The more Northern Illinois ran, the more exhausted Ball State’s defense became.
During the Cardinals 35-21 loss to the Huskies, Northern Illinois amassed 283 rushing yards, most coming in the second half.
With the rush defense growing weary, Ball State lost control of the game.
“We played extremely well defensively until the very end, when we got worn down,” Ball State head coach Pete Lembo said. “We were out there for 90 plus plays.”
Northern Illinois rattled off 93 total plays and dominated time of possession, keeping the ball for 35:50, 9:10 of which came in the fourth quarter, when running out the clock.
The Cardinals were missing linebacker Ben Ingle, who was injured against Central Michigan, and Eric Patterson, who broke his arm early against Northern Illinois. Safety Brian Jones and nose tackle Keenan Noel also left the game for periods.
With injuries mounting on the defensive side for Ball State, Northern Illinois continued pounding the ball up the middle, using quarterback Drew Hare and tailback Cameron Stingily. Ball State linebacker Zack Ryan said once Northern Illinois realized it could run the ball with success, the rushing game became relentless.
Stingily, 6-feet-1 and 235 pounds, was a nightmare for the Ball State defense to pull down. He finished the game with 148 yards and three touchdowns, often breaking several tackles and dragging two or three defenders to the ground with him.
“It came down to just the running game. Stingily is a big back, and he was hard to wrap up,” Ryan said.
The Cardinals have struggled defending the run all season. After this loss, the team is giving up 150 rushing yards per game, ninth in the Mid-American Conference.
But they gave up nearly double that against Northern Illinois, as the defense looked tired, struggling to get off the field and finding it difficult to bring down ball carriers.
“We’re conditioned, we practiced throughout the week. We just got worn down,” Ryan said.
Without the ability to stop the rush, Ball State couldn’t get the ball back in a close game. The constant rushing attack chewed the clock, slowly destroying the Cardinals' chance to mount a comeback.
Northern Illinois finished the game with 62 rushes, most of them divided between Hare and Stingily. Hare finished with just 40 rushing yards, but his 18 carries prevented Ball State from keying on Stingily, making it an adventure for the Ball State defense every time the ball was snapped.
When Ball State did have the ball, the results were usually a quick punt or turnover, putting an already tired defense in poor position.
“I don’t know what the final tabulation was, but 90, 95, 100 plays is way too much,” Lembo said. “The bottom line is field position, and not staying on the field offensively.”
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