Hustle Belt: All Posts by Sam BarlogaMAC Football, MAC Basketball, MAC Recruiting, MAC Baseball and all of the other #MACtion hijinks in between - hustlebeltblog@gmail.comhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50387/hustle-fav.png2019-11-16T21:00:00-05:00https://www.hustlebelt.com/authors/sam-barloga/rss2019-11-16T21:00:00-05:002019-11-16T21:00:00-05:002019 MAC Football Week 12 Game Recap: Chippewas complete wild comeback, beat Cardinals 45-44
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<img alt="COLLEGE FOOTBALL: OCT 26 Central Michigan at Buffalo" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aoV9FqM0V9blXbqK2zaxH8Km1r8=/278x96:3571x2291/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65717263/1178437036.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Ball State fell apart in all phases, as Central Michigan stays alive in the conference championship race.</p> <p id="C4DJU3">Down 41-24 with under two minutes left in the third quarter, it was fair to say that Central Michigan was behind the eight ball.</p>
<p id="2vGe89">The Chippewas’ defense had struggled all day with Ball State’s offense and its offense had only began to come alive in the third quarter.</p>
<p id="qZNyum">But the Chips kept fighting. A quick touchdown drive, capped by a run by Jonathan Ward, his fourth of the day, cut the Ball State lead back to 10.</p>
<p id="qWXie8">Then the defense forced a stop. Suddenly, Central Michigan found themselves in the end zone again after a pair of controversial penalties against Red Potts and Jacob White. Now it was 41-38 Ball State with 13 minutes left.</p>
<p id="3Ojyy9">Fast forward eight minutes, same score and Ball State is driving inside the CMU 20. The Central defense stiffens, hitting <span>Caleb Huntley</span> and <span>Walter Fletcher</span> on first and second down and breaking up a <span>Drew Plitt</span> pass to <span>Riley Miller</span> to force a 4th and 9. Another field goal. 44-38 Ball State.</p>
<p id="35pzZ4">Now with the ball back and a chance to win the game, the offense went to work. Quarterback Quinten Dormandy found Ward along the sideline for an 18 yard gain on a crucial 3rd and 7. Two more big plays later and CMU was knocking on the door. It would be <span>Tommy Lazzaro</span> to push it in from 2 yards out and the PAT was good. 45-44 CMU. They’d done it.</p>
<p id="8O84lR">Central’s defense, showing more life than the Ball State offense in recent possessions shut the door in just four plays where the Cardinals failed to move the ball past the line of scrimmage. Then after one kneel, the Central bench celebrated, signing the fight song and chanting with their traveling families and fans sitting behind them in the East sideline of Scheumann Stadium.</p>
<p id="WdFYiW">While the comeback marked jubilation for Central Michigan, for Ball State, the loss is a devastating third-in-a-row. The Cardinals have gone from first place and undefeated in the MAC West to the edge of falling out of bowl eligibility. </p>
<p id="p11URD">Huntley didn’t mince words when he spoke post game about how this loss stung him and his teammates.</p>
<p id="l6Yn8S">“The mood in the locker room was the seniors were down, really everybody was down,” Huntley said. “We just have to keep going forward. We lost this game today but we still have a chance to reach one of our goals in making a bowl game. </p>
<p id="gDqVKA">“Today was devastating. I thought we had the game wraps and the second half they came back on us and it’s just indescribable. It hurts.”</p>
<p id="Pz6cQj">The path to Ball State making a bowl game now relies on the Cardinals winning two in a row against Kent State and Miami to close the regular season.</p>
<p id="yfatLM">However, during a seven minute stretch in the second quarter, the Cardinals forced turnovers on three straight possessions, all of which they turned into points. Jacob White’s first career interception started the 17-0 Ball State run. By midway through the second quarter, it was 20-3 Ball State. Late magic by their offense in the form of a 42-second drive gave them a 27-11 lead at the break.</p>
<p id="HCdYSg">The running attack was highly productive in helping Ball State jump ahead early. Its experienced offensive line cleared lanes for Huntley and Fletcher to run through as the two backs each finished with over 100 yards of rushing and long runs over 30 yards.</p>
<p id="uoKIkM">Bottom line, tonight was special for Central Michigan who suffered heartbreak one year ago at home to Ball State in a 24-23 defeat.</p>
