AMHERST, N.Y. – Buffalo scored 23 points in the second half to break open a close game, defeating the Toledo Rockets at UB Stadium, 30-15, on Saturday.
 
The loss knocked Toledo (4-2, 1-1 MAC) out of the top spot in the Mid-American Conference standings. Buffalo (4-2, 2-0 MAC) remains in a tie for first place in the MAC.
 
"We got behind and couldn't get the run game established to create any balance on offense, which put us in some tough third downs and fourth downs that we just didn't convert," said Head Coach Jason Candle. "Conversion downs have been a strength of ours and today they were not. When you do that, you get yourself behind. The defense did a great job in the first half trying to hold us in there, but in the second half they got some runs on us that helped them stretch their lead."
 
Toledo's defense held Buffalo to just one score in the first half, but the Bulls scored on a long drive to open the second half, and then took advantage of a strip sack deep in Toledo territory to take a 21-0 lead, which held up despite a late Rocket rally.
 
Sophomore quarterback John Alan Richter came off the bench to rally Toledo for a quick score to cut the lead to 21-7, but Buffalo scored another TD and added a field goal following a UT fumble on a kickoff return.
 
Toledo cut the lead to 30-15 with another score and a two-point conversion. Buffalo recovered an on-side kick attempt but had to punt, setting up another Toledo drive which reached inside the Buffalo seven-yard line before a fourth-down sack ended the game.
 
Richter completed 16-of-23 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Jerjuan Newton led the receivers with seven receptions for 159 yards and two TDs. Senior safety Maxen Hook led the defense with a career-best 15 tackles.
 
First Quarter

• Buffalo opened the scoring on its second possession, marching 81 yards in eight plays to take a 7-0 lead.

Second Quarter

• Neither team was able to score although Toledo missed a good chance. Tucker Gleason connected for a 48-yard bomb to Jerjuan Newton to the UB 33-yard line with less than a minute to play. But a pair of incompletions and a sack ended the drive and forced Toledo to punt.

Third Quarter

• Buffalo took the opening drive 81 yards, scoring on a two-yard flip pass on third down from C.J. Ogbonna to Jake Orlando to give the Bulls a 14-0 lead.
• Buffalo's third touchdown was set up by a strip sack that was recovered on the UT two-yard line, leading to a two-yard TD run by Ogbonna on the next play to make it 21-0 with 4:19 left in the half.
• The Rockets struck right back when backup quarterback John Alan Richter connected with Jerjuan Newton for a 26-yard TD to cut the lead to 21-7 with 2:29 left in the third.
• Following the score, Toledo tried a squib kick that deflected off a Buffalo player but was recovered by the Bulls.

Fourth Quarter

• Buffalo took advantage of the short field following the kick, with Ogbonna finishing off the 49-yard drive with a one-yard plunge. The snap was botched on the extra point, making the score 27-7.
• Buffalo recovered a fumble on ensuing kickoff and converted it into a 33-yard field goal to make it a 30-7 game.
• Toledo cut the lead to 30-15 on a 23-yard pass from Richter to Newton with 5:08 left, followed by and a two-point conversion completion from Richter to Anthony Torres.
• After Buffalo recovered an onside kick, the Rockets forced a punt and drove 80 yards to the Buffalo seven-yard line, but were stopped on fourth down to finish off the game.

Up Next
      The Rockets travel to Northern Illinois next Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. ET/2:30 p.m. CT kickoff vs. the Huskies.
 
Toledo Post-Game Notes

• Jerjuan Newton caught his 27^th and 28^th career touchdowns. He needs two to tie and three to surpass Cody Thompson (30 from 2014-18) for Toledo all-time mark.
• The two touchdown catches mark Newton's sixth multi-receiving touchdown game of his career.
• Newton also set a career high in receiving yards for the second-straight week with 159 on seven catches, one shy of his career high in receptions.
• Junior Junior Vandeross III set a career high with eight receptions on 74 yards receiving.
• Sophomore John Alan Richter entered the game in the second half, completing 16-of-23 passes for 227 yards and a career-high two touchdowns.
• Senior Maxen Hook made 15 tackles to set a career high. Classmate Jackson Barrow tied his career high with nine stops on the afternoon.
• Toledo finished the game with 418 yards of total offense and held the Bulls to 357.