By Tiffany Williams –
Miami engineered one of its most resilient performances of the season Wednesday night, turning to backup quarterback Thomas Gotkowski and closing with 20 unanswered points to secure a 37-20 win over Buffalo at UB Stadium. The victory made the RedHawks bowl-eligible for the ninth time in 10 seasons and kept their MAC title hopes intact entering the regular-season finale.
Gotkowski delivered 185 passing yards in relief, throwing a touchdown and adding another on the ground. His entrance flipped Miami’s offensive rhythm after Buffalo opened the scoring with a Jack Howes field goal. On his first scoring drive, Gotkowski hit Kam Perry on a 30-yard pass and later found him again on a 32-yard play-action strike for a 7-3 lead. The RedHawks extended the margin when Gotkowski completed four straight passes and scrambled for a three-yard touchdown to make it 14-3.
Miami’s defense set that score up with an interception from Silas Walters, one of two picks on the night. Dom Dzioban tacked on a 42-yard field goal for a 17-3 edge before Buffalo responded with a touchdown drive capped by Ta’Quan Roberson’s throw to Victor Snow. The Bulls opened the second half with a six-play, 75-yard march to tie it 17-17 and took a brief 20-17 lead on a 47-yard kick by Howes. Miami answered immediately: Jordan Brunson ripped off a 60-yard run, setting up a seven-yard score by D’Shawntae Jones, his first of two touchdowns.
Momentum swung permanently when Lynel Billups-Williams delivered a 42-yard punt return to the Buffalo 27. Cole Weaver rose for a one-handed catch at the one, and Jones powered in again for a 31-20 cushion. Miami controlled the fourth quarter, adding field goals of 37 and 49 yards as its defense held Buffalo to 44 yards on 22 snaps over the final 15 minutes.
Brunson finished with 123 rushing yards, his second 100-yard outing of the season, while Jones produced the first multi-touchdown game of his career. Miami hit three passes of 30 or more yards in the first half and produced multiple interceptions for the fourth time this season. Adrian Walker Jr.’s early pick ended Buffalo’s first promising drive, while Walters collected his third interception of the year. Mychal Yharbrough made a career-high eight tackles for a defense that generated nine different players with at least one tackle for loss and seven with at least half a sack.
Buffalo countered with a strong passing effort from Roberson, who threw for 303 yards, including a nine-catch, 111-yard night from Snow and 147 yards from Nik McMillan, who posted his fifth straight 100-yard game. Linebacker Red Murdock led the Bulls with 14 tackles, climbing to ninth in program history with 350 career stops. But Buffalo could not answer Miami’s final surge after the RedHawks turned a 20-17 deficit into a three-score win.
Miami moved to 6-5, 5-2 in MAC play, while Buffalo dropped to 5-6 and will close the regular season against Ohio next Friday.
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