<p id="82PHoN">It also cements Central Michigan firmly in the race for the MAC West Division. A Central win over Eastern and a Western Michigan loss to Northern Illinois would send the Chippewas to Detroit.</p>
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https://www.hustlebelt.com/2019/11/16/20968526/central-michigan-chippewas-ball-state-cardinals-football-game-recap-wild-comeback-nov-16-2019Sam Barloga2019-10-19T18:16:56-04:002019-10-19T18:16:56-04:00Game Recap: Ball State blasts past Toledo in dominant 52-14 victory
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Indiana at Ball State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/l2tRyaRCeOoAEB3C_FWP6IQ2toM=/0x0:3541x2361/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65508502/usa_today_13288567.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Rockets had no answer for a potent Cardinals offensive attack in a 38-point first half.</p> <p id="DIfq2W">Despite the 52-14 score line, it all started innocently enough.</p>
<p id="c7C9gH">Ball State’s first three offensive plays resulted in negative four yards and a sack as the Toledo (4-3, 1-2 MAC West) defense came up with a quick stop.</p>
<p id="LgQOBl">But thirty minutes later, Ball State (4-3, 3-0 MAC West) had put the Mid-American Conference on notice. </p>
<p id="h0IrU9">By the time the buzzer sounded on the end of the first half, Ball State’s offense had racked up 38 points of offense, two trick play touchdowns and almost 400 yards of total offense. Toledo had zero points, just two first downs and 33 yards of offense on 24 plays.</p>
<p id="qcgWbV">“Really, really proud of the effort, the focus and the attention to detail from the guys from top to bottom,” Ball State head coach Mike Neu said.</p>
<p id="5Ykp7b">Ball State scored first after stripping Toledo quarterback Carter Bradley which led to a field goal to take a quick 3-0 lead.</p>
<p id="UVSSlb">After more successive stops, it became the Plitt to Miller show. Ball State quarterback Drew Plitt found wide receiver Riley Miller for a 24 yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 10-0. On the very next drive, the Cards broke out the trickery with Plitt receiving a lateral after a HB toss and throwing it 39 yards to find Miller again in the end zone.</p>
<p id="bUWuTz">Those two touchdown passes would be two of the three that he tossed on the day as the redshirt junior finished 11-of-17 for 206 yards and an interception.</p>
<p id="a9ya9I">The rushing attack was pivotal in Ball State’s balanced offensive attack. The rushing game finished with nearly 400 yards in the win, led by Caleb Huntley who picked up 119 yards on 20 carries. Malik Dunner touched the ball only twice on offense and scored long touchdowns each time, finishing with 90 yards.</p>
<p id="ZCElnJ">“The offensive line has just been doing their thing all season,” Huntley said. “And they did that today. The guys know we have their back and they’ve got ours as well.”</p>
<p id="WZZ5So">Now Ball State is 3-0 in the MAC for the first time since 2013 and it becomes the only team undefeated in conference play after Kent State’s 45-38 loss to Ohio earlier today. The win is also the Cardinals first win against the Rockets since the same year.</p>
<p id="7dv29O">Two of the three conference wins came against teams picked to finish first and second in the western division in Toledo and Northern Illinois. Ball State now has a two-game lead on both teams with the tiebreaker in hand.</p>
<p id="0zGNks">“It was just all about execution,” Neu said. “The attitude, the next play mindset was there. The guys when they came off the field were just about keeping going and had the look of determination, the look of confidence.”</p>
<p id="4Rp1mZ">Next up, Ball State hosts defending MAC Champion Ohio while Toledo returns home to play Eastern Michigan.</p>
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https://www.hustlebelt.com/2019/10/19/20922562/ball-state-cardinals-toledo-rockets-midamerican-conference-football-game-final-score-recap-2019Sam Barloga2019-09-21T23:24:11-04:002019-09-21T23:24:11-04:002019 MAC Football Week 4 Game Recap: Special teams looms large in Ball State's 34-24 loss to NC State
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Ball State at North Carolina State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EtfCZBE9ErgpTH-b-V2pKcIDKjU=/0x0:4969x3313/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65294050/usa_today_13394410.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Despite eliminating its turnover woes, Ball State fell to NC State largely due to issues in the third phase.</p> <p id="7ifIOr">After committing four giveaways in last week’s 41-31 home loss to Florida Atlantic, head coach Mike Neu emphasized how it important it was for Ball State (1-3) to solve its turnover problems.</p>
