COLUMBIA, Mo. -- For the second week in a row, Ball Statetrailed at halftime with the game all but over.
A 28-point second quarter put the Cardinals (0-3) in a 31-0hole, and Missouri (2-1) went on to a 48-0 victory.
Some usual problems -- porous kick coverage, feeble run defenseand leaky pass protection -- were the main culprits. Those and theability of Brad Smith, who torched the BSU defense for the secondtime in as many meetings.
Missouri's junior quarterback finished with 213 yards passingand 83 more rushing.
"We got whipped pretty good by a helluva quarterback who made alot of plays," head coach Brady Hoke said. "We didn't make plays.We couldn't convert third downs, and we couldn't stop them on thirddown when we had the opportunity."
BSU trailed 17-0 late in the second, but two big blows in a spanof just 17 seconds opened things up.
Following a punt return to the Ball State 43, Smith firedbackdoor to a wide-open Nash, who waltzed in for the touchdown with2:35 remaining.
Lynch fumbled the Cards' first snap after the kickoff, andMissouri recovered at the 15. Sean Coffey corraled Smith's scoringpass on the next play, making it 31-0 with 2:18 to go.
The fumble was Ball State's first turnover this season.
"You let a team score at the end of the half," Hoke said, "themomentum and all those things completely turn around."
Missouri first got on the board in first quarter when JoeTantarelli booted a 20-yard field goal at the 4:37. The BSU defensehad held after Thomson Omboga returned a Hodges punt 49 yards tothe Ball State 33, with David Gater making a saving tackle.
Some missed opportunities to contain the Tigers cost the Cardsdearly in the second.
A defensive holding penalty had nullified a third-down sack byRandall Means in Missouri territory.
Missouri then finished a 10-play, 86-yard drive with DamienNash's 2-yard plunge on the first play of the second quarter.
The next score, at the 8:55 mark, was all Smith. He escaped anapparent sack before lofting a 35-yard pass to William Franklin atthe Ball State 30. After scrambles of 11 and 13 yards, he took athird-and-goal bootleg four yards for the score, shedding a Meanstackle in the process.
"That's what he's done all his career," BSU safety JustinBeriault said of Smith. "We had opportunities to make plays and wedidn't."
Missouri more than tripled Ball State in yardage (471-142). Nashrushed for 69 and was the leading receiver, with four catches for57 yards.
Joey Lynch was constantly harassed and threw for just 40 yardson 8-of-13 passing. Freshman Cole Stinson quarterbacked the fourthquarter.
Another freshman, Adell Givens, started at tailback rushed for92 yards on 20 carries. However, thanks to three sacks, theCardinals finished with just 65 rushing yards.
"I thought we ran the ball well early," Hoke said. "When we wentback to throw, we couldn't protect. It's hard to throw the ballwhen you get no protection."
The Cards never moved closer than the Missouri 37 and crossedmidfield just twice. Through the first three games, Ball State hasscored just one touchdown and is averaging 183 yards.
"We should be disappointed in that," Lynch said. "We have to doa better job of moving the ball and keeping the defense off thefield."
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
