Central Michigan rallies, 31-27, behind freshman QB's 3 TDs

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- — Freshman quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr. rushed for 293 yards and the first three touchdowns of his career as Central Michigan rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat Buffalo 31-27 on Wednesday night.

Emanuel, who saw his first game action the week before as part of a three-quarterback rotation, ran for a 75-yard touchdown on the Chippewas' first play from scrimmage in the the second half and tied the game at 24-all late in third quarter on an 87-yard run. On that run, he was pulled down on top of another Bulls defender but regained his footing before spinning away and taking off for the end zone.

His 1-yard score midway through the fourth quarter gave Central Michigan (4-6, 3-3 Mid-American Conference) the lead.

Emanuel's 293 yards came on 24 carries in the absence of leading rusher Lew Nichols III, who missed the game with a toe injury.

Cole Snyder was 19-of-32 for 191 yards with an interception for Buffalo (5-5, 4-2). Ron Cook ran for 100 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown. The Bulls had 204 yards rushing in the first half but just 36 in the second.

Buffalo's Shaun Dolac, the nation’s leader with 68 solo tackles, added nine more, though Wednesday he was bested by Central Michigan’s Thomas Incoom, who had 10. Alex McNulty kicked two field goals to become Buffalo’s single-season record holder with 18.

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