Chance Morrow’s Third TD Catch Lifts Buffalo Past UAlbany 21–17 in a Thursday Dogfight

Broadview Stadium. MAC home opener. An FCS visitor that scored first, led late, and made a Group-of-5 favorite sweat through four quarters of ugly, necessary football.

Buffalo opened 2026 by surviving UAlbany 21–17 — not dominating, surviving — behind Elijah Holmes and a Chance Morrow hat trick through the air. Final from Buffalo: Bulls 21, Great Danes 17. Morrow caught touchdowns of nine, four, and five yards. Holmes finished 26-of-47 for 189 yards and those three scores. Kai Coln punched UAlbany into the end zone twice and nearly stole the night. RJ Kocan’s 46-yarder kept the Danes alive. And with 4:53 left in the fourth, Holmes found Morrow again from five to flip a 17–14 deficit into a 21–17 lead that somehow held through the last commercials, timeouts, and clenched teeth.

This was not a statement blowout. This was a Thursday night that reminded everyone Week 1 can still feel like January if both quarterbacks refuse to go away quietly.

UAlbany scored first. Buffalo answered like a MAC team with something to prove.

Colón to Tavahri Groves from 14 midway through the first made it 7–0 Great Danes and briefly turned Broadview into a road building. Holmes evened it early in the second — Morrow from nine — then hit Morrow again from four to make it 14–7. Suddenly the Bulls looked like the grown-ups. Kocan’s 46-yard field goal before half cut it to 14–10 and announced that UAlbany had not packed a white flag.

Holmes through two quarters was volume over beauty — completions underneath, Morrow in rhythm, the kind of possession offense that wins August practices and September openers when the deep ball is on ice. Messiah Burch’s explosive runs (74 yards on eight carries, long 47) gave Buffalo a run threat even when the passing chart looked horizontal.

The third quarter was Colón’s reply — and a 17–14 problem

Colón to Justus Murray Jr. from 14 with 3:23 left in the third put UAlbany back in front 17–14. Same Kai Colón who opened the night with the Groves score. Same FCS quarterback making an FBS home crowd do math it did not want to do. BJ Norman’s 67 receiving yards kept chains moving. Joey Koch and Rahshan La Mons chewed enough ground to keep Buffalos defense honest. Nineteen first downs for the visitors. Two hundred seventy-six total yards. Not a fluke lead. A earned one.

Buffalo’s third quarter was a zero on the board and a reminder that 26 completions do not matter if the red zone goes quiet. Ten penalties for 119 yards for the Bulls did not help the vibe. When your home opener includes a penalty parade and a halftime lead that evaporates, you are one missed tackle from a meme.

The fourth was Morrow’s third score — then a clock management clinic

Holmes to Morrow from five with 4:53 left. Oliver Hautanen’s kick. 21–17 Buffalo. Three touchdown catches for Morrow on seven grabs and 48 yards — not a volume monster, just a finisher. That is how you bronze a Week 1 box score when the offense lives underneath and the defense needs a stop more than a highlight.

UAlbany still had time. Colón still had throws. Buffalo still had to not gift the night away after already losing a fumble from Holmes earlier. The Bulls chewed enough clock, forced enough long fields, and escaped with a four-point win that will look prettier in the standings than it felt in real time. Final possession math: Buffalo 340 yards to UAlbany’s 276, 151 on the ground, 31:53 of clock. Ugly efficiency. Winning efficiency.

Stars, not just the box

Morrow is the headline because three touchdown catches in a season opener — including the go-ahead five-yarder — is how a slot/possession guy hijacks the narrative. Holmes is the co-headline — 26 completions, three scores, zero picks, and the willingness to keep firing after UAlbany took the lead. Burch’s 74 yards were the run-game juice. Clint Walker’s 41 receiving yards kept drives alive.

For UAlbany, Colón’s two touchdown passes (Groves, Murray) and Kocan’s 46-yard make are the keep-your-head-up tape. Sixteen-of-36 with a pick is the corrective film. One turnover. Eight penalties for 66 yards. Close enough to smell an FBS road steal, not close enough to cash it. Aidan Semos relief snaps did not change the ending.

What 21–17 actually means

For Buffalo, this is oxygen with an asterisk. Home win. MAC opener in the books. A three-touchdown night from Morrow and a quarterback who did not fold when the FCS visitor took the lead. Conference weeks will ask cleaner questions than a 119-yard penalty night. Enjoy 1–0 anyway. Tape the last Morrow catch. Send it to every group chat that wanted a 30-burger.

For UAlbany, it is a near-miss that will sting precisely because it was available. You led 7–0. You led 17–14. You forced Buffalo into a one-score finish. FCS programs build seasons on nights like this when the last stop lands. It did not. Burn the last four minutes, keep the fight, and move on.

Thursday night in Buffalo was never going to be pretty once Colón scored first. The Bulls made sure it was a win anyway. Buffalo is 1–0. UAlbany is 01. And Chance Morrow just turned three short touchdowns into the entire Week 1 story.

Cover photo: ubbulls.com — Buffalo Athletics