2009 International Bowl The 2009 International Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game between the Connecticut Huskies ( UConn ) and the Buffalo Bulls at the Rogers Centre in Toronto , Ontario , Canada , on January 3 , 2009 . The game was the final contest of the 2008 NCAA Division I - Football Bowl Subdivision ( Division I - FBS ) football season for both teams , and ended in a 38 – 20 victory for Connecticut . UConn represented the Big East Conference ( Big East ) in the game ; Buffalo entered as the Mid - American Conference ( MAC ) champion . Connecticut was selected as a participant in the 2009 International Bowl following a 7 – 5 regular season where they won their first five games , only to lose five of their last seven contests . Facing the Huskies were the Buffalo Bulls with a regular season record of 8 – 5 , highlighted by an upset win over then - No . 12 and undefeated Ball State in the 2008 MAC Championship Game . Pre - game media coverage focused on the legacy of the 1958 Buffalo Bulls , the first team from the university to be invited to a bowl game . When told that the two African - American members of the team would not be allowed to play because of segregation , the team elected to refuse the bowl bid . Buffalo would not play in a bowl until this game , 50 years later . The game began at 12 : 00 PM EST . Connecticut , led by running back Donald Brown ' s 208 yards rushing , dominated the first half statistically , but found themselves down 20 – 10 midway through the second quarter because they committed six fumbles , five of which were recovered by Buffalo . UConn would close the gap to 20 – 17 by halftime , and take the lead for good late in the third quarter off a 4 - yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tyler Lorenzen to tight end Steve Brouse . The Connecticut victory was sealed when , late in the fourth quarter , Buffalo quarterback Drew Willy threw a pass that was intercepted by UConn safety Dahna Deleston and returned 100 yards for a touchdown . UConn junior running back Donald Brown was named player of the game . He finished with 261 rushing yards and one touchdown ; his 2 , 083 rushing yards for the 2008 season was best in the NCAA . Following the game , Brown declared his eligibility for the 2009 NFL Draft ; he would become the first Connecticut player ever drafted in the first round . Three other UConn players were drafted in the second round . Team selection . The International Bowl had contracts with the Big East and Mid - American Conference s that allowed them to select one team from each conference to participate in their annual game . By virtue of being the Big East champion Cincinnati was awarded an automatic Bowl Championship Series berth ; they would play in the 2009 Orange Bowl . The Gator Bowl and Sun Bowl shared the second pick of Big East teams ; after the Gator Bowl opted to select Big 12 member Nebraska and the Sun Bowl learned that they would not be allowed to select Notre Dame , Pittsburgh received the Sun Bowl invitation . The Meineke Car Care Bowl , which had the third selection , picked West Virginia . The fourth , fifth , and sixth selections of Big East teams belonged collectively to the International Bowl , PapaJohns . com Bowl , and St . Petersburg Bowl , which , in consultation with the Big East , decided which schools were the best fit for each bowl . There were three remaining bowl - eligible Big East teams : Connecticut , Rutgers , and South Florida . The previous season , Rutgers had played in the International Bowl and South Florida had appeared in the PapaJohns . com Bowl ; bowls in general dislike inviting the same team in consecutive years , on the theory that fans are less likely to want to travel to the same destination they were at the year before . Additionally , the St . Petersburg Bowl , in its inaugural year , sought to have local team South Florida play in their game to drive local attendance . Therefore , the teams were apportioned among the bowls as follows : South Florida to the St . Petersburg Bowl , Rutgers to the PapaJohns . com Bowl , and Connecticut to the International Bowl . On December 7 , 2008 , UConn formally accepted the bowl invitation , the third in their history . Buffalo accepted an invitation to the International Bowl following their victory over then - undefeated Ball State in the 2008 MAC Championship Game . Although in past years the MAC champion had been invited to the Motor City Bowl , Buffalo preferred to go to the International Bowl due to Toronto being closer to the school than Detroit , the home of the Motor City Bowl . The game marked the first bowl for the Bulls after their first MAC Championship since moving to Division I - A and joining the MAC in 1999 . The Bulls and Huskies had been frequent opponents during the previous decade as both programs made the transition from Division I - AA to Division