AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) -- University at Buffalo's football team has attained eight regular season victories for the third time in its Division I history, more than enough to ensure a bowl game invitation.
UB enters postseason on a four-win streak after crushing winless Kent State 43-7 in Tuesday night's brisk home finale at UB Stadium, and retains an outside chance of reaching the Mid-American Conference championship game in coach Pete Lembo's first season running the Bulls.
Matching its second-best MAC record at 6-2, UB needs both Bowling Green (6-1) to beat visiting Miami (6-1) and Ball State (2-5) to win at Ohio (6-1) on Friday to gain the necessary tiebreakers for a trip to Detroit to play in next week's title game.
No matter how the title race concludes, Lembo's first season has been a resounding success, far exceeding expectations for a team predicted to finish 10th in the preseason MAC coaches poll. The first UB coach to win eight games in his debut season, Lembo has guided a turnaround from last year's 3-9 swoon under third-year coach Maurice Linguist, who left in the spring to become the co-defensive coordinator at Alabama.
C.J. Ogbonna accounted for five touchdowns, Al-Jay Henderson had 185 yards rushing to surpass 1,000 for the season in Tuesday night's MACtion victory.
Ogbonna was 14 of 22 passing with three touchdowns, scored on runs of 12 and 11 yards and finished with 51 yards on the ground on nine carries.
Henderson carried the ball 30 times and his 20-yard touchdown run stretched the Bulls' lead to 26-0 late in the second quarter.
Victor Snow, Tadd Barr and Javien Cuff each had a touchdown catch for the Bulls, who finished with 446 yards of offense and were 9 of 15 on third-down conversions. Snow finished with eight receptions for 99 yards.
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Jonah Bronstein joined the WIVB squad in 2022 as a digital sports reporter. The Buffalonian has covered the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Bisons, colleges, high schools and other notable sporting events in Western New York since 2005, for publications including The Associated Press, The Buffalo News, and Niagara Gazette. Read more of his work here.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.