BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — After UB jumped out to a 35-7 lead at the half on Saturday, Old Dominion scored 27 unanswered points in the final two quarters, but thanks to a missed game-tying extra point, the Bulls were able to hold out and beat the Monarchs 35-34 to move to 2-2 on the season.
UB has now played in back-to-back close games, dropping to Coastal Carolina at home two weeks ago, but this time, they left with the victory. Knowing that they can play in tight games and still coming out on top means a lot to this team.
“I love the effort, I love this team bonding on the sideline when things weren’t going the right way, everybody was communicating, we were all on the same page, and we’ve all got to do that play in and play out for the rest of the season so we can go to the MAC Championship,” UB linebacker Kadofi Wright said.
“I think it’s a good reminder for every single person that winning is very difficult. It’s very hard to win. It’s hard to win at home, it’s hard to win on the road, and dealing with the results of losing is also hard,” UB head coach Mo Linguist said. “We said the other day, we have to choose our hard. We choose our hard, our hard is our preparation, is our way of doing things, the way we practice, how we practice, what gives us an advantage.
“We’re just proud of the guys for getting the result, but also very aware of the process that went into putting ourselves up 35-7, but also how we gave a team the opportunity to come back on us. At the end of the day, we had to finish, and we finished on top. That’s what we needed to do,” Linguist said.
“I think it starts with a great coaching staff, and I think it’s just instilling in us a family-like culture,” UB wide receiver Dominic Johnson said. “When you’re a tight group and you’re together, it makes things a lot easier to fight for the person beside you, and want to finish, and want to get to that end result that everybody wants.”
Four non-conference games are in the books, so now it’s the return of the MAC! UB hosts Western Michigan this weekend to open up conference play.
The last time these two teams met was back in October of 2017, and that game tied the record for the longest game in NCAA history. The Broncos came out with the 71-68 win in seven overtimes.
UB and Western Michigan kick off at UB Stadium on Saturday at noon.
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