College Football: UB loses, Buffalo State wins

ATHENS, Ga. (AP/WBEN) -- A close call against a top 10 team did nothing for Buffalo coach Jeff Quinn.

Buffalo trailed No. 6 Georgia by only eight points at halftime and posted strong offensive numbers before falling to the Bulldogs 45-23 on Saturday.

"There are no moral victories," Quinn said. "We line up, we play and we want to win."

Georgia, favored by 37 1/2 points, led only 24-16 at halftime before pulling away.

"We saw some tremendous play at big times," Quinn said. "We play these games for national exposure, to be able to play against a great team. I'm proud that these players fought hard and made some plays. We did a lot of good things."

Branden Oliver, coming off his school-record 1,395 yards rushing in 2011, had 30 carries for 111 yards and a 2-yard touchdown run for the Bulls.

"Their defense was really hyped up, but we had a lot of confidence coming into this game," Oliver said. "We came to play. We thought we had a chance to win."

Buffalo's Alex Zordich completed 14 of 24 passes for 148 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown pass to Alex Neutz in the first quarter. Zordich added 14 carries for 83 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown run late in the game.

Zordich led first-half scoring drives that covered 75 and 84 yards.

"To be able to come up with a 94-yard drive against one of the best defenses Georgia has had in a while gives us some great confidence that we can move the ball when we put our minds, heart and soul into it," Quinn said.

Buffalo couldn't stop Georgia freshman tailback Todd Gurley, who ran for three touchdowns.

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It was not an impressive showing by Georgia's defense. The visiting Bulls of the Mid-American Conference are coming off a 3-9 season that included a 41-10 loss at Tennessee, but they ran 70 plays and had 199 yards rushing against Georgia.

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Back in Buffalo, Division III Buffalo State opened their season with an exciting 49-31 victory over visiting Cortland State.

Junior quarterback Casey Kacz threw for a school record 579 yards and five touchdowns.

The Bengals picked off five Cortland passes.

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-- UB/Georgia story written by Charles Odum, AP sports writer