Late thrills and program history were the themes behind another gridiron weekend.
Army: Black Knights Run Away From Villanova, Toward 1st Win
Passing was a premium at West Point on Saturday, but worked perfectly in the hosting Army Black Knights’ favor against Football Championship Subdivision power Villanova. Army put up 478 rushing yards against only a single passing attempt while Marquel Broughton and Jabari Moore each had interceptions in what became a 49-10 victory.
Army’s first win of the season was the 59th of head coach Jeff Monken’s West Point tenure, allowing him to take sole possession of second place on the program’s all-time coaching wins list (breaking away from Charlie Daly). Quarterback Tyhier Tyler scored three touchdowns on the ground, including the Black Knights, first two of the afternoon, while junior Tyson Riley repped the rushers with 158 yards on the afternoon. Tyrell Robinson also took back a punt 73 yards for the penultimate tally, part of a 21-0 run to cap things off in the fourth quarter.
The Black Knights (1-2) have next week off before capping off a three-game homestand against Georgia State on Oct. 1 (12 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network).
Buffalo: Winless Bulls Lose Late Lead
The University of Buffalo Bulls failed to hold on to a fourth quarter lead on Saturday, letting the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers fly away with a 38-26 victory in Conway.
Buffalo (0-3) had a 19-17 lead after three quarters of a sloppy contest that featured eight combined turnovers. It was an advantage built through four Alex McNulty field goals and a 15-yard hook-up between Cole Snyder and Justin Marshall just before halftime. But consecutive Coastal Carolina scores within the first three minutes of the fourth permanently shifted momentum: the Chanticleers took an eternal lead on Jahmar Brown’s 21-yard, six-point fumble return before turning an interception on Buffalo’s next play into a three-play, 50-yard scoring trek that ended with a Grayson McCall touchdown pass to Tyson Mobley. Snyder threw another touchdown pass, this one to Quain Williams, on the next possession but one more McCall scoring toss put the game out of reach.
The Bulls open Mid-American Conference play next Saturday against Eastern Michigan (12 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network).
Connecticut: Huskies No Match for Michigan
The University of Connecticut was on the wrong side of history on Saturday, forced to watch running Blake Corum score a University of Michigan record-tying five touchdowns. Those scores made up most of the scoring the fourth-ranked Wolverines’ 59-0 shellacking.
UConn (1-3) was swiftly reminded of how far they have to come to compete with elite competition, limited to only 64 yards in the first half while Michigan built an early 38-0 lead that proved more than lasting. Husky quarterbacks were limited to five completions on 20 attempts while six rushers could muster only 86 yards. One of the passers, Zion Turner, had 42 yards on seven carries.
The Huskies will face another ranked opponent next weekend in Raleigh, battling No. 16 North Carolina State on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN3).
Rutgers: Schiano Knighted as Program’s Wins Leader
Greg Schiano became the Rutgers Scarlet Knights’ all-time lead in coaching victories through a 16-14 triumph over the Temple Owls in Philadelphia. Schiano, in the midst of the third season of his return to Piscataway, broke a tie with Frank Burns.
The Knights (3-0) have now won their first three games for the second consecutive season. With their quarterback situation still undecided, their lone Saturday touchdown came on defense, with Shaquan Loyal taking back an E.J. Warner interception 43 yards in the second quarter. That was perhaps the perfect way to provide the de facto winning score in a game that featured less than 500 total yards and only 25 first downs amongst the former Big East rivals. Sophomore defensive lineman Aaron Lewis led Rutgers with 11 tackles, including two for a loss. The visitors forced Temple into a turnover on downs near midfield with 2:25 left in regulation, allowing Johnny Langan to run out the clock on one last drive.
Rutgers opens Big Ten play next Saturday in prime time against Iowa in Piscataway (7 p.m. ET, FS1).
Syracuse: Orange Derail Boilermakers in Wild Fourth Quarter
The fourth quarter at JMA Wireless Dome featured 42 points, four lead changes, and one wild Syracuse victory. A visit from the Purdue Boilermakers was one of Saturday’s most thrilling matchups, one that eventually ended with a 32-29 decision in the Orange’s favor.
With the game’s offensive stars mostly bottled up over the first three quarters, Syracuse (3-0) held a quiet 10-9 lead entering the final frame. Aidan O’Connell and the Boilermakers got the final antics off to a wild start with an 11-yard scoring toss to Payne Durham before Syracuse stopped the two-point conversion (having blocked an extra point in the opening frame). The Orange seemed to have control of the game after Garrett Schrader’s eight-point drive (running in a two-pointer after hooking up with Oronde Gadsen II for a fourth down touchdown) and Caleb Okechukwu’s 17-yard pick-six. But the Boilermakers earned two quick scores from the arm of O’Connell, the latter being a 12-yard score to Durham with 51 seconds remaining. Aided by a pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties following the touchdown, Schrader had just enough time to find Gadsen for the winner, reuniting with Gaden for a 25-yard winner with seven ticks remaining.
Syracuse is now 3-0 for the first time since 2018. ACC play opens on Friday night at home against Virginia (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
Baseline Sports NY is on Twitter @Baseline_NY
