KALAMAZOO, Mich. - When it was finally over, the Ball State University football team spilled out of the sidelines and sprinted onto the field, arms raised and smiles spread across each player's face.
The Cardinals had just lasted through a four hour and 18 minute epic battle with Western Michigan, the longest in Mid-American Conference history.
Brian Jackson's 30-yard field goal in the fifth overtime gave Ball State a 60-57 win over the Broncos. The two teams combined for 1,084 total yards - 541 by Ball State and 543 by Western Michigan.
"I don't think either one of us are proud of our defense, but I thought they played their tails off," Ball State coach Brady Hoke said.
Western Michigan's Tim Hiller was sacked on the Broncos' final possession and Ball State's Bryant Haines forced a fumble. Brad Seiss recovered the ball, giving Ball State possession for what turned out to be the final time.
Both teams traded touchdowns in every overtime leading up to the fourth. In the third overtime, Hiller's pass to Greg Jennings was tipped by Ball State's Trey Lewis in the endzone during WMU's first play.
WMU's two-point conversion attempt fell no good, and after Ball State's Darius Hill scored a 15-yard touchdown grab, quarterback Joey Lynch tripped and fell down on the two-point conversion attempt leaving the score at 57 apiece.
"We definitely needed all 60 tonight," Lynch said. "One of the things we prided ourselves in is finishing it. Some of our coaches haven't felt we've done that as well as we should've."
Ball State again went to Hill in the fourth overtime but after catching the ball in the end zone in mid-air, he dropped it and the pass was ruled incomplete.
The Broncos then snuffed out Ball State's attempt at a fake field goal for a first down.
"I was proud at how they hung in there, and they still believed, and they kept fighting and scratching," Hoke said.
After driving down to the 16-yard line, Western attempted a 32-yard field goal for the win, but Nate Meyer's strike fell wide right. The two teams went into the final overtime still tied at 57.
Much of the Cardinals' offensive onslaught came from running backs B.J. Hill and Larry Bostic.
Hill rushed for 168 yards and one touchdown, and Bostic finished with a combined 83 in receiving and rushing and three touchdowns.
"Those guys just played their butts off," Lynch said. "They just got the extra yards and made people miss."
The Broncos almost prevented overtime when they're offense marched down 45 yards in 13 plays to set up a 49-yard field goal attempt by Meyer that fell short. The Cardinals struck early and often at the beginning of the game, scoring three touchdowns in their first five possessions.
At the end of the quarter, Ball State almost struck gold again when Martin Dunbar batted down a pass thrown near the line of scrimmage.
Ball State recovered the ball and ran back for what was originally ruled a 20-yard touchdown. But after the play was reviewed, the pass was ruled at the line of scrimmage, and therefore an incomplete pass. Western regained possession and eventually scored on a 4-yard pass to Tony Scheffler.
"It could have been a blowout," Western Michigan coach Bill Cubit said. "Our kids kept battling."
The call that reversed Ball State's fumble recovery touchdown turned out to be a huge turning point in the game. After trading touchdowns, Western Michigan took the lead at the beginning of the third quarter with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Jennings, giving the Broncos its first lead of the game, 30-27.
Jennings caught for 244 yards and four touchdowns on 11 receptions.
"He caused a lot of heartache and headache," Hoke said. "I can't say enough good things. Greg is one heck of a player."
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