The Ball State Cardinals took down the Kent State Golden Flashes in an electric matchup that had both teams struggling to score.
“We don’t care about stats in the book other than how many touchdowns we give up and how many stops we get. And then offensively, how many touchdowns we score and how many turnovers we get,” said Cardinals Head Coach Mike Uremovich, who led Ball State from the sideline. “Stats are for losers.”
The Golden Flashes returned the kickoff to their own 30-yard line but were stopped in three plays by the Cardinals. Kent State went to move the chains on fourth down, but were stopped short, forcing a turnover on downs.
The Cardinals took two plays to get to the 20-yard line before settling for a field goal and the first points of the game.
Kent State retaliated with a 35-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver De’Shawn Martin. Junior running back Gavin Garcia followed that up with a 27-yard rush to put the Golden Flashes in field goal range.
Kent State’s sophomore quarterback Dru DeShields found freshman wide receiver Wayne Harris in the corner of the endzone on the next play. After review, the call was overturned, forcing Kent State to attempt a field goal. The 40-yard attempt flew right, leaving the score 3 - 0.
Ball State continued its momentum as senior quarterback Kiael Kelly slipped through the pocket and rushed for 35 yards from the Cardinals’ 23-yard line. Kelly then handed the ball to sophomore running back TJ Horton for a short, one-yard rush. The Golden Flashes’ defense broke through the offensive line for the big sack and a loss of 10 yards.
The game continued with Kelly and DeShields making big plays for both teams. Every time one of the offenses put a drive together, the defense cut it short.
Going into the second quarter, the Cardinals stormed down the field and made the touchdown-scoring pass to senior wide receiver Qian Madwood. The extra point was good from senior kicker DC Pippin.
Down 10 points to nothing, Kent State turned up and made a big drive of their own.
DeShields rushed for nine yards before being stuffed in the backfield on second down. The Golden Flashes bounced back to gain 11 yards with a successful pass to senior tight end Christian Berry.
DeShields continued the push forward with two other completed passes and a rush from Garcia. But, despite the plays, Ball State’s defense came in and stopped the drive at the 39-yard line. Kent State went for the field goal on fourth and 17. The kick from senior kicker Will Hryszko was good. The score going into halftime was 10 - 3.
The third quarter started with offensive fireworks from Ball State. Kelly completed a 19-yard pass to get to midfield, followed by a pass to sophomore receiver Trey Firestone running an out route. Kent State responded and put together three defensive stops to force the punt.
DeShields started Kent State’s drive with a few good plays to move the chains. Harris caught a 40-yard bomb that left one man to beat for the score. But before getting to the pylon, he was smashed into the turf by senior defensive back Michael Gravely Jr. Ball State came up with a sack and another stopped rush to force fourth and eight. The Golden Flashes went for it but were stopped.
Ball State attempted to extend its lead, but Kent State forced a punt in only four plays. The Golden Flashes charged downfield after the reception with a series of passes and rushes, ending in a touchdown run from Garcia to tie the game.
Toward the end of the quarter, the Cardinals' offense found themselves with 16 yards to go on fourth down at the Golden Flashes’ 40-yard line. Pippin attempted his second-longest field goal of his career, which fell just short.
In the fourth quarter, Kent State made a big play with a 30-yard catch from Harris at the 22-yard line. Garcia tried to break through the line but was stopped short multiple times. The Golden Flashes settled for a field goal to go up three points.
With only two minutes left in the game, Ball State went for the win behind Kelly’s playmaking. The Cardinals put a few small plays together to get to midfield before Kelly found freshman tight end Kameron Anthony for a 25-yard pass. The very next play, Kelly found Anthony once again for the touchdown and the lead.
“My only thought was to run as fast as I could,” said Anthony. “I didn’t want to get caught, so I sprinted.”
Kent State attempted to respond with a score of its own, but the Cardinal defense stepped up to seal the victory for Ball State.
“It starts in practice. We practice situational football, and that's what we try to do. I think we came out and capitalized on it,” said senior defensive back Joedrick (Jo Jo) Lewis.