<p id="R2iLXf">Despite doing just that on the road against North Carolina State (3-1), it was special teams that ruined Ball State’s chances at an upset in a 34-23 loss on Saturday night.</p>
<p id="u7jfMs">The Wolfpack blocked a Nathan Snyder punt while holding a 27-16 lead midway through the fourth quarter and returned it to inside the Ball State 10-yard line. The ensuing touchdown run by quarterback Matt McKay extended the lead to three scores and largely ended Ball State’s upset bid.</p>
<p id="L5wXor">The Cardinals did manage to make things interesting late as running back Walter Fletcher scored on a three-yard touchdown run to narrow things to 34-23 with under five minutes left. The Cardinals managed to recover the ensuing onside kick and moved the ball into the red zone before quarterback Drew Plitt had his passed intercepted to seal the victory for NC State.</p>
<p id="n4lc7Z">That tipped interception was the only major mistake made by the redshirt junior Plitt, who finished 35-for-57 with 333 yards.</p>
<p id="8aGjs0">Early on, Ball State looked like it came to Raleigh to play taking its first three offensive drive into Wolfpack territory, including ending its second drive with a Caleb Huntley touchdown to go up 7-3 early in the first quarter. </p>
<p id="1xdQEo">However, NC State responded by scoring the game’s next 24 points, including leading 20-7 at the halftime break. </p>
<p id="e9LdXA">Another tough special teams moment occurred early in the third quarter when Thayer Thomas returned a Snyder punt 76 yards for a touchdown. The line drive punt had little hang time and Thomas weaved his way through the Ball State coverage to take it to the house.</p>
<p id="rCvDAj">Matthew McKay finished 17-for-30 for 99 yards commanding the NC State offense, who finished 10-for-16 on third downs, a big reason in its offense’s success. Despite this, the Cardinals outgained the Wolfpack 417-390.</p>
<p id="7uuOre">Ball State finishes non-conference play at 1-3 for the third consecutive season. Ball State will be back in action in two weeks when they travel to DeKalb, Illinois, to take on Northern Illinois in the Mid-American Conference opener. NC State travels to Florida State next Saturday.</p>
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https://www.hustlebelt.com/2019/9/21/20877766/2019-mac-football-week-4-game-recap-ball-state-nc-state-final-score-statsSam Barloga2019-09-14T19:48:54-04:002019-09-14T19:48:54-04:00Game Recap: Ball State slips late against FAU in 41-31 loss
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Indiana at Ball State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vGof42cI7EwGDcrqEKB2oV8SWeo=/0x0:5472x3648/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65247080/usa_today_13288558.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Badly timed turnovers doom Ball State in loss.</p> <p id="C1FolW">After a promising first half, turnovers and missed chances doomed Ball State (1-2), as Florida Atlantic (1-2) pulled away for a 41-31 win.</p>
<p id="n4Cy46">Ball State committed four turnovers on the day, including three fumbles lost. Quarterback Drew Plitt also tossed an interception.</p>
<p id="XlP8CP">The Owls turned three of those turnovers into scores and they were critical in allowing FAU to pull away after a tight first half.</p>
<p id="h3mFw0">“To turn the ball over four times today, it is very difficult to do that and expect to win no matter what team you’re playing,” Ball State head coach Mike Neu said. “Going forward we need to continue to emphasize (holding onto the football).”</p>
<p id="N71SxG">Florida Atlantic quarterback Chris Robison was more than satisfactory for the Owls as well, only being sacked once and going 33-for-41 with 366 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions on the afternoon.</p>
<p id="Ro2bnc">Robison’s favorite target was the 6’4” wide receiver John Mitchell who caught eight passes for 124 yards and three touchdowns.</p>
<p id="FG4nQj">“(FAU) has a lot of playmakers, a lot of weapons,” Neu said. “Give that young man credit, he did a great job making the play on that 50-50 ball.”</p>
<p id="SKigUp">Plitt also recorded solid numbers for Ball State through the air, finishing 26-for-38 with three touchdowns and an interception. However, it was not near enough to help Ball State overcome its four giveaways.</p>
<p id="OALKdG">“A lot of the things that happened today were self-inflicted errors, from mental mistakes to turning the ball over,” Plitt said.</p>
