Chippewas Outlast Bulls' Threats, Win on the Road, 20-13

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BUFFALO, N.Y. — Nearly four hours after the scheduled kickoff, Josh Gordy intercepted a pass in Central Michigan territory with 2:45 remaining to preserve a 20-13 victory for the Chippewas at Buffalo.

The Bulls (1-4, 0-2 MAC) had taken over on their own 9-yard line with 4:46 left to play and had just rushed for a 10-yard gain that took them to the 16-yard line when their attempt downfield was picked off at the Central Michigan 31-yard line.

The Chippewas (4-1, 2-0 MAC) fought off several Buffalo threats in the second half, forcing the Bulls to settle for two field goal attempts early in the third quarter. A 46-yard attempt missed wide right, but a 21-yard attempt brought the Bulls within a touchdown, 20-13, with 1:18 left in the period. On their first drive of the fourth quarter, the Bulls drove into the red zone after being pinned at their own 11-yard line with a Hartmann punt, but were eventually stopped on downs at the CMU 11-yard line. Hartmann's next boot also pinned the Bulls back deep, this time at their own 9.

The interception allowed the Chippewas to attempt to run out the clock, but the Bulls managed one more possession in the final 11 seconds. Starting at the Buffalo 25-yard line, they completed a 17-yard pass on first down. The first of two hail mary attempts resulted in a pass interference call on the Chippewas, giving Buffalo one final shot at tying the game, but the attempt was batted down in the end zone.

The Chippewas struck early by scoring on their first drive, as Dan LeFevour found Bryan Anderson in the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown completion, capping a 6-play, 46-yard drive. They took a 13-0 lead on the first drive of the second quarter when Antonio Brown rushed in from seven yards for the first of his two scores on the day. Buffalo responded with a 16-play drive that took the Bulls to first-and-goal at the 2-yard line, but they were forced to settle for a 22-yard field goal to get on the board. On their next possession, which started with 1:24 left in the half, they needed just 37 seconds to drive 63 yards and score on a 24-yard touchdown pass to come within three, 13-10.

Brown put the Chippewas up 20-10 on the first drive of the second half with a 27-yard catch from LeFevour. From that point on, the Bulls' drives resulted in two field goal attempts, a turnover on downs and an interception.

Play was suspended 39 minutes in the middle of the third quarter due to lightning, the second lightning delay of the night after kickoff was delayed 15 minutes due to lightning.

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