In the preview of the Bahamas Bowl, it was noted that Buffalo had an advantage over Liberty in this contest. That was evident with a 26-7 win over the Flames. Buffalo entered this contest with a much more intact offense, and overall roster, than Liberty. The Bulls ran away with a Bahamas Bowl victory.
Buffalo Wins the Bahamas Bowl 26-7
The first half of this contest was less than thrilling on the scoreboard. The Bulls’ offense was kept out of the endzone by the Flames and resorted to three field goals to go up 9-0 entering halftime. Buffalo didn’t score its first touchdown until the third quarter and Liberty didn’t get on the board until seven minutes left in the fourth. When it looked like the Bulls’ offense would only get into the endzone once in this contest, the offense scored again with 26 seconds left. However, that touchdown was taken off the board. Giving a final score of 26-7.
Who Stepped in For Liberty on Offense?
The topic of conversation before this game was which players were going to step in for Liberty on offense. The Flames were at a disadvantage in this contest with six starters on offense unavailable due to opt-out or transfer. Things did not fare well for Liberty. Ryan Burger and Nate Hampton shared quarterback duties and neither blew away the audience with their performance. Burger ended the day going four-for-12 with 40 passing yards. He added 57 additional yards on the ground. Hampton also ended the contest with 40 passing yards, but that was on only two completions. He threw the lone touchdown pass but also threw a pick-six. Both occurred in the fourth quarter.
That interception wasn’t the only problem that the Liberty offense faced. It fumbled the football three times in the Bahamas Bowl. Luckily, depending on how it’s looked at, the Flames only lost two of the three fumbles. However, both of those lost fumbles were by Burger. In the preview to this contest, it was noted that the Flames would need to try to rely on running back Billy Lucas. He was the second-leading rusher for Liberty this season.
Unfortunately, the loss of three offensive linemen ahead of the Bahamas Bowl didn’t help Lucas. The Flames couldn’t get the rushing attack going and Lucas finished the day tied with Burger for 57 rushing yards. In the preview, we stated that using Lucas in the passing game could assist the Flames in this one. However, the quarterbacks couldn’t get much moving through the air either. Lucas finished the day with one reception for 11 yards.
This stat line will tell you all you need to know about Liberty’s offense. No receiver had more than two receptions and only one receiver, Treon Sibley, tallied two receptions. The team had a combined six receptions. No defense can work a miracle when the offense can’t move the ball. Further, this Liberty defense worked a miracle by only allowing one touchdown.
The Bulls Fared Much Better
A lot can be said about what the Liberty offense didn’t do in this contest. However, Buffalo as a whole had a solid showing. Despite only scoring one touchdown, the offense moved the ball down the field often. The Bulls ended the Bahamas Bowl with 222 yards rushing, 137 yards through the air, and zero turnovers. Starting running back, Al-Jay Henderson scored the lone touchdown for the Bulls and ended the day with 119 rushing yards. The Bulls were able to utilize nine different ball carriers in this game. In addition, quarterback CJ Ogbonna spread the ball to five different receivers. His favorite target, Victor Snow, led the team with four receptions.
All of those positive accolades and Snow only had four receptions? Yes. Ogbonna struggled through the air in the Bahamas Bowl. He only completed nine passes. He went nine-for-19 on the day. So while the Bulls won this contest, it was due to the rushing attack and field goal kicker Upton Bellenfant. Bellenfant completed four of five attempts in the Bahamas Bowl. He had a long of 52 yards.
In addition to the special teams and the run game, the Buffalo defense had a field day. There was a pick-six, two fumble recoveries, three sacks, and a whopping 10 tackles for loss. Overall, the Bulls fared much better than Liberty in the Bahamas Bowl.
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