I - A . The two teams played each other in six consecutive seasons from 1999 to 2005 , with Connecticut winning five of the six contents . The 2005 game , won by UConn 38 – 0 , was the most recent meeting between the two teams . Overall , the Huskies and Bulls had played each other 16 times since their first meeting in 1939 , with Connecticut holding a 12 – 4 advantage in the all - time series . Prior to the 2008 season , Buffalo and UConn had signed a contract to play a four - game , home - and - home series beginning in 2010 . Buffalo . Entering 2008 , the Bulls sought to build off of their 2007 season , where they shared the MAC East championship but did not appear in the championship game due to a 31 – 28 loss to fellow division co - champion Miami ( Ohio ) . Their 5 – 7 final record , while not good enough to qualify for a bowl game , was still the best by a Buffalo team since they had moved up to Division I - A in 1999 . With 10 starters returning on offense and eight on defense , the 2008 team was predicted to be perhaps the most talented team in Bulls history ; however , due to their challenging schedule , their final record was predicted to be no better than 3 – 9 . Buffalo opened the season stronger than expected , with a dominant home win over the University of Texas - El Paso ( UTEP ) , 42 – 17 . This was followed by a closer - than - predicted loss at heavily favored Pittsburgh , 27 – 16 . Buffalo ' s third game and conference opener , versus Temple , was a back - and - forth contest that came down to the final play of the game . Keeping the game within seven points for the first three quarters , the Bulls first took the lead with 2 : 27 left in the fourth quarter , on a 25 - yard field goal by A . J . Principe . Temple responded with a nine - play , 74 - yard drive capped by a 11 - yard touchdown catch by wide receiver Bruce Francis , his second score of the game , to take a 28 – 24 lead with only 38 seconds remaining . Taking over at their own 40 - yard line after the kickoff went out of bounds , the Bulls drove down the field , scoring the game - winning touchdown on a 35 - yard desperation heave from Drew Willy to wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt with no time remaining on the clock . Buffalo ' s record following the last - second win was 2 – 1 , marking the first time since 1969 that the Bulls had a record over . 500 beyond Week 1 as a Division I - A team . The last time the Bulls had started a season 2 – 1 was 1998 , while they were still played in Division I - AA . The Bulls proceeded to lose their next three games . Buffalo was unable to keep up with No . 5 - ranked Missouri , losing 42 – 21 in a game that Missouri saw as a tuneup for their later season . In the next contest , against MAC opponent Central Michigan , down nine points with under three minutes left Buffalo scored on a 65 - yard pass to James Starks , recovered an onside kick to retain possession , and attempted a game - winning field goal — but A . J . Principe ' s 46 - yard kick hit the right goalpost to give Central Michigan the victory . In the next game , against the Western Michigan Broncos , also in the MAC , Buffalo squandered a two - touchdown advantage with just over five minutes left , allowing the Broncos to win the game in overtime . Buffalo ' s overall record fell to 2 – 4 , 1 – 2 in the MAC . Bouncing back , Buffalo won their next five games . Against Army , Buffalo reversed the result of the Western Michigan game , coming back from a two - touchdown deficit to win in overtime . Handling conference opponents Ohio and Miami ( Ohio ) with relative ease , Buffalo continued conference play by beating Akron in a four - hour , four - overtime slugfest , 43 – 40 , in Akron ' s final football game at the Rubber Bowl . In their next game , against Bowling Green , the Bulls found themselves down 21 – 0 midway through the third quarter , but still managed to come back for their third overtime win of the season . With the win , Buffalo clinched the MAC East championship and ensured that they would have their first winning regular season since moving to Division I - A ; the final regular season game , a 24 – 21 loss to Kent State , was only a formality . The Bulls finished the regular season with an overall record of 7 – 5 , 5 – 3 within the conference . Buffalo ' s opponent in the 2008 MAC Championship Game would be the No . 