The Ball State football team had the opportunity to finish above the .500 mark for the first time since 1996. The Cardinals had the opportunity to show the nation that the gang from Muncie could play. Those opportunities slipped through their fingers Saturday night in front 23,824 fans and an ESPN2 audience as Ball State fell to the Marshall Thundering Herd 38-14.
Ball State (6-6, 4-4 MAC) could not stop the Herd's thundering offense. Heisman Trophy candidate Byron Leftwich scorched the Cardinal defense for 401 yards on 35-42 passing. The numbers are more impressive when you see that the senior quarterback played only three quarters.
"Byron Leftwich is as good as they come," head coach Bill Lynch said. "He absolutely controls a game. It's like a dad playing with kids in the neighborhood."
Marshall marched down the field behind Leftwich's right arm from the first possession. The Cardinal defense tightened up, however, when the Herd neared the goal line. Marshall walked away with only three points to show for their opening-drive effort.
Ball State then showed some offensive pizzazz of its own by answering with a three-yard touchdown fling from junior Andy Roesch to freshman Ryan Hahaj.
"I thought we had some momentum at that point, and we thought we'd be able to do that the rest of the game," Roesch said.
They couldn't.
Ball State didn't score again until there was only 1:37 left in the game on a 12-yard run by senior tailback Marcus Merriweather.
"I think their defense gets overshadowed by how explosive their offense is," Lynch said.
Merriweather's touchdown run came on the final carry of his illustrious Ball State career. The score gave him 37 career touchdowns, tying Michael Blair's six-year record.
The carry also took Merriweather past another milestone. The 12-yard run gave Merriweather 4,002 career rushing yards. He became the ninth player in Mid-American Conference history to reach the plateau and the first Cardinal to accomplish the feat.
"Reaching the 4,000-yard mark just came as a part of the game," Merriweather said. "I really did not have that good of a day rushing."
The team won three of its final four games to earn its 6-6 record, but Merriweather said the squad isn't totally satisfied with its finish.
"This isn't the position we wanted to be in at the end of the season, but it wasn't a bad year," Merriweather said. "It is all in the past now, we have to look toward the future."
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
