Upton Bellenfant made a 37-yard field goal in overtime to give Buffalo a 23-20 win over No. 23 Northern Illinois on Saturday.
The Huskies (2-1, 0-1 Mid-American Conference), who played for the first time since their win against then-No. 5 Notre Dame two weeks ago, only scored six points in the second half. Buffalo (3-1, 1-0), which started playing at the FBS level in 1999, achieved a ranked win for the second time in its history.
“To me, it was just another kick,” Bellenfant said, who became Buffalo’s starting kicker just last week. “Kind of a magic story out there. Everything went right.” “It really gives us hope we can go undefeated the rest of the season.”
The Bulls led 20-17 after linebacker Shaun Dolac intercepted a pass and returned it 53 yards to set up a field goal, but the Huskies tied the game with a 13-play drive that ended with Kanon Woodill’s 27-yard field goal with 26 seconds left.
“As a defense, we buckled it down but we know we can count on the offense when it counts,” Dolac said. “They scored, they tied the game up and the rest is history.”
Woodill, who kicked the winning field goal at Notre Dame, missed two field goals, including a blocked 42-yarder in overtime. This allowed Bellenfant to make the winning kick, finishing 3 for 3 on the day.
“We were prepared to play but didn’t make the plays necessary to put ourselves in a position to win,” said Huskies coach Thomas Hammock, whose team also lost a fumble. “The only way we can lose the game is if we turn the ball over, and that’s what we did.”
Buffalo’s Pete Lembo, returning as a head coach after nine years as an assistant at four schools, praised his players.
“For them to be rewarded with a signature win like this, this early in our tenure is a big deal,” Lembo said.
C.J. Ogbonna completed 10 of 17 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown for the Bulls. His 46-yard touchdown pass to Victor Snow early in the third quarter brought Buffalo within 14-10. Al-Jay Henderson’s 36-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter tied the game at 17.