12 - ranked Ball State Cardinals , who had gone undefeated in winning the MAC West . Ball State was a two - touchdown favorite entering the game ; Buffalo in its history was 0 – 5 against the Cardinals . The Bulls struck first with a touchdown late in the first quarter ; Ball State responded with a touchdown and a field goal in the second quarter to take a 10 – 7 lead at the half . The two teams traded touchdowns early in the third quarter . Disaster then struck for Ball State : on two consecutive possessions late in the third quarter , after having driven into the red zone , the Cardinals fumbled the ball . Buffalo returned both of these fumbles for touchdowns and took a lead they would not surrender . The Bulls won the game 42 – 24 , earning their first - ever MAC Championship as well as their first - ever win over a ranked opponent in nine attempts . Connecticut . The Huskies entered 2008 seeking to prove their success the previous season was no fluke . In 2007 , Connecticut earned their first Big East co - championship , albeit after losing to their fellow co - champion , West Virginia , 66 – 21 . A loss to Wake Forest in the 2007 Meineke Car Care Bowl — the team ' s second bowl appearance all - time — gave the Huskies a final 2007 record of 9 – 4 . In the Big East preseason media poll , UConn was picked to finish 6th overall in the conference . UConn started the season strong , winning their first five games . The Huskies easily won their first game 35 – 3 against Division I - Football Championship Subdivision ( Division I - FCS ) opponent Hofstra . The second game , at Temple , was played as the remnants of Hurricane Hanna hit Philadelphia . UConn won 12 – 9 in overtime as Donald Brown ran for a then - career high 214 yards and scored the game - winning touchdown . Connecticut next avenged their loss to Virginia from 2007 , winning the rematch 45 – 10 . Baylor was next on the schedule ; the Huskies pulled out the win in a back - and - forth game , 31 – 28 . Connecticut opened Big East conference play in their next game against Louisville . The game was not decided until UConn linebacker Lawrence Wilson returned an interception for a touchdown with 2 : 45 left in the fourth quarter , giving the Huskies a 26 – 21 lead they would not relinquish . This was the second straight season where Connecticut won their first five games ; before 2007 , they had not opened a season so successfully since 1995 , when they won their first six straight . Following the game , UConn achieved their first and only ranking of the year , appearing at No . 24 in the Associated Press ( AP ) and Harris polls and No . 23 in the Coaches ' poll . However , starting quarterback Tyler Lorenzen broke his foot in the Louisville game ; the Huskies would be forced to rely on backup Zach Frazer for the next few games . The Huskies were unable to match their early success in the second half of the season , losing five of their next seven games . Everything went wrong for UConn in their game at North Carolina , as Frazer was intercepted three times and three Connecticut punts were blocked ; North Carolina won in a blowout , 38 – 12 . Against Big East rival Rutgers , UConn lost 12 – 10 as kicker Tony Ciaravino missed three field goals , including one with 1 : 09 left in the game that hit the right goalpost . The Huskies bounced back in their next game against eventual Big East champion Cincinnati , winning in a blowout 40 – 16 . While not ranked in any of the polls , after the win Connecticut found itself No . 25 in the BCS standings . The Huskies would promptly give up that honor , losing to West Virginia 35 – 13 after leading 10 – 0 at the end of the first quarter and 13 – 7 at halftime . UConn would win the next week at Big East bottom - dweller Syracuse , 39 – 14 , as Lorenzen returned from his injury . This would prove to be their last win of the regular season , as the Huskies finished with losses to South Florida ( 17 – 13 ) and No . 23 - ranked Pittsburgh ( 34 – 10 ) . Connecticut ended the regular season with a record of 7 – 5 , 3 – 4 within the Big East conference . Pregame buildup . In the weeks leading up to the game , media coverage focused on the achievements of the Buffalo Bulls . Buffalo had been one of the least - successful programs in college football from their transition to Division I - A in 1999 to 2006 , during which they had a cumulative record of 12 – 79 . In 2008 , the Bulls had their first winning season since 1996 , won five games in a row for the first time since 1986 , beat a ranked team for the first time in program history with their upset victory over Ball State in the MAC Championship Game , and would be making the first bowl appearance in school history . The turnaround of the Buffalo program brought acclaim to Bulls head coach Turner Gill , who had taken over the team in 2007 . Comparatively , Connecticut was an afterthought heading into the game . Pre - bowl coverage of UConn focused on NCAA rushing leader Donald Brown , who was considering foregoing his senior season to enter the 2009 NFL Draft . Brown indicated before the game that he had decided to return to UConn for the 2010 season . Coaching change rumors . Following the regular season , speculation surrounded whether Turner Gill would leave Buffalo for another school ' s head coaching position . He was identified as a candidate at two schools : Syracuse and Auburn . In neither case was Gill hired ; Syracuse opted for New Orleans Saints offensive coordinator Doug Marrone , while Auburn passed him over in favor of Iowa State head coach Gene Chizik , a move that prominent former National Basketball Association ( NBA ) player , Basketball Hall - of - Famer , and Auburn alumnus Charles Barkley claimed was due to racism . Gill ended up signing a contract extension with Buffalo . UConn head coach Randy Edsall , who had been with the Huskies since 1999 , was also rumored to be a candidate for the Syracuse job . Edsall , a Syracuse alumnus , denied any interest . Offensive coordinator Rob Ambrose accepted the head coaching position at Towson , his alma mater ; he would stay to coach UConn during the bowl game , however . Legacy of the 1958 Buffalo Bulls . While the 2009 International Bowl marked the first appearance of the Buffalo Bulls in a bowl game , it was not the first time the school had been invited to a bowl . Fifty years earlier , the 1958 Buffalo Bulls team finished with a record of 8 – 1 . They were awarded the Lambert Cup , given to the best small college team in the eastern US , and received a bid to play in the 1958 Tangerine Bowl , where they would face Florida State . There was one catch : the team ' s African - American players — starting running back Willie Evans and backup defensive end Mike Wilson — would not be allowed to play . The Tangerine Bowl Stadium was controlled by the Orlando High School Athletic Association , who prohibited integrated football games . University officials and the coaching staff decided to allow the team to vote on whether they would accept the bowl bid . Before secret ballots could be passed out , the players unanimously decided to reject the bid . Surviving members of the 1958 Bulls team were invited to the 2009 International Bowl and were honored before the game . The Reverend Jesse Jackson spoke at the kickoff luncheon prior to the game , paying tribute to the legacy of the 1958 team . Offensive matchups . Buffalo offense . Buffalo featured a high - powered , high - tempo , balanced offense that was good at not committing turnovers . During the regular season the Bulls averaged 380 . 5 offensive yards per game , 45th best in the nation , and scored an average of 31 . 3 points per game , 31st best . Buffalo ' s turnover margin was 6th best in the nation , at + 1 . 15 . The Bulls were led offensively by the triple threat of quarterback Drew Willy , running back James Starks , and wide receiver Namaan Roosevelt . The three combined to break 14 single - season school records , including most points scored in a season ( 404 ) . Willy , heading into his final game as a Buffalo Bull , had already surpassed the 3 , 000 - yard mark in passing on the season , throwing for 25 touchdowns against only five interceptions . Starks , while not seen as the same caliber of player as UConn ' s Donald Brown , had run for over 1 , 300 yards and caught 41 passes for 340 yards , scoring 16 touchdowns on the year . Roosevelt was seen as the top playmaker , going over the 100 - yard mark in each of Buffalo ' s last five games and scoring at least once in his last seven . Connecticut offense . Especially compared to Buffalo , the UConn offense was extremely unbalanced ; the Huskies ranked 19th in the nation in running , averaging 204 . 6 yards per game , but only 106th in the nation in passing , averaging 147 . 3 yards per game . Connecticut ' s offense was centered around running back Donald Brown . Described as " the ultimate workhorse " , Brown led the NCAA in rushing going into the game with 1 , 822 yards . He had already tied the school single - season rushing touchdown record with 17 scores . His dominant performance led to him being named the Big East offensive player of the year as well as an All - American by multiple organizations . Somewhat surprisingly , he was not a finalist for the Doak Walker Award , annually given to the best running back in college football ; the award was eventually won by Shonn Greene of Iowa . UConn ' s rushing attack was supplemented by the efforts of quarterback Tyler Lorenzen and running back Jordan Todman . The Huskies struggled to pass the ball all season , only completing four touchdown passes as a team heading into the International Bowl . Lorenzen completed under half of his passing attempts on the season . He threw for 820 yards with more interceptions ( eight ) than touchdowns ( two ) . Nevertheless , before the game Randy Edsall confirmed that Lorenzen would be the starting quarterback for UConn in the International Bowl . This would be his ninth appearance at quarterback on the season ; he missed four games with a broken right foot . Defensive matchups . Buffalo defense . The Buffalo defense was described as " among the worst in the MAC , meaning it ' s among the worst in college football " . In Division I - FBS , the Bulls ranked 84th in total defense , allowing an average of 408 yards per game . Buffalo ' s run defense was 83rd in the country , allowing 141 . 