This week’s college football slate didn’t feature too many marquee matchups, so it’s not a surprise that the game of the weekend came from an unexpected place. Buffalo and Western Michigan went full MACtion on us, tying the FBS record for the most overtime periods in one game. The Bulls and the Broncos played an insane seven overtimes, with the Broncos eventually coming out on top, 71-68. Additionally, the 139 combined points are the most in an FBS game.
The craziest thing about this game was that it required a last-minute drive by the Bulls to even force overtime. Western Michigan entered the fourth quarter with a 24-14 lead, and it took a 17-7 period — along with a field goal with 34 seconds left — for Buffalo to get us to free football.
From there, the two sides kept matching one another, and by the time the sixth overtime period came to an end, the two teams were tied at 65. Buffalo got the ball to start the seventh extra frame and kicked a field goal to go up 68-65. From there, Western Michigan got the ball and orchestrated a four-play drive that ended with senior running back Jarvion Franklin finding the end zone.
As you can expect, this game produced some insane box scores. Buffalo narrowly outgained Western Michigan, 683-645, but both teams got there in completely different ways. Bulls quarterback Drew Anderson went 35-for-61 with 597 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and zero interceptions. The Broncos, meanwhile, were more balanced — Jon Wassink went 23-for-29 with 256 yards, five touchdowns, and a pick, while the team ran the ball 68 times for 376 yards and four scores.
But maybe the best part came at the end of the first overtime, when Broncos tight end Donnie Ernsberger scored a touchdown and his sister immediately ran onto the field to celebrate.
oh my god the sister of a Western Michigan WR just RAN ON THE FIELD after he scored a touchdown and no the game was not over pic.twitter.com/JvnfiZFDGA
— TOM MARTIN (@TwoCirclesTom) October 7, 2017
Unfortunately for her, if she was kicked out of the stadium after this, she missed another five overtimes. But hey, at least the Ernsberger family was happy once the game ended.
