Finally. A Ball State winner.
A struggling Cardinals team entered Mt. Pleasant on Saturday desperately in need of a victory. Thanks to a 55 yard field goal courtesy of Scott Secor, Ball State snapped a five game losing streak and left Central Michigan with its first win since August 30th.
Prior to that booming kick though, the Cardinals looked to be headed towards heartbreak for a second Saturday in a row. A week after Ball State blew a 31-14 halftime lead, falling to Western Michigan 42-38, the Chippewas also had designs of a comeback. Central Michigan erased a 26-14 halftime deficit, tying the game at 29 on a two point conversion run from quarterback Cooper Rush that followed a touchdown pass to Titus Davis.
The Cardinals have found their quarterback though. With just over two minutes remaining, Jack Milas drove Ball State 29 yards in 9 plays, just enough for Secor's game winning kick with 17 seconds remaining. A week after establishing a new Ball State single game passing record for a freshman, Milas was short on style, long on substance. Milas completed 21 of 38 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown.
Central Michigan aired it out more than the Cardinals. Rush connected on 20 of 32 passes for 245 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. He also fumbled once after being sacked by Darnell Smith. Michael Ayers returned the fumble to the Central Michigan 1 yard line setting up a Jahwan Edwards touchdown run to take a 26-14 second quarter lead. Saturday marked the most touchdowns and most interceptions Rush has thrown in a game so far this season.
Statistically, the flash goes to the Chips. Thomas Rawls shredded Ball State for 167 yards on 32 carries. Rawls did commit two costly turnovers though, fumbling twice. Wide receiver Titus Davis also put up big numbers. The future NFLer caught 10 passes for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Still, the Cardinals were just good enough. Jahwan Edwards carried the ball 32 times for 98 yards and 2 touchdowns. In doing so, Edwards passed former Cardinal Marcus Merriweather becoming Ball State's all time leader in rushing yards.
KeVonn Mabon lead all Cardinals receivers with 7 catches for 99 yards and a touchdown. It was the top performance for Mabon since an 11 catch, 110 yard effort against Colgate to open the season.
Eric Patterson shined on the defensive side of the ball for the Cardinals. Patterson was the recipient of both Rush interceptions, and also forced a Rawls fumble with the Chippewas inside the Ball State 12 yard line.
Secor also connected on field goals of 39, 37, and 20 yards. For the season, Secor has been successful on 16 of his 19 field goal attempts, including 5 of 6 from outside of 40 yards.
With the win Ball State climbed to 2-5 overall and 1-2 in MAC play. Central Michigan fell to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the conference. Both are back in action next week, with the Cardinals returning home to face the Akron Zips, and the Chippewas hitting the road for a matchup with the Buffalo Bulls.