1 yards per game ; their pass defense was ranked 97th , allowing almost 250 yards per game . The Bulls allowed other teams to score an average of 27 points against them per game , which ranked 73rd in the country . Buffalo did have one strength on defense : forcing turnovers . The Bulls recovered 20 fumbles and caught eight interceptions on the year . Buffalo ' s turnover margin of + 1 . 15 was 6th best in the nation . Connecticut defense . Conversely , UConn boasted one of the better defenses in the country . The Huskies allowed the 10th - fewest yards per game in the nation with 281 yards allowed . Connecticut was especially good against the pass ; they allowed an average of only 165 yards per game , seventh - best in the country . No UConn opponent passed for more than 259 yards during the regular season . The Huskies had several standout players on defense . One was defensive end Cody Brown , who led UConn with 14 tackles for a loss ( TFL ) and nine sacks while also being named to the All - Big East first team . Cornerback Jasper Howard was another standout player : he had 37 tackles and four interceptions on the year while also leading the Big East in punt returns . Game summary . The 2009 International Bowl kicked off on January 3 , 2009 , at 12 : 00 PM in Toronto , Ontario , Canada . Official attendance was listed at 40 , 184 , the highest in the history of the International Bowl . The attendance record was largely due to Buffalo fans ; an estimated 30 , 000 attended the game . John Saunders , Jesse Palmer , and Doug Flutie , all with ties to Canada , were the announcers for the television broadcast , which aired on ESPN2 . The game was watched by over 2 million households with a rating of 2 . 12 , both the highest in International Bowl history . Prior to the game , spread bettors favored Connecticut to win by four and a half points . First quarter . Buffalo received the ball first to begin the game , and returned the opening kickoff to their own 24 - yard line . They were unable to move the ball in three plays , and punted the ball to Connecticut . The Huskies took possession on their own 18 - yard line and drove down the field with alternating rushes by running back Donald Brown and quarterback Tyler Lorenzen , earning two first downs . On 2nd down and 5 from the UConn 49 - yard line , Lorenzen was sacked by Buffalo ' s Sherrod Lott and fumble d ; the ball was recovered by UConn right tackle Mike Hicks , allowing the Huskies to retain possession . A holding penalty on the next play called on UConn left tackle William Beatty set up 3rd - and - 24 . Donald Brown rushed for fifteen yards but was unable to reach the first - down marker , forcing UConn to punt . Buffalo took over at their own 19 - yard line and promptly earned their 1st first down of the game on a 10 - yard pass from quarterback Drew Willy to wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt . The Bulls ' drive stalled from there , forcing them to punt . The punt struck the ground and hit UConn ' s Jonathan Jean - Louis , who was attempting to block for the punt return ; Buffalo recovered the loose ball , giving them back possession at the Connecticut 23 - yard line . The Bulls were unable to move the ball any closer to the end zone , and settled for a 38 - yard field goal by kicker A . J . Principe , giving them a 3 – 0 lead with 4 : 26 remaining in the first quarter . The ensuing kickoff was returned by UConn running back Jordan Todman 45 yards to the Buffalo 45 - yard line . On the first play from scrimmage , Donald Brown broke through the Buffalo defense and ran the length of the field for the first touchdown of the day . UConn kicker Dave Teggart ' s extra point attempt was good , giving UConn their first lead of the day , at 7 – 3 . Buffalo got the ball back at their own 21 - yard line and were only able to advance it to their 34 - yard line before punting the ball back to Connecticut . UConn cornerback Jasper Howard returned the ball 26 yards to the Bulls ' 41 - yard line . The Huskies handed the ball to Donald Brown for five straight running plays , advancing the ball to the Buffalo 19 - yard line as the first quarter clock expired . At the end of the first quarter , UConn held a 7 – 3 lead and looked to be in position to score more when the second quarter began . Second quarter . UConn began the second quarter by having Tyler Lorenzen rush the ball for four yards . On 3rd and 7 , Lorenzen attempted his first pass of the game , which was behind Husky wide receiver Michael Smith . Dave Teggart kicked a 32 - yard field goal to increase Connecticut ' s lead to 10 – 3 . The Bulls began their next drive at their own 26 - yard line , but went three - and - out . Buffalo punter Peter Fardon kicked the ball over the head