Marks leads UB Football to 36-29 win over Temple

Buffalo Bulls Football is now off to its best start since returning to the FBS after they took down Temple, 36-29, on Saturday. Redshirt freshman Kevin Marks dominated from the backfield to pull out the close win.

Saying that Buffalo had a messy first half is an understatement. Despite being the better team on both sides of the ball for much of the opening 30 minutes, UB failed to capitalize on many opportunities to push the lead.

The first blunder of the day came after an emphatic 30-yard touchdown to UB’s true-freshman standout Charlie Jones. With the Bulls up six points, UB kicker Adam Mitcheson botched a point-after for the second week in a row.

The botched PAT appeared to throw off the Bulls game plan from there. After a 22-yard rushing touchdown from Marks, the Bulls elected to go for two, which was ultimately intercepted and almost cost the Bulls two points.

As the half came to a close, UB refused to kick a field goal and forced another mistake as Tyree Jackson threw a pick to Temple’s Rock Ya-Sin at the goal line. The result was touchdown drive by the Owls make the game 12-7—a far cry from what could’ve been a 17-0 lead without mistakes from the Bulls.

With UB and Temple in an all-out shootout the next half, Marks was the go-to player to put together drives as he weaved and carved through the Owls’ defensive line. He regained the lead with a 1-yard touchdown in the third, racked up heavy yardage toward the Bulls’ next scoring effort, and was key in their final drive of the evening. It was fantastic effort by him and Buffalo’s O-Line.

That final drive had a couple of lucky breaks, but with the score tied at 29 apiece, Buffalo found a way to pull it out. From the 29-yard line, Tyree Jackson tossed one toward Anthony Johnson and let the star wide-out bulldoze his way to the goal line. For the first time in what seemed like ages, Buffalo had defeated Temple.

Marks finished his two-touchdown day with 140 yards to his name. The redshirt freshman is quickly looking like the best back in UB’s deep arsenal of rushers. The other big star of the day was Cameron Lewis with two interceptions.

Jackson had a decent day. Going 26-45 on passing, the junior flung the ball 275 yards for three touchdowns. The only real hiccup to his day was an interception when targeting Johnson.

It wasn’t a perfect game for UB, but their record stays unblemished. Buffalo will now return home for a Saturday matchup with the Eastern Michigan Eagles, who just knocked off Purdue. That game will kick off at 6:00 p.m. and air on ESPN+.