Brian Jackson's missed extra point wasn't a big deal at the time.
Ball State University scored right before halftime to push its lead to 23-7. On 3rd-and-11 from the Indiana 41 yard line, Joey Lynch avoided the Hoosier pass rush and found a wide-open Darius Hill in the end zone for the score.
Then Jackson missed the kick. As it turned out, it would be the difference.
The Cardinals let a 16-point lead slip away in the second half against Indiana University, as the Hoosiers defeated the Cardinals 24