FOOTBALL: Ball State rushing defense collapses in loss

<p>Ball State defense allows 470 total yards in loss on Saturday, Sept. 20th</p>

Ball State defense allows 470 total yards in loss on Saturday, Sept. 20th

The Ball State defense needed a tornado siren to slow down the Toledo offense Saturday night and into Sunday morning in the 34-23 loss to the Rockets.

Thirteen offensive plays in for the Rockets, and the Cardinals were trying to figure out how they had already given up two rushing touchdowns to quarterback Logan Woodside, who had never rushed for a touchdown in his collegiate career.

The first came before a two hour and 42 minute weather delay. The second came less than three minutes after the game resumed.

“The kids were really excited to play and to their credit they were very resilient during that time we were in the locker room,” Ball State head coach Pete Lembo said. “They would have played this game at three in the morning.”

After nine more Toledo plays and another touchdown, trying to stop the bleeding was the main prerogative for Ball State.

Especially considering Rocket running back Kareem Hunt had hit an artery and sparked a Toledo offense that produced 318 yards on the ground.

On the first play of the game, Hunt carried the ball for 34 yards down the sideline, breaking tackles from safeties Martez Hester and Brian Jones, setting the tone for what would be a poor day of run defense for Ball State. Both Hester and Jones left the game with injuries.

After Toledo’s second touchdown, Scott Secor responded with field goals from 49, 45 and 22 yards, but Ball State’s red zone struggles continued. Freshman Dedrick Cromartie picked off Woodside and gave the Cardinals possession in the red zone, but the offense fell flat after moving down to the Toledo eight.

Toledo tacked on another touchdown before the first quarter ended, bouncing a run to the outside as Ball State’s defenders continued to lose, contain and let Hunt slip away. With the clock winding down, Hunt slid through the middle of the Ball State defense once again, this time for 43 yards.

Hunt finished the game with 142 yards on just 12 carries and a touchdown. He left the game in the third quarter and moved around the sideline on crutches.

“I don’t think we fit some things right, I think we missed a lot of tackles,” Lembo said. “But being ready to play, I don’t think that was an issue.”

With the teams trading punts after halftime, Woodside made sure the bleeding continued for the Ball State defense, hitting receiver Alonzo Russell deep in the end zone to extend the lead to 27-9.

Ball State bounced back as quarterback Ozzie Mann found KeVonn Mabon deep for a 43-yard touchdown, giving Ball State life it desperately needed.

Mabon had a team-high 78 yards, aided by the Toledo defense shifting help to Jordan Williams. Williams has played sparingly this season after suffering an ankle injury in the team’s opening game against Colgate.

“There were some times we executed a little bit better and certainly having Jordan [Williams] helps,” Lembo said. “He’s one of our playmakers and we’re a better team with him in the lineup.”

With Ball State threatening to close the gap, Toledo continued to pound the ball into the heart of the Ball State defense, a common theme throughout the night.

It was punctuated by a Damion Jones-Moore seven-yard touchdown run up the middle, in which Jones-Moore danced his way through defenders’ arms on his way to the end zone.

Ball State allowed 470 yards total, but most of them coming through the teeth of the defense. The defensive line was consistently sealed away, allowing running backs to roam free.

The Cardinals added a late touchdown when Mann hit Williams to cut the lead to 34-23, but Toledo would go on to run out the clock.

Ball State falls to 1-3 on the season and 0-1 in the Mid-American Conference.

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