of UConn returner Jasper Howard ; rather than let the ball go , he ran backwards chasing after it . Trying to grab the ball over his shoulder , he muffed the catch , and the ball bounced into the end zone , where it was recovered by Buffalo ' s Ray Anthony Long for a Bull touchdown . The special - teams miscue by Howard allowed Buffalo to tie the game at 10 – 10 with 11 : 36 remaining in the second quarter . UConn ' s turnover woes continued on their next possession when , on their second play from scrimmage after receiving Buffalo ' s kickoff , Tyler Lorenzen was sacked , causing him to fumble the ball . The Bulls recovered and drove down the field to the UConn 12 - yard line where they were stopped . Principe kicked a 29 - yard field goal giving Buffalo back the lead , at 13 – 10 . The ensuing kickoff saw yet another Connecticut special - teams blunder . UConn running back Robbie Frey misplayed the ball off of the kickoff , letting it roll back into the end zone . Frey recovered the loose ball ; if he had simply taken a knee , by rule it would have been a touchback and the Huskies would have gotten the ball at their own 20 - yard line . Instead , Frey carried the ball out of the end zone , was hit at the 4 - yard line , and fumbled . Buffalo recovered and promptly scored on a 4 - yard touchdown run by Bull running back James Starks , giving themselves a 20 – 10 lead . UConn had committed its fifth fumble of the game , four of which were recovered by Buffalo . All of Buffalo ' s 20 points were directly off of UConn turnovers . Connecticut fumbled the ball for the sixth time on the next possession ; this time Donald Brown was responsible for dropping the ball . Buffalo recovered for the fifth time , but was unable to score , punting to ball back to UConn with 4 : 37 left in the half . Brown made up for his earlier mistake by breaking off a 75 - yard run before being caught from behind . On the next play Tyler Lorenzen ran the ball into the end zone from 13 yards out . Neither team scored for the remainder of the first half , making the score 20 – 17 Buffalo going into halftime . Third quarter . Connecticut received the ball to start the third quarter and drove down the field on rushing plays by Donald Brown , Jordan Todman and Tyler Lorenzen , before the drive stalled at the Buffalo 36 - yard line . UConn punter Desi Cullen ' s punt was downed at the Buffalo 1 - yard line , pinning them against their own end zone . The Bulls were unable to move the ball , punting the ball back to UConn after three plays . Starting from their own 44 - yard line , the Huskies drove to within the Buffalo 10 - yard line ; an offside penalty on Buffalo ' s Jerry Housey gave UConn a 1st - and - goal at the Buffalo 4 - yard line . Connecticut used a play - action pass , only their second pass attempt of the game , to fool the Bulls ; UConn tight end Steve Brouse was wide open in the end zone , catching the ball for the touchdown and giving Connecticut back the lead at 24 – 20 with 5 : 22 left in the third quarter . Buffalo received the ball off the kickoff on their own 28 - yard line . Losing eight yards on their three plays , Buffalo once again punted the ball to Connecticut . UConn drove to the Buffalo 25 - yard line and attempted a 42 - yard field goal ; the kick by Dave Teggart was blocked . Buffalo got the ball back with less than a minute left in the quarter and completed two passes , moving the ball 13 yards down the field before the quarter expired . The score remained in Connecticut ' s favor , 24 – 20 . Fourth quarter . Buffalo began the final quarter with the ball in a 2nd - and - 11 situation and were unable to convert the first down . UConn received Buffalo ' s punt and were also unable to move the ball , going three - and - out and punting back to the Bulls . On their next possession Buffalo managed to get a first down off of a Drew Willy pass to tight end Jesse Rack , but were unable to move the ball further than UConn ' s 49 - yard line and punted again . Connecticut took over at their own 32 - yard line and , after throwing only two passes in the first three quarters , completed three passes over 10 yards apiece to move down the field . On a 2nd - and - 5 from the Buffalo 15 - yard line , Tyler Lorenzen scored his second rushing touchdown of the game . UConn ' s lead was extended to 31 – 20 with less than five minutes left in the game . Receiving the ball at their own 8 - yard line following a penalty on the kickoff return , Buffalo began to move down the field , with Drew Willy completing a 38 - yard pass to wideout Brett Hamlin and a 29 - yard pass to Naaman Roosevelt . On 3rd - and - 4 from the Connecticut 19 - yard line , Willy completed a ten - yard pass to James Starks , giving the Bulls a 1st - and - goal . Starks rushed for four yards on first down ; on second down , Willy threw an incomplete pass intended for Roosevelt . On 3rd - and - goal from the Husky 5 - yard line , Willy attempted a pass that was deflected and intercepted by UConn safety Dahna Deleston , who returned the ball 100 yards for the game - sealing touchdown . UConn won the game 38 – 20 . Final statistics . For his performance in the 2009 International Bowl , Connecticut running back Donald Brown was named the player of the game . Brown rushed for 261 yards and one touchdown on 29 attempts . He finished the 2008 college football season with 2 , 083 rushing yards which led the nation . Brown set several new UConn school records , including the single - season records for rushing yards ( 2 , 083 ) , attempts ( 367 ) , and yards per game ( 160 . 