<p id="xZbFVn">Up only 21-17 at halftime, FAU stopped Ball State out of the break and then used the next drive to make it a two score game as running back Larry McCammon Jr. punched it in from one yard away to cap off a six play, 80 yard drive.</p>
<p id="ybeg3M">Ball State’s turnovers also came at incredibly inopportune times.</p>
<p id="rTEqBL">Down only 21-17, and with the ball in the red zone, Caleb Huntley fumbled off an end-sweep while reaching for the goal line. Less than two minutes later, FAU took advantage and made it a 28-17 contest.</p>
<p id="55UF5a">Early in the fourth quarter Plitt fumbled the ball after being hit on his blindside by Rashad Smith. BSU was in FAU territory at the time and only trailed 34-24.</p>
<p id="nonRbO">Down 41-24 late, Ball State would score to cut the gap to ten with just under four minutes left but it was too little too late.</p>
<p id="d3786g">After each team traded a pair of punts to start the game, Florida Atlantic got on the board first taking advantage of a Malik Dunner fumble to go up 7-0.</p>
<p id="31G5Ea">Ball State would respond via its defense. Outside linebacker Jordan Williams recovered two fumbles on two straight offensive plays for FAU, including a 55-yard scoop and score and the Cardinals suddenly had a 14-7 lead late in the first quarter.</p>
<p id="lXq3dl">“I think (Williams) has grown every week,” Neu said. “His athleticism was on display today and to recover that fumble in the open field and take it the distance shows his skill set.”</p>
<p id="LBHkv4">However, the lead didn’t last long as Robison found Mitchell again for a 33 yard touchdown on the ensuing drive to tie it back up at 14. Ball State nearly had a stop on that drive but a late hit call on 3rd and long extended the drive and allowed FAU to take advantage.</p>
<p id="jG0ecm">The Cardinals would then turn a 51-yard quarterback run by Plitt into a field goal to retake the lead 17-14. However, kicker Ryan Rimmler would miss from 41 later in the second quarter which set up FAU with the ball with just under two minutes left in the half.</p>
<p id="jmATaK">The Owls proceeded to race up the field, using a nine play, 1:40 drive to retake the lead 21-17 into the break. The drive was capped by a four yard pass from Robison to Mitchell with just nine seconds left on the clock.</p>
<p id="YprPVe">Next up, Ball State travels to NC State next Saturday to take on the Wolfpack at 7 p.m. on ESPNU. Florida Atlantic returns home to host Wagner.</p>
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https://www.hustlebelt.com/2019/9/14/20866029/florida-atlantic-owls-ball-state-cardinals-turnovers-football-game-recap-stats-score-sept-14-2019Sam Barloga2019-09-13T12:30:00-04:002019-09-13T12:30:00-04:00Game Preview: Ball State vs. FAU
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Indiana at Ball State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XCUgt1qceDmhlByvvB3bk1SUVnE=/0x0:3719x2479/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65240346/usa_today_13289623.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Cardinals look to keep their early momentum when hosting FAU.</p> <p id="fP4tCL">After solid showings on offense over the last two games, Ball State (1-1, 0-0 MAC) stays at home to battle Lane Kiffin and the Florida Atlantic Owls (0-2, 0-0 C-USA) on Saturday.</p>
<p id="LPQwVy">The Cardinals come in to the contest having to feel positive about the play of redshirt junior quarterback Drew Plitt, who has tossed eight touchdowns and just two interceptions after two games against Indiana and Fordham.</p>
<p id="d9Ihhl">Plitt tossed for 439 yards, 6 touchdowns and went 32-for-40 in Ball State’s 57-29 victory against Fordham last week, which earned him <a href="https://www.hustlebelt.com/2019/9/10/20859677/drew-plitt-ball-state-quarterback-hustle-belt-player-of-the-week-2019-week-2">Hustle Belt’s MAC Player of the Week honors</a>.</p>
<p id="UnKRFj">Mike Neu’s offense has been highly reliant on the air attack in the early going of 2019, with Ball State rushing for just a net of 252 yards through two games. Caleb Huntley has led the Cardinals on the ground with 145 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries.</p>
<p id="Wday2H">Athletic wideout Justin Hall comes in as one of four Cardinals with 100 or more yards receiving, and leads the team in catches with 12. Tight end Riley Miller’s 167 yards receiving lead in that department.</p>
<p id="zF2KZx">Defensively, the Cardinals deployed a bend-don’t-break approach against a talented Indiana side, forcing true freshman quarterback Michael Penix Jr. into a pair of interceptions and kept BSU in the game by stopping long IU drives short of the goal line. </p>
