UB Bulls beat No. 23 Northern Illinois in MAC opener.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Kicking off MACtion by knocking off the top-ranked contender in the conference, University at Buffalo came from behind to score one of the biggest wins in its football history, 23-20 in overtime Saturday on the road against No. 23 Northern Illinois.

Beating a ranked opponent for the second time ever, the Bulls improved to 3-1 for the third occasion in 26 seasons playing Division I FBS football. The only loss came on the road against No. 6 Missouri. UB's prior victory in 18 matchups with a top 25 team came against Ball State in the 2008 MAC championship game.

“It really gives us hope we can go undefeated the rest of the season," said Upton Bellanfant, who made three field goals, including the game-winner from 37 yards in overtime.

The Bulls came back from down 14-3 at halftime, and Bellanfant's winning kick came after Marquis Cooper blocked the Huskies' field goal try on the first possession of overtime. It was the second week in a row Cooper made a spectacular play, after setting a UB record by scoring on an interception return of more than 100 yards to seal a win against UMass.

“For them to be rewarded with a signature win like this, this early in our tenure is a big deal,” said coach Pete Lambo, off to a notable start in his first season coaching the Bulls.

Shaun Dolac, the standout linebacker from West Seneca West flipped the field with his 53-yard interception return that set up Bellanfant for a field goal from 40 yards that gave the Bulls their first lead of the game, 20-17 with 3:26 remaining in regulation. Dolac set a career high in making 19 tackles, taking over the national lead with 62 in four games.

“As a defense, we buckled it down but we know we can count on the offense when it counts,” Dolac said. “They scored, they tied the game up and the rest is history.”

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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.