The Cardinals moved to 4-5 with a conference record of 3-2. Kent State fell to 3-6 with a conference record of 2-3.
(By Chase Petry)
Football on a Wednesday, something we don’t hear often. However, for a select group of Ball State Cardinal fans, they were ready to endure the Muncie, Indiana, cold that froze fans over on Nov. 5.
Scheumann Stadium, a Division I MAC conference stadium that can hold approximately 22,500 fans, looked empty, as the weather made it feel like 37 degrees outside. However, there were several splotches of red in the home team grandstands, with a handful choosing the lawn seating. On the visitor’s side, there were a few loyal fans wearing yellow Kent State sweatshirts.
Some folks don’t mind the cold, Cardinal football is worth it to them.
The Kent State Golden Flashes came to Muncie with the same overall record as the Cardinals, 3-5.
After KSU trotted out onto the field, BSU played their hype video on the videoboard and out came the Cardinals, decked out in their black jerseys with a red and white stripe on their shoulders. They were sporting their white helmets and pants to complement the jerseys, ready for a MAC conference war.
The game was, indeed, a war. Collectively, both teams committed acts of unnecessary roughness, unsportsmanlike conduct and they made sure to try and pummel each other’s quarterbacks.
Even though it was cold, the fans made sure to enjoy their time. There was a race between a student dressed as The Grinch and BSU’s mascot, Charlie Cardinal, during a timeout and during the “Flex Cam,” there were many bare chests. One guy was swinging his red shirt around his head and a man dressed as a Pop Tart made the “Dance Cam” entertaining as well.
The 1st quarter started out slow, with DC Pippin nailing a 25-yard field goal to start the scoring for BSU. The Golden Flashes were able to charge down the field after this, courtesy of junior Gavin Garcia’s 27-yard rush, where he was able to drag multiple players for what felt like an eternity before finally getting brought down. KSU kicked a 35-yard field goal to tie the game, but a five-yard penalty overruled the previous kick and BSU couldn’t make the 40-yarder.
With 13 and a half minutes left in the second quarter, BSU found themselves at KSU’s two-yard line. The Cardinals’ senior quarterback, Kiael Kelly, plays the game in a very similar way as Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.He doesn’t pass much; he uses his quick speed to scramble and create plays.
The play call on the goaline was for a shovel pass and Kelly made a quick, barely noticeable toss to sophomore running back TJ Horton, who ran into the endzone, which ended up being a critical score in the game.
With a 10-0 lead, KSU had some ground to gain. Grad-student tight end Christian Berry and sophomore quarterback Dru DeShields woke up the offense. He threw two strikes to his tight end, gaining 34 yards on the drive. Due to penalties, which Golden Flashes Head Coach Mark Carney was visibly frustrated about, the offense had to settle for a 39-yard field goal to make the score 10-3.
The scoring slowed until the third quarter was nearly over. With 4:42 left, KSU junior running back Donovan Delaney, Jr. took a direct snap at the goaline and ran for a four-yard touchdown, tying the game at 10.
The Cardinal offense continued to not put points on the board and after the Pop Tart man danced for everyone, KSU hit a 28-yard dagger of a field goal to give them the lead, 13-10.
The Golden Flashes were on the move again, until DeShields threw a risky pass that was intercepted by senior defensive back Joedrick Lewis, a saving grace of a play that saved the few cold Cardinal fans from suffering the feeling of loss.
With 37 yards standing between the Cardinals and a victory, Kelly got sacked. They found themselves in a third and 12 situation and a 10 yard pass to freshman tight end Kameron Anthony following the sack wasn’t enough to get a fresh set of downs.
Fourth and 2, game on the line, with less than two minutes left, Kelly found Anthony again, wide open on a short slant. He caught the ball and took off like a rocket for 29 yards and won the game for Ball State, 17-13.
Up to that time, Anthony had only caught two passes for 15 yards on the year.
“As long as we win the game, I could play terrible, and I’ll be happy,” Anthony said.
(By Spencer Smith)
