Western Michigan goes ahead late in the fourth, holds on for victory when Buffalo goes for the win

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Dieter Kelly's go-ahead field goal with 79 seconds left, coupled with the Western Michigan defense stopping Buffalo on fourth-and-goal at the two-yard line, secured a 20-17 victory for the Broncos in the Mid-American Conference opener. After Kelly's kick, Buffalo pushed 74 yards to face fourth-and-goal on the 2-yard line.

Quarterback Jason Wright was halted by Scoop Gardner Jr. as he neared the end zone. Buffalo led 14-10 at halftime following a 59-yard touchdown pass from Wright to Patrick Clacks III and a 1-yard touchdown run by Messiah Burch. The third quarter saw no scoring. Buffalo took a 17-10 halftime lead with Oliver Hautanen's 35-yard field goal.

The Broncos mounted a rally, scoring on Broc Lowry's 5-yard touchdown run and Kelly's 38-yard field goal with 1:19 left on the clock. Lowry completed 19 of 24 passes for 212 yards and rushed for 54 yards, including the tying score in the fourth quarter. Jalen Buckley contributed a touchdown and 62 rushing yards for Western Michigan (3-2), while Wright finished 11-of-18 for 170 yards, and Messiah Burch added 106 rushing yards for the Bulls (2-3). Western Michigan leads the series 10-2.