Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Drew Willy tossed three touchdowns to Naaman Roosevelt and the Buffalo defense scored twice off turnovers in the third quarter, as the Bulls pulled off a 42-24 upset over No. 12 Ball State in the Mid-American Conference Championship game at Ford Field, spoiling the Cardinals' undefeated season.

Willy threw for 206 yards on 19-of-28 passes while Roosevelt caught 10 passes for 116 yards for East Division champion Buffalo (8-5, 6-3 MAC), which won its first-ever MAC title just one season after a five-win campaign.

James Starks logged 82 yards with a touchdown on 19 carries for the Bulls, who also topped a ranked opponent for the first time in school history.

"I am proud of the student-athletes," Buffalo head coach Turner Gill said. "They understand love, faith, believe, and family. That is what our program is all about today and will be about tomorrow. I am speechless. We all believed it could happen and now it has happened."

MAC Offensive Player of the Year Nate Davis lost four fumbles and was intercepted once for Ball State (12-1, 8-1 MAC), the leaders of the West Division which saw its first perfect regular season since 1949 fall by the wayside in its first MAC title game.

Davis finished with 351 passing yards and a touchdown on 31-of-48 efficiency, while MiQuale Lewis rushed for two scores and 131 yards on 30 carries for the Cardinals, who outgained the opposition 503-301.

"I feel bad for our seniors," Ball State head coach Brady Hoke said. "It's the way football is and it's the way life is. We got a great group of guys who have done a lot for Ball State football."

The Bulls came out fired up after the break. After an offsides penalty on 4th- and-1 prolonged the drive, Willy faked a screen to the right flat and hit Roosevelt out of the backfield, as the receiver did the rest down the left sideline for a 39-yard touchdown and a 14-10 lead.

The Cardinals answered as Davis' 27-yard play-action pass to Darius Hill down to the goal line set up Lewis' one-yard TD run with 8:07 left in the third.

BSU was well on its way to making it a 10-point game as Lewis appeared to score again after a Buffalo turnover. The running back looked to have penetrated the goal line while going out of bounds, but replay upheld the decision to place the ball at the one.

Two plays later Davis rolled left and ran into a slew of Buffalo defenders at the goal line. The quarterback went airborne and Josh Thomas knocked the ball loose. Mike Newton scooped up the bouncing pigskin and raced down the sidelines for a 92-yard touchdown and a 21-17 Bulls lead.

"I just needed to take better care of the ball," Davis said. "I was trying to make big plays and didn't take care of the ball."

An apparent early snap on the next possession caught Davis off guard in the shotgun formation, and once again the Buffalo defense was in the right place, as Sherrod Lott recovered the fumble and ran 74 yards for a TD with 19 ticks left in the third.

Ball State turned the ball over on downs on its next touch and another Davis fumble at the BSU 29 led to a back-breaking eight-yard touchdown grab from Roosevelt with 6:06 left in the game.

Davis brought the Cardinals down and threw a 22-yard TD to Louis Johnson less than two minutes later, but the Bulls recovered the onside kick and Starks ran in a one-yard score to cap the game and the remarkable upset.

"It is a tremendous win for the seniors," Willy said "The hard work we have put in has really paid off. The coaches told us at the hotel we were going to win tonight, we looked around and said, 'Yeah we are gonna win this game.' The rest is history, MAC champs."

The first break went to the Bulls, as Davis and the center had an errant snap exchange and Raphael Akobundu recovered the fumble at the Ball State 25.

On the second play after the turnover, Roosevelt caught 19-yard pass down to the BSU two and came down with a fade route in the right corner of the end zone on the next play with 1:58 to play in the first quarter.

The Cardinals finally countered midway through the second when Lewis capped an nine-play, 80-yard drive with a four-yard draw to paydirt.

Starks fumbled in his own territory with a minute remaining in the half, and Ian McGarvey's 47-yard field goal on the last play before the break gave Ball State a slim 10-7 lead.

Game Notes

Davis also rushed for 6 yards on eight carries, while Lewis caught nine passes for 77 yards...Briggs Orsbon led the Cardinals receiving corps with 141 yards on 13 catches...Following the game, Buffalo accepted a bid to participate in the International Bowl to be played against an unknown Big East school in Toronto on January 3. It marks the Bulls' first ever bowl appearance.