Bulls hang close, fall to Ohio

Athens, Ohio (AP) - Ryan Boykin ran for two fourth-quarter touchdowns and Daz'mond Patterson's 100-yard kickoff return propelled Ohio from an early 14-0 deficit to a 38-31 victory over Buffalo Saturday in Mid-American Conference play.

The Bobcats (6-0, 2-0) trailed 14-0 when Patterson's kickoff return kick-started the offense with the first of 24 consecutive points. Beau Blankenship scored on a 14-yard run and Tyler Tettleton hit Tyler Futrell on a 15-yard scoring pass, then Matt Weller's 45-yard field goal stretched the lead to 24-14.

Buffalo's Alex Dennison threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Alex Neutz and Patrick Clarke kicked a 30-yard field to tie the game 24-24 after three quarters. But Boykin scored from the 2-yard line, then broke a 51-yard scoring run for a 38-24 lead. Dennison's 1-yard TD run with 0:08 left cut it to 38-31.

Buffalo's Devin Campbell ran for 159 yards and the game's first touchdown.