DEKALB, Ill. - After allowing 414 rushing yards to Ohio last week and statistically being the worst rushing defense in the nation, Ball State University's defense likely looked like prime rib to the Mid-American Conference's top rushing offense in Northern Illinois.
But it was the Cardinals' defense who feasted on the Huskies' offense, allowing only 66 rushing yards and 229 total yards in Ball State's 31-17 win.
"It tells me that we've underachieved a little bit," coach Brady Hoke said. "It tells your kids that when you do play with a great deal of confidence and a great deal of heart and toughness, that good things can happen."
The Cardinals' defense spent the week hitting more than usual because of its performance against Ohio, Hoke said.
"Whether its getting the team's attention or whatever you want to call it, we needed to be motivated," he said.
Ball State maintained a three-point lead through the entire first half from a career-long, 54-yard field goal by Brian Jackson. The Cardinals then shocked the Huskies with back-to-back strikes 1:36 apart at the end of the half.
Terry Moss caught an 18-yard touchdown pass to give Ball State a 10-point cushion with 1:57 remaining, and Cardinals linebacker Martin Dunbar then recovered a fumble on the following kickoff.
Starting at the Huskies' 37-yard line, the Cardinals drove the short distance to the 4-yard line, where quarterback Joey Lynch threw a touchdown strike to Louis Johnson with 21 seconds left before halftime.
The Cardinals defense limited the Huskies to 16 first downs, including only one in the first half. A 22-yard scamper by quarterback Phil Horvath was the only first down the Huskies earned in the first half. Horvath finished with the most rushing yards for Northern Illinois with 39.
Ball State dominated possession of the ball, controlling it for almost 38 minutes. The Cardinals also held possession for two-thirds of the fourth quarter.
"The best defense for us is when we're off the field," linebacker Brad Seiss said. "Coach Hoke says that all the time. We're off the field, nothing good can happen for their offense."
The Cardinals picked up where they left off at the start of the second half with a 6-yard scoring strike by Chris Clancy on a slant pass from Lynch.
Horvath's own slant 17-yard touchdown pass to Davis cut the Cardinals' lead to 24-7, but on his next possession, Horvath threw an interception to Ball State's Trey Lewis. Ball State capitalized on the opportunity with another 6-yard touchdown, this time by Charles Wynn, who finished with a season-high 122 yards.
"Especially after last week's performance not playing to our abilities, we were really fired up and knew we had a great opportunity of getting this thing back on track," Lynch said.
A.J. Harris cut the deficit to 14 with a 2-yard run with just under seven minutes remaining, but Ball State's offense ran over six minutes off the clock to secure its second victory. Within that drive, Ball State converted a key fourth-and-one to keep the drive alive as well as the clock ticking.
"The Ball States, the Central Michigans, the Eastern Michigans - they're so much better than they've been, and they're getting better and better," Novak said.
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