Buffalo misses chances in 17-3 loss to Connecticut

NCAA Football Betting Lines

09/24/2011 -

AMHERST, N.Y. (AP) - It wasn't that Buffalo didn't have its chances Saturday night against Connecticut.

On three occasions, the Bulls found themselves deep in the red zone, once marching as far as the Huskies' 5-yard line. They outgained the Big East Conference team 319 yards to 293, held the advantage in first downs (16-13) and held the visitors to just 80 yards rushing while gaining 126 yards on the ground.

But the best the Bulls could muster was a pair of field goal tries, and one of those sailed wide left. Meanwhile, Connecticut (2-2) converted a pair of Johnny McEntee touchdown passes - one for 49 yards to Nick Williams en route to a 17-3 win over Buffalo.

``Offensively we were not in rhythm,'' Buffalo head coach Jeff Quinn said. ``We struggled. The quarterback play is not where we needed it. There were a couple of plays where I thought we had our shot.''

Buffalo's best crack at crossing the goal line ended in the hands of UConn's Yawin Smallwood, who picked off Chazz Anderson's pass at the 2 and returned it 28 yards.

Down 10-3, the Bulls went 70 yards starting at their own 15. Anderson found Alex Neutz for 45 yards to the UConn 6.

But when Branden Oliver was stuffed on first-and goal and Anderson's pass to Jimmy Gordon fell incomplete, Anderson lofted a pass intended for Alex Neutz that Smallwood snatched in mid-air.

Buffalo's lone points came on Peter Fardon's 28-yard field goal.

``We weren't able to put the points on the board, and that's disappointing,'' Quinn said.

Just a week after mounting a near-comeback at Ball State, Buffalo moved the ball up and down the field against the Huskies but failed to put points on the board. Buffalo is now 1-9 in its last 10 starts with the prospect of next week's trip to Knoxville and a taste of the Southeastern Conference in a meeting with Tennessee.

Anderson, who finished 18 of 39 for 193 yards for Buffalo (1-3), offered no excuses.

``You've got to execute the play that's called,'' he said. ``You've got to score when you get into the red zone.''?

McEntee suddenly earned an edge in Connecticut's three-way quarterback competition after throwing two touchdowns. A third-year walk-on, McEntee finished 12 of 21 for 213 yards in helping the Huskies (2-2) snap a two-game losing skid.

Williams sealed the victory with a 49-yard touchdown catch with 4:52 left. He finished with two catches for 113 yards, including a 64-yard catch that set up Mark Hinkley's 4-yard touchdown in the final seconds of the first half.

The Huskies defense did the rest in helping UConn extend its win streak over Buffalo to seven games - a stretch that includes a win in the 2009 International Bowl.

It was a sloppy, defensive-oriented game between two programs seeking to kickstart their seasons before getting into the thick of conference play.

The game was tied at 3 before UConn finally took control on its final drive of the first half, thanks to McEntee, who's been competing with Scott McCummings and Michael Nebrich for the starting job.

McEntee capped a four-play 83-yard drive by hitting a wide-open Hinkley, who sneaked out of the backfield into the right flats for a 4-yard touchdown with 15 seconds left in the half. It was McEntee's fourth start of the season, and the touchdown was the first of his career.

Williams has finally gotten his shot in playing a role in the offense after the junior led the nation in kickoff returns a year ago. He showed his speed and shiftiness in setting up the Huskies first touchdown in the final minute of the first half.

Catching the ball on a crossing route over the middle, he shook off an attempted tackle by Buffalo defensive back Isaac Baugh and then burst free up the middle for UConn's longest completion of the season.

Williams' touchdown came on a very similar play. This time cutting from the right over the middle, he caught the ball and somehow escaped the grasp of Buffalo's Najja Johnson, who got both arms around him. Williams then cut back to the left and was untouched into the end zone to seal the win with 4:52 remaining.

Buffalo's offense lacked finish. In the first quarter, Fardon missed a 30-yard field goal attempt that went wide left. On their next possession, Anderson marched the Bulls to the Huskies 7 only to be undone by a holding penalty. Buffalo settled on Fardon hitting a 28-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead.

The Huskies also squandered a field goal attempt when Dave Teggart's 49-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Buffalo's Steven Means late in the first quarter. Teggart missed two of four attempts in last week's 24-20 loss to Iowa State.

Buffalo's Marcus Rivers had nine catches for 94 yards.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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Pro Football Odds : NFC SOUTH BETTING ODDS

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NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.

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