Ball State took a giant step forward Saturday, but it stillended in heartache instead of jubilation.
The Cardinals overcame an 18-point first-half deficit to forceovertime against heavily-favored Northern Illinois, only to see theHuskies (7-2, 6-0 Mid-American Conference) escape Muncie still atopthe West Division, 38-31.
The first overtime game at Ball State Stadium in seven years sawthe Cardinals fall to 1-8 (1-5 MAC) with their fifth-straightdefeat.
"(The players) competed like heck, they fought back," head coachBrady Hoke said. "The thing you can't do is give up some big plays,which we did."
Northern opened overtime with Garrett Wolfe's second 9-yardtouchdown of the game. He had also sprinted around right end for an84-yard touchdown in the third period just after BSU had pulledwithin 21-17.
Wolfe's score came on his 36th carry, and he had 280 of theteam's 373 rushing yards.
Ball State advanced to the Huskies 25-yard line to the 2, whereAdell Givens was thrown for a 2-yard loss on third-and-one. Onfourth down, Joey Lynch rolled right and lofted a pass to DanteRidgeway near the sideline. Ridgeway leaped and got his hands onit, but so did teammate Terry Moss and possibly the Northerndefenders, and the ball bounced away.
"I threw it up there for Dante, and Terry went up and thoughthe'd make a play too," Lynch said. "It just happened they hit eachother. It was close, and we just didn't come down with it."
Ball State forced overtime on Lynch's 1-yard sneak with 37seconds left. The touchdown capped a 16-play, 84-yard drive, withLynch completions converting three third-down and one fourth-downplay.
Lynch, who lost his starting job to true freshman Cole Stinsonafter the Cardinals' lone win in game four, was summoned to starton Thursday when Stinson's nagging shoulder injury got worse duringthe week.
The plucky sophomore struggled in the first half, completing 6of 12 for 31 yards, but responded with a gutsy performance afterhalftime. He finished 31 of 48 for 244 yards and twotouchdowns.
"He obviously did a great job of playing with composure," Hokesaid of Lynch. "Joe's a student of the game. He knows hisopportunity's going to come around, and it came."
Lynch's counterpart, Haldi, was just 7-of-16 passing for 142,but his first two completions were huge.
A 31-yarder to Dan Sheldon on third-and-16 preceded Wolfe'sfirst touchdown, which put Northern up 7-3 with 2:16 left in thefirst.
His next one went 78 yards for a touchdown to Sheldon, who beatRandall Means badly on the right side.
Haldi added a 1-yard bootleg to put the Huskies up 21-3 with4:05 left in the second, but the Cards' Terry Moss returned theensuing kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown.
In the third Lynch tossed a 2-yard touchdown to tight endMichael Steinhaus. Brian Jackson missed a 28-yard field goal earlyin the fourth, but Lynch capped the next drive by finding Ridgewayin back of the end zone for a 10-yard score.
Northern drove 62 yards in 14 plays, the last a 41-yard fieldgoal by Chris Nendick, before Ball State's final drive.
"We had the confidence in the second half to win that game,"said senior safety Justin Beriault who recorded a career-high 21tackles. "The offensive players would come over (to the defense)and say, 'Three-and-out, and we'll score.' And they did.
"It's not a moral victory. I feel as bad about this as otherlosses, but (the comeback) says a lot. It would have been easy forus to give up, being now 1-8. I'm just proud to be a part of thisteam."
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