Ball State 41, Toledo 20

Ball State won a battle of two 5-5 teams seeking bowl eligibility Tuesday, 41-20, in front of the ESPN2 cameras on Senior Night at Scheumann Stadium.

After 80 seconds, the teams were on pace for 600 total points, but the brisk offensive pace cooled and Ball State dominated the second half en route to a decisive 6^th win of the year.

Toledo jumped to a 7-0 lead just 28 seconds in to the game after two Jalen Parmele runs combined for 46 yards and a score. But the Cardinals wasted no time answering, marching 68 yards in just 4 plays to score on a 27-yard TD catch by Darius Hill to know the contest at 7.

Ball State turned out an impressive home crowd for the season finale at remodeled Scheumann Stadium. Not only were the ESPN cameras in town, but there may have been some bowl scouts watching as well. Buzz around the stadium focused on the International Bowl in Toronto, and the Cardinals’ offense would likely appeal to the folks in Toronto, who have the right to select third in the MAC bowl pecking order.

Despite the speculation, Cardinal QB Nate Davis and coach Brady Hoke focused their post-game comments on the importance of sending Ball State’s seniors off with a win. But it was a crew of underclassmen that carried the Cardinals to victory.

Davis, a sophomore, had one of his best games of the year, throwing for three scores and running for two, including a spectacular 1 yard run in the second quarter that tied the game at 20. Davis dropped to pass, was flushed from the pocket, and sprinted toward the right pylon. From about a yard and a half out, Davis leapt for the end zone and snuck the ball across the endline. Ian McGarvey’s extra point tied it.

The QB’s main partner in crime on this night was another underclassman, junior Dante Love. Davis found Love on two gorgeous deep throws, including a 39-yard toss in the first half that Love snatched just behind him while streaking in to the end zone. That score brought Ball State to within 17-13 late in the first quarter. With 7 catches and 34 receiving yards in the season finale, Love will have 80 catches and 1000 yards on the year.

Sophomore RB Chris Clancy gave Ball State plenty of tough yards on the ground while the Cardinals protected their lead. The third string RB finished with 13 carries for 103 yards.

Neither team let off the accelerator much in the first half, but Ball State was the squad able to keep pushing the hardest after the break, thanks in part to Toledo injuries. Jalen Parmele, Toledo’s star RB, rung up 94 yards on 16 carries in the first half, but only carried 8 times in the second half after getting dinged up with an unspecified injury.

Rocket QB Aaron Opelt threw some great deep passes in the first half, but injured a shoulder in the third quarter. DJ Lenehan was 0-4 with an INT in his stead.

Toledo wraps the season at Bowling Green in the battle for the Peace Pipe on the day after Thanksgiving. Ball State goes to Northern Illinois next Saturday.

Ball State 27, Western Michigan 23

Ball State got two fourth-quarter touchdowns to beat Western Michigan 27-23 and spoil the Broncos’ Homecoming at a sun-baked Waldo Stadium.

The win didn’t come easy for the Cardinals (2-1 West, 3-2 MAC, 5-3 overall), who drove the length of the field twice in the fourth quarter for go ahead scores.

After Ball State capped a three play, 66-yard drive with a 44-yard trick play pass from QB Nate Davis to Louis Johnson, the Cardinals led, 20-16. But the Broncos answered, scoring on their drive’s second play, a 50-yard throw and run from Tim Hiller to Jordan White.

Both teams then went three-and-out, exchanging two pairs of booming punts, and giving the Cardinals the ball. Ball State was able to use the powerful leg of the nation’s leading punter, Chris Miller, to maintain field position before taking over at their own 21 yard line with a little under four minutes to play.

From there, Davis executed a crisp drive which saw the Cardinals move 79 yards in 9 plays while facing only 1 3^rd down. Davis was 4 of 5 passing on the drive for 47 yards, including an eleven yard toss to Dante Love which gave Ball State first and goal at the 2. On Frank Edmonds’ second run in the series, the freshman plunged in to the end zone from one yard out, giving the Cardinals the 27-23 margin.

Western Michigan’s last gasp drive ended with an Alex Knipp interception on a tipped ball down the middle. Davis knelt to end it, sealing the Ball State victory.

Davis won on both the scoreboard and the stat sheet in a matchup between two of the league’s best passers. Davis ended the day 25-48 for 358 yards and 2 TDs, including the 44-yard toss to Johnson on a play where he didn’t even line up as a quarterback.

With a little over ten minutes remaining and the Cardinals trailing 16-13, Davis lined up as one of two slot receivers split wide right. Favorite Davis target Dante Love went in to the shotgun position and took the snap before quickly passing back to Davis. Davis found Johnson behind the clearly baffled Bronco defense, giving Ball State its first lead of the contest.

Davis’ counterpart, WMU’s Tim Hiller, also played well at times, throwing 21 of 38 completions for 237 yards. But Hiller also threw three picks, including the game ender to Knipp.

