Buffalo quarterback Ta’Quan Roberson threw for 303 yards and two touchdowns but was intercepted twice and sacked six times for the Bulls (5-6, 4-3 MAC), who managed just 46 rushing yards.
Miami trailed 3-0 late in the first quarter and had managed only a pair of punts with starter Henry Hesson at quarterback when Gotkowski entered and immediately changed the tone. Taking over with 56 seconds left in the opening period, he hit Kam Perry on a 30-yard strike to cross midfield, then capped the drive on the first play of the second quarter with a 32-yard play-action shot down the left sideline. Perry slipped behind two Buffalo defensive backs for the touchdown and a 7-3 Miami lead at 13:42 of the second.
Gotkowski stayed hot on the RedHawks’ next possession, completing four straight passes to move the ball from the Miami 38 to the Buffalo 6. On third-and-goal, he scrambled up the middle for a 3-yard score with 3:16 left in the half to push the advantage to 14-3.
The Miami defense quickly flipped the momentum again. On the very next snap, safety Silas Walters jumped a route and intercepted Roberson at the Buffalo 26, returning it to the Bulls’ 22. Although a sack stalled the drive, Dzioban drilled a 42-yard field goal with 1:51 left before halftime to make it 17-3.
Buffalo answered with a much-needed two-minute drive to get back in it before the break. Roberson hit Nik McMillan for 20 yards and Victor Snow twice underneath to move the chains, then found Snow on a 9-yard touchdown with 13 seconds remaining to cut Miami’s lead to 17-10 at halftime.
The Bulls carried that surge into the second half.
Buffalo opened the third quarter with a sharp six-play, 75-yard march, with Roberson finding Snow and McMillan to move inside the 10 before hitting Jasaiah Gathings on a 10-yard touchdown to tie it at 17-17 with 12:31 left in the period. After Miami turned the ball over on downs at the Buffalo 41, the Bulls again drove into Miami territory and Jack Howes connected from 47 yards out to give Buffalo a 20-17 lead at the 6:50 mark of the third.
That would be the Bulls’ last points of the night.
On the very next snap from scrimmage, Brunson ripped through the left side for a 60-yard run down to the Buffalo 15. Two plays later, Jones powered in from 7 yards out to put Miami back on top 24-20 with 5:32 to go in the third quarter.
Special teams and another explosive play helped the RedHawks seize control late in the quarter. After the defense forced a three-and-out, Lynel Billups-Williams fielded a punt at the Miami 31 and weaved 42 yards to the Buffalo 27. Two plays later, Gotkowski lofted a deep ball toward the right pylon that Cole Weaver snagged with a leaping, one-handed grab at the 1-yard line. Jones scored on the next snap from a yard out to extend the margin to 31-20 with 34 seconds left in the third.
Miami’s defense took over from there. The RedHawks held Buffalo scoreless in the fourth quarter, piling up three of their six sacks in the final 15 minutes and forcing a fumble from Roberson that Bai Jobe recovered with 2:24 remaining to effectively seal it.
Before that, Miami’s offense had methodically used the clock and the leg of Dzioban to put the game out of reach. A 10-play drive early in the fourth quarter stalled at the Buffalo 20, but Dzioban split the uprights from 37 yards with 8:04 remaining for a 34-20 cushion. After the defense forced another turnover on downs at the Bulls’ 42, the RedHawks leaned on Jones and freshman back Josh Ringer to grind out yardage and set up Dzioban again, this time for a 49-yarder with 3:44 left to make it 37-20.
Gotkowski finished 13-of-25 passing with one touchdown and no interceptions and added 26 rushing yards and a score on nine carries. Brunson averaged 7.7 yards per carry on his 16 attempts, including the pivotal 60-yarder in the third quarter, while Jones turned seven carries into 17 yards and two touchdowns. Perry caught four passes for 76 yards and a touchdown, and Weaver added five grabs for a team-high 82 yards.
Roberson completed 24 of 48 passes for Buffalo, throwing two touchdowns and two interceptions. Snow led the Bulls with nine catches for 111 yards and a score, and McMillan hauled in eight passes for 147 yards as Buffalo outgained Miami 303-185 through the air and held a narrow 349-347 edge in total yardage.
Miami compensated by controlling the line of scrimmage. The RedHawks out-rushed the Bulls 162-46, averaged 4.0 yards per carry to Buffalo’s 1.4 and finished with 10 tackles for loss. Walters and Adrian Walker Jr. each had an interception, and Miami’s coverage units added a 39-yard kickoff return from Keith Reynolds and Billups-Williams’ momentum-changing punt return.
Dzioban went 3-for-3 on field goals and 4-for-4 on extra points for Miami, which went a perfect 5-for-5 in the red zone and scored on all three of its second-half possessions that crossed midfield.
The RedHawks close the regular season at home against Ball State on Saturday, Nov. 29, still in contention for a spot in the MAC championship game.
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