For the second time in Week 4 play, a double-digit underdog has pulled off a shocking road upset.
Buffalo opened as 13.5-point (-110) underdogs against No. 23 Northern Illinois, who pulled off a stunning upset last week at Notre Dame. But this week, the Huskies found themselves on the wrong end of the story, with Buffalo pulling out a 23-20 victory to open MAC play. Kicker Upton Bellenfant drilled a 37-yard field goal in overtime to give the Bulls the victory.
BALLGAME! 🤘@ubellenfant25 is pure from 37 to seal the deal for Buffalo!@UBFootball | #MACtionpic.twitter.com/sfO7loVz4t
— #MACtion (@MACSports) September 21, 2024
NIU held a 14-3 lead going into halftime. But Buffalo rallied behind a 46-yard touchdown catch by Victor Snow and a 36-yard touchdown run by Al-Jay Henderson to take a 20-17 lead with three minutes to go. The Huskies forced overtime after scoring a field goal the following possession.
The Huskies started overtime with the ball but had their field-goal attempt blocked, setting the stage for Buffalo to set up its game-winning kick. The defeat is a damper for NIU's MAC title hopes after boasting the third-best odds (+400) to win the conference. Meanwhile, Buffalo had the fourth-worst odds (+4000) to win the MAC but joined James Madison as double-digit road underdogs to come out of the weekend victorious.
