Patterson had 32 carries for the Bulls , who were winless in three previous bowl appearances. He finished the year with a slew of school single-season records, including 330 carries, 1,799 yards and 19 rushing touchdowns.
Antonio Nunn caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Vantrease on the first Buffalo drive to open the scoring, and Vantrease capped a marathon 15-play, 74-yard, 8-1/2-minute drive by plunging in from the 1 with 3:33 left in the half to push the Bulls' lead to 14-0. Patterson scored on a 6-yard run midway through the third quarter to make it 24-0, then sealed the win with a 10-yard TD rush late to cap a 16-play scoring drive.
Victor Tucker caught a 51-yard catch-and-run touchdown pass from Chris Reynolds late in the third quarter for Charlotte , which saw its five-game winning streak snapped. Charlotte was in a bowl game for the first time.The bowl game was the first of 40 to be played this season.Buffalo: The Bulls had lost all three of their previous bowl trips by double-digits, but never trailed in this game.
Charlotte: The bowl loss may sting for a bit, but it's important to note that the 49ers -- in only their fifth season at the FBS level -- had been 2-10, 4-8, 1-11 and 5-7 before this year. Charlotte not only got to a bowl but did so in a year where it was picked to finish last in Conference USA's East division.During their days in the Bahamas, the teams took part in a youth clinic, dance contests, a pinball tournament and some beach and pool time.