME NIGHT

UB (3-5, 1-3 MAC) vs. Bowling Green (3-5, 2-2)

• WHEN: 7 p.m.

• WHERE: UB Stadium

• RADIO: WECK 1230-AM

• TV: ESPN2

• NOTES: Bowling Green is coached by former Lewiston-Porter quarterback Dave Clawson, who was an assistant coach at UB in the early ’90s. ... Naaman Roosevelt needs 45 receiving yards to break Drew Haddad’s school record. ... UB defeated Bowling Green in double-overtime last year to clinch the MAC East title. ... UB’s Zach Maynard and BG’s Tyler Sheehan are the only two quarterbacks in the MAC to have thrown a touchdown pass in every game this season. ... Bob Wischusen and Brian Griese will call the game.