<p id="mprAul">Ball State’s defense may have to adopt a similar approach to slow down Florida Atlantic’s offense. The Owls had one of the Conference USA’s best offensive attacks last season, putting up over 31 points per game last season.</p>
<p id="lXWxY5">This year, FAU has stumbled out the blocks to an 0-2 start, largely due to them playing two top 20 teams in No. 5 Ohio State and No. 17 Central Florida to start the season. The Owls will see Saturday’s game in much the same way as Ball State, looking to use it as a leapfrog for momentum into conference play.</p>
<p id="Jc8zNN">Chris Robison has taken the vast majority of snaps for FAU in the early going, struggling to find teammates with a 54.1 completion percentage on 40-of-74 passing. On the ground, Larry McCammon Jr. is the only Owls rusher with over 100 yards. He’s turned 31 carries into 104 yards so far.</p>
<p id="tLeNWm">If Ball State wants to turn a corner in 2019 and be back in bowl eligibility, games like this one are the perfect test to see how it may shape up once MAC play starts up. </p>
<p id="hngoT1">Expect a shootout in Muncie, with both teams scoring at will at times against defenses that have struggled in the early going.</p>
<p id="2vpQxE">Saturday’s game is set to kickoff at 2 p.m. EST at Scheumann Stadium. Radio coverage is available on 104.1 WLBC and the ESPN+ has the streaming coverage.</p>
https://www.hustlebelt.com/2019/9/13/20863777/ball-state-cardinals-florida-atlantic-owls-football-game-preview-week-3-2019Sam Barloga2018-08-31T22:39:17-04:002018-08-31T22:39:17-04:00Western Michigan can't maintain late momentum, lose 55-42 to Syracuse
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<img alt="NCAA Football: Syracuse at Western Michigan" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1FQ1P5Za85rdmq35mu0W2rcCRvg=/0x0:4161x2774/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/61103977/usa_today_11164321.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Dino Babers still knows how to win in Kalamazoo.</p> <p id="QAM27h">Syracuse’s offense was almost unstoppable behind senior quarterback <span>Eric Dungey</span>, as the team captain helped the Orange amass over 600 yards en route to a 55-42 victory over Western Michigan.</p>
<p id="eica4x">Syracuse ran up the score in the first half, jumping out to 34-7 halftime lead behind an offense that looked impossible to stop.</p>
<p id="FDsalR">However, all that changed in the 15 minute halftime break.</p>
<p id="SuAd34">Dungey was absent for Syracuse’s early drives in the second half, allowing the Western Michigan offense to start clicking.</p>
<p id="sF6pML">Western Michigan found pay dirt in every one of its four third quarter drives. In the process, the Broncos nearly erased that 27-point deficit, and turned the season-opener into a shootout.</p>
<p id="BIXDtR">Junior quarterback <span>Jon Wassink</span> passed over 300 yards in the loss and junior LaVante Bellamy continued his recent success dating back to last season with 120 yards on 11 carries.</p>
<p id="wDAjAW">Syracuse would not lie down though. Up 34-28 with about five minutes left in the third, Dungey returned to lead the Orange on a touchdown drive, with several Broncos penalties helping along the way.</p>
<p id="H9u4z6">Of course, that wouldn’t be the end of the scoring in the third quarter. Both teams went on fast scoring drives back-to-back to make it 48-35 Orange going into the final 15 minutes.</p>
<p id="ZIxuP9">Syracuse and Western Michigan combined to score 42 points in the wild third quarter. <span>Wassink</span> and the entire Bronco offense more than doubled its yardage totals in the quarter.</p>
<p id="0qcF7a">Wassink and the Broncos had possession going into the fourth, but his first pass of the frame was intercepted by the Orange. Dungey would keep it on a 27 yard touchdown scamper on the very next play. </p>
<p id="wqOroO">Dungey’s poise and senior experience played big for the Orange down the stretch. He finished 7/19 for 184 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. His legs led him to over 200 yards on the ground, good to make him the contest’s leading rusher.</p>
<p id="3fvtNQ">Syracuse would grind the clock down in the fourth, and Western Michigan added a late, garbage time touchdown of its own to keep the scoreline respectable.</p>
<p id="4gn7Iq">Next up, nothing gets easier for Western Michigan. The Broncos travel to No. 14 Michigan next weekend. Syracuse goes home to host FCS Wagner.</p>
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https://www.hustlebelt.com/2018/8/31/17807760/western-michigan-broncos-syracuse-orange-football-game-recap-2018Sam Barloga