2 ) , the career records for rushing yards ( 3 , 800 ) and attempts ( 698 ) , and the record for consecutive games with at least 100 yards rushing ( 8 ) . His performance did not break the International Bowl rushing records , however ; the previous year Rutgers running back Ray Rice ran for 280 yards and four touchdowns . Brown ' s dominant rushing performance was supplemented by RB Jordan Todman ' s 62 yards on seven attempts , QB Tyler Lorenzen ' s 32 yards on twelve attempts , including two touchdowns , and fullback Anthony Sherman ' s three yards on one attempt ; in total Connecticut ran for 358 yards . The Huskies attempted to pass only six times during the game ; Lorenzen completed four of them for 49 yards and a touchdown . Four different UConn receivers caught one pass each : wide receiver Kashif Moore ( 18 yards ) , cornerback and sometime wide receiver Darius Butler ( 16 yards ) , fullback Anthony Sherman ( 11 yards ) , and tight end Steve Brouse ( 4 yards and a touchdown ) . Buffalo ' s offensive performance was in some ways the opposite of Connecticut ' s : while UConn dominated on the ground and barely passed the ball , Buffalo struggled with the run but had a good day passing . The Bulls ran for a total of 24 yards on the game ; James Starks accounted for 25 yards on thirteen carries and scored a touchdown , while RB Brandon Termilus ran three times for five yards . Their total was partially offset by Drew Willy , who lost six yards on three rushing attempts . Willy had a much more successful day passing , completing 29 out of 43 passes for 213 yards and one interception . Namaan Roosevelt led the Buffalo receivers with 90 yards on eight catches ; of the five other Bulls who received passes , WR Brett Hamlin caught four passes for 54 yards , TE Jesse Rack caught three for 22 yards , RB Starks caught 11 for 21 yards , WR Ernest Jackson caught two for 17 yards , and WR Gary Rice caught one for 9 yards . Connecticut dominated Buffalo statistically in the first half , gaining 225 yards to the Bulls ' 94 , led by Donald Brown ' s 208 yards rushing . Buffalo won the turnover battle however , recovering five UConn fumbles . The Bulls scored 20 points off UConn turnovers in the first half , but were held scoreless in the second half when the Huskies stopped turning the ball over . Aftermath . Connecticut ' s win gave the team a final record of 8 – 5 and back - to - back winning seasons for the first time since 2003 – 04 . Buffalo ' s final record fell to 8 – 6 , which still marked the first winning season for the Bulls since transitioning to Division I - A football in 1999 . In a press conference after the game , Brown announced that he would not return for his senior season and enter the NFL Draft , saying he told the media he said he was staying to take the focus off of himself prior to the game . Brown was drafted 27th overall by the Indianapolis Colts , becoming the first UConn player ever drafted in the first round . Three other UConn players were drafted in the second round : Darius Butler 41st overall by the New England Patriots , William Beatty 60th overall by the New York Giants , and defensive end Cody Brown 63rd overall by the Arizona Cardinals . Tight end Martin Bédard was drafted 15th overall in the second round of the Canadian Football League ' s ( CFL ) 2009 Draft . Buffalo did not have any players drafted by either league in 2009 ; in the 2010 NFL Draft James Starks was selected in the sixth round , 193rd overall , by the Green Bay Packers . UConn cornerback Robert McClain was also drafted by the NFL in 2010 , in the seventh round , 249th overall , by the Carolina Panthers . In the offseason Connecticut hired Joe Moorhead as their new offensive coordinator , replacing the departed Rob Ambrose . Turner Gill returned to coach Buffalo in 2009 . Following that season , however , he left to take over the football program at the University of Kansas . Connecticut and Buffalo resumed their rivalry on September 25 , 2010 , playing a regular season game at UConn ' s Rentschler Field . Although the score was tied 14 – 14 at halftime , the Huskies pulled away in the second half after changing quarterbacks , winning the rematch 45 – 21 .