Published: August 28, 2008 11:01 pm            

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: UB blasts past UTEP to win opener, 42-17

AMHERST — Believe the hype — at least for another week.

Drew Willy passed for a career-high four touchdowns while local products Naaman Roosevelt and James Starks combined for 334 yards Thursday as the Buffalo Bulls took the first step toward meeting lofty preseason expectations by beating Texas-El Paso 42-17 in front of 16,656 fans at UB Stadium.

The victory was UB’s first against a team from another conference since the program joined Division I-A in 1999. Two years ago, the Bulls opened the season by defeating an independent Temple team that joined UB in the Mid-American Conference the following season. UTEP is a member of Conference USA.

“No excuses,” UTEP coach Mike Price said. “We got our butts beat, and all the credit goes to the University at Buffalo.”

“It’s a great win to show that our program is moving forward, definitely, in the right direction,” UB coach Turner Gill said. “You enjoy it, but you can’t get too excited about one football game. We’re teaching them how to handle success. That’s huge right now, how we handle prosperity.”

Willy’s four-score performance was the first by a UB quarterback since Grand Island’s Clif Scott tossed five touchdowns at New Haven in 1992. Two of Willy’s touchdowns went to Roosevelt, the former star quarterback at nearby St. Joe’s who has emerged as the Bulls most dangerous receiver.

Roosevelt’s first touchdown was all his doing. Catching an inside screen pass that the Bulls often call for him, Roosevelt burst upfield for 68 yards before a Miners defender finally touched him just as he crossed the goal line. That put UB up 14-0 late in the first quarter.

Willy had a more prominent role in Roosevelt’s second touchdown, dropping a 56-yard rainbow into his hands in the end zone to make it 28-14 shortly after halftime.

“Drew just threw it up there and I went and got it,” said Roosevelt, who gained 154 yards on four catches.

Willy also threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Gary Rice, and found Bryan Kisabeth for a 15-yard score on the Bulls’ first possession. Kisabeth, a senior tight end, was playing in his first game since 2004 after sitting out the last three seasons because of injuries. Willy set a school record for career completions on the play, breaking the record of 545 set by Grand Island’s Clif Scott.

Brandon Thermilus gained all but 5 of his 102 yards after halftime, and plowed in for two fourth-quarter touchdowns.

Starks rushed for 179 yards on 31 carries, moving into fourth place on the Bulls’ all-time rushing list. It was the seventh 100-yard effort in three years for the Niagara Falls native.

Willy put a quarter of his attempts into the end zone, and needed just 10 completions to amass 221 yards. He also extended his streak without an interception to 251 attempts, although he did fumble once.

“This was a true team win,” Willy said. “The offensive line did a great job protecting me and opening holes for James and Brandon. I’d like to give the (glory) to them.”

The Miners tied the game 14-14 early in the second quarter with two quick touchdowns. Terrell Jackson’s 1-yard run and Trevor Vittatoe’s 2-yard pass to Jonny Moore were both set up by long receptions by Jamar Hunt. UTEP’s second touchdown came after Willy was stripped at his own 25 by Landon Goodwell.

While the Bulls head down to Pittsburgh next Saturday, the Miners host No. 11 Texas.

“The biggest game in school history is coming up,” Price said. “I hope they’re not as good as Buffalo.”

        

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