The offensive star for the Broncos was sophomore tailback Brandon West, who carred 21 times for 171 yards, including a 66-yard burst which set up WMU’s go-ahead field goal just before half. Mike Jones’ 33-yard kick gave the Broncos a 13-10 edge heading to the locker room.

Overall, the contest was a near dead heat statistically. Western Michigan (2-1 West, 2-2 MAC, 3-5 overall) outgained Ball State 433-430 and earned two more first downs, 21-19. Time of possession was nearly even as well, but the Broncos came up just short on the scoreboard, giving their homecoming crowd of over seventeen thousand a disappointing send off.

Both teams are still in the running to win the MAC West and advance to the conference championship game. Each school trails Central Michigan by a game, and both teams need Western Michigan to beat Central to have a chance to claim the title.

Ball State is at Illinois next week while the Broncos travel to Eastern Michigan

Miami 14, Ball State 13

Muncie, IN – Shane Montgomery put it all on the backs of his offensive line. His confidence was rewarded.

Miami’s (1-0, 1-0 MAC) Brandon Murphy capped a run-heavy possession with a 6-yard touchdown jaunt with just 21 seconds to play, leading the Redhawks to a 14-13 victory over interdivision MAC rival Ball State (0-1, 0-1 MAC).

After a 56-yard Eugene Harris punt return gave Miami possession at the Ball State 23 with just under two minutes to play, Montgomery called three consecutive runs.

“We just decided we were going to put it on our offensive line, put it on their backs,” Montgomery said. “We wanted to put the game in their hands.”

With under two minutes to go and plenty of timeouts remaining, Montgomery opted to use as much clock as possible in an effort to keep Ball State’s Nate Davis-led offense off the field. The strategy worked, with three carries by RB Brandon Murphy taking the ball from the 23 to the 6. Murphy finished 19 carries, 123 yards and both Miami touchdowns.

After Murphy was stopped for no gain on 1^st and goal, a quick Mike Kokal pass fell incomplete. Miami called timeout, and Montgomery opted to trust the line once again. Murphy’s 6-yard gallop left only enough time for two Ball State heaves.

The win spoiled the grand opening of Ball State’s newly renovated Scheumann Stadium. A 13.7 million dollar renovation, completed this offseason, included installation of a gorgeous new field turf, a slick four-story media center, 184 Club Seats, and a hillside for family seating in North End Zone.

The expansion was designed both to entice recruits and provide fans with a “wow” inducing experience. While the success of the first objective remains to be seen, the Cardinals seemed to achieve the second. An announced crowd of 15,488 showed enthusiasm throughout the game, and included a student attendance record of 7,885.

With 75 degree weather, the supportive home crowd and the beautiful renovations, everything came together perfectly for the Cardinals. Except the final score.

“There’s a lot of season left, a lot of season left,” a visibly dazed Ball State coach Brady Hoke said afterward. “We can still accomplish a lot of what we want this year, but this obviously isn’t how we wanted to start things off.”

The Ball State media interview room is peppered with motivational signs, including several large signs reading simply “One Yard”. The importance of that single yard loomed large Thursday.

After Cardinal DB B.J. Hill picked off a Mike Kokal pass in the end zone, Ball State had 1^st and 10 at the 20 with a little over 4 minutes remaining. Two MiQuale Lewis rushes later, the Cardinals faced 3^rd and a short yard from the 29. This time it was the Redhawk defensive line that came up big, stuffed Lewis for no gain, and forcing a Ball State punt. All-MAC punter Chris Miller’s 50-yard boot was returned 56 yards by Harris, setting the stage for Murphy’s late game heroics.

Cardinal QB Nate Davis was frustrated at his line’s inability to get the crucial yard.

“It all starts with the guys up front,” Davis said. “When we needed that one yard tonight, we didn’t get it done.”

Later, Davis backed off a bit, saying that the contest was a team loss, but his frustration was evident. After struggling to connect on several deep balls early in the night, Davis finally hit on a 24-yard touchdown strike to Dante Love with 10:42 to play. The score featured a spectacular shoestring catch by Love, and put the Cardinals up 12-7.

The five point lead forced Hoke to decide between a PAT, and a 6-point lead, and going for two.

“There was just a lot of time left,” Hoke said. “If you don’t get it there, two field goals beat you. I didn’t think 13 points was going to win.”

Hoke also faced a tough ‘kick-or-go’ decision just before half. With the Cardinal offense struggling to build momentum, Hoke opted to send his offense on the field facing 4^th and 3 at the Redhawk 6.

“Just trying to build some momentum there,” said Hoke. “It’s one of those things where you look back at half time and say ‘man, we should have kicked’. But you never know.”

Nate Davis’ pass fell incomplete, and Ball State went to half time trailing 7-3.

The Miami victory avenged last year’s 20-17 loss at Yager Stadium in Oxford.