Buffalo 41, Kent State 14

11/4/2006 8:48 PM

AMHERST, N.Y. (AP) -James Starks rushed for 162 yards and scored three touchdowns, and Buffalo broke a seven-game losing streak with a 41-14 upset of Kent State on Saturday.

Buffalo (2-7, 1-5 Mid-American Conference) scored 41 unanswered points and won a MAC game for the first time since Nov. 12, 2005.

Kent State (5-4, 4-2) turned the ball over five times. Mike Newton had two interceptions and Buffalo recorded six sacks on Julian Edleman and backup Michael Machen.

Buffalo had 369 yards of total offense.

Quarterback Tony Paoli, starting in place of injured Drew Willy, completed his first throw for 53 yards to Naaman Roosevelt. Paoli finished 14 of 20 for 193 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

After trailing 14-3 at halftime, Buffalo opened the second half driving 78 yards, 71 of them courtesy of Starks. He took Paoli's pitch 6 yards to narrow the gap to 14-10.

On Kent State's next play, James Judges forced a Tony Howard fumble. Jesse Imes pounced on the ball. One play later, Paoli hit Terrance Breaux for a 24-yard TD strike and a 17-14 lead.

Kent State coughed up the ball again on its very next play. Ollice Ervin forced the ball from Marcus Hill, and Buffalo recovered. Starks scored four plays later on a spinning 19-yard run, breaking three tackles for a 24-14 lead.

Newton returned his second interception 59 yards to set up Starks' third touchdown from 16 yards for a 34-14 Buffalo lead.

Steven King scored the Bulls' final TD on a 4-yard run.

Edleman, who was 16-for-29 for 190 yards passing, ran for the game's first score on a 4-yard keeper with 7:29 left in the first half.

Edleman drove Kent State 88 yards on its next possession and rushed the final six yards for his second TD and a 14-0 lead.