Through 30 minutes of action against Buffalo on Saturday, the Massachusetts football team was in position to try to earn its first win of the season. 

It was a different story in the second half. 

The Bulls outscored the Minutemen 17-0 in the third quarter, capped off by a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown by Marquis Cooper, to take a 27-3 lead into the fourth. 

UMass was unable to produce a score over the entire second half, dropping to 0-3 in 2024 with a 34-3 loss in Buffalo. 

“We were in a war,” Minutemen coach Don Brown said after the game. “We played highly competitive throughout the entire first half and in the second half, we just weren’t able to get anything going.

“Offensively we got nothing going in the second half,” Brown later added. “It was what it was.” 

Buffalo (2-1) added the field goal to go ahead, 13-3, before Bulls quarterback CJ Ogbonna ran in a touchdown from 8 yards out, giving Buffalo a 20-3 lead with 4:38 to go in the third. 

UMass went three-and-out on its opening two drives of the second half before going on a 10-play, 70 yard drive that marched down to the Buffalo 5. 

Facing a third-and-goal, Minutemen quarterback Taisun Phommachanh was pressured, rolled to his left and lofted a pass into the end zone that went right to Cooper in the end zone.  Cooper broke a tackle and used his speed to make it in for six, dashing hopes of a UMass comeback. 

“You look at it, 34-yard field goal Buffalo at 11:24 mark [in the third quarter] and obviously touchdown march,” Brown said. “Then the killer, which took a lot out of our guys sails, was the 100-yard interception return. That was bad.” 

Lamar Sperling ran in a touchdown from 1 yard out with 4:54 to go to close out the scoring for the Bulls. 

“I have high expectations for our guys,” Brown said. “It seemed like secondary-wise we were in and out health wise. Those guys had been playing at a solid level. Linebacker wise I think we played solid as well. Up front we were good until the fourth quarter. We didn’t tackle well in the fourth and that kills you.” 

Buffalo opened the scoring in the first quarter after Ogbonna launched a 40-yard touchdown pass to JJ Jenkins on a post route, giving the Bulls a 7-0 lead with 10:06 to go. 

After UMass punted early in the second quarter, Buffalo took over at the Minutemen 38 but the UMass defense was able to hold for a field goal, as Upton Bellenfant connected for 37 yards out to put the Bulls up, 10-0, with 11:52 to go in the half. 

The Minutemen got on the board just before the half, going on a 13 play drive that went 39 yards that was capped off by Jacob Lurie drilling a 34-yard field goal with 1:50 to go to cut the lead to 10-3. 

Buffalo got the ball back but Louce Julien was able to get pressure up the middle and strip sacked Ogbonna. Derrion Craig jumped on the loose ball to give UMass possession at the Bulls 41. 

Using their ground game, the Minutemen marched to the Buffalo 27, but Lurie’s kick in the final seconds of the half missed wide left from 45 yards out. It was Lurie’s second miss of the first half. 

Phommachanh finished 14-for-29 for 121 yards and one interception. Brandon Campbell led the way with 36 yards on the ground while Jalen John gained just 28 yards on 11 touches. Jacquon Gibson hauled in four passes for 58 yards. 

Ogbonna threw for 185 yards and the one touchdown. Sperling finished with 86 yards on the ground for Buffalo. 

UMass will look to earn its first win of the season during Homecoming when it hosts Central Connecticut State on Saturday, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. 

“You have to go back and go to work,” Brown said. “It has to be in earnest. We have to turn this thing around and battle it up. There’s no secret to it. Either you compete and turn it around or you don’t. I think these guys will compete.”