Recap: Buffalo vs. Kent State

Buffalo, NY (Sports Network) - Dri Archer ran for 127 yards and a touchdown, as Kent State downed Buffalo, 23-7, in Mid-American Conference action at UB Stadium.

The East Division rivals were separated by less than a touchdown entering the final quarter, but Freddy Cortez's 21-yard field goal opened a two-score advantage, 16-7, then Julian Durden cemented the win with a two-run TD plunge with under a minute remaining.

Kent State (2-1) dominated the ground game, piling up 239 yards on 53 carries. Trayion Durham joined Archer in the 100-yard club with 112 yards on a team- best 23 carries. He was the thunder, averaging 4.9 yards per carry, to Archer's lightning, as the speedster averaged 9.1 yards per jaunt.

On the flip side, Buffalo (1-2) managed 152 yards rushing on 39 attempts, but struggled through the air. Alex Zordich, who entered the game with 385 yards passing and five touchdowns through the first two games, completed just 4- of-22 passes for 92 yards with two interceptions.

The Bulls, who entered the contest leading the MAC in scoring with an average of 39.5 points per game, managed just a second-quarter touchdown in defeat.

That score came as time expired in the first half. Zordich found Alex Neutz for a 46-yard scoring strike to narrow the deficit to 10-7. The Golden Flashes built the early lead on the heels of Archer's 11-yard scamper early in the second quarter and Cortez's 23-yard field goal with just under six minutes to go.

Buffalo couldn't build off the momentum at the end of the first half, held back by a poor passing game and three interceptions. Cortez's 33-yard field goal in the third gave the Golden Flashes a 13-7 advantage and they tacked on the rest of the points in the game's final 10 minutes.