Burch’s 87-yard answer ends Toledo’s comeback in Buffalo’s 23-8 win

Messiah Burch needed one play to undo Toledo’s late comeback bid. His 87-yard touchdown run with 4:30 remaining Saturday restored Buffalo’s two-possession lead, sending the Bulls toward a 23-8 victory at the Glass Bowl and their first Mid-American Conference win of the season.

Toledo had finally reached the end zone 15 seconds earlier. Connor Walendzak’s 1-yard touchdown run finished a 14-play, 86-yard drive, and John Alan Richter found Adjatay Dabbs for the two-point conversion to make it 16-8. After spending most of the afternoon without points, the Rockets had made the game a one-score contest. Burch’s run on the first snap of Buffalo’s next possession immediately widened the gap to 15.

Burch finished with 137 yards on 17 carries. His afternoon continued a productive stretch: Buffalo’s official preview noted that he had rushed for 146 yards against Robert Morris and 106 against Western Michigan in the preceding two games. Saturday gave him a third consecutive 100-yard performance.

The Bulls improved to 3-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play. Toledo dropped to 4-2 and 1-1 after an afternoon in which its mistakes repeatedly reduced the value of moving the ball. The Rockets lost three fumbles, committed 15 penalties for 137 yards and converted only three of 14 third downs. Buffalo finished without a turnover and was penalized five times for 27 yards.

Oliver Hautanen helped the Bulls turn their early possessions into a lead, making field goals from 24 and 29 yards in the first quarter. Jason Wright’s 3-yard touchdown run with 5:21 left in the second extended Buffalo’s advantage to 13-0 at halftime. Hautanen added a 31-yard field goal in the third, making the score 16-0 before Toledo’s late touchdown drive.

Wright completed 14 of 31 passes for 171 yards without an interception. Dwayne Early Jr. caught four passes for 77 yards, providing the Bulls’ largest receiving contribution. Buffalo totaled 351 yards and 22 first downs, and it converted all three of its fourth-down attempts. That kept several possessions alive even with a third-down conversion rate of eight in 21 attempts.

Richter finished 22-of-35 for 203 passing yards. Terrell Crosby Jr. caught eight passes for 69 yards, while Walendzak led Toledo’s rushing attack with 50 yards on 10 carries. The Rockets had 304 total yards, but their only scoring possession arrived too late to withstand Burch’s immediate response.

Buffalo hosts Massachusetts next Saturday. Toledo visits Eastern Michigan, which also won Saturday and stands 3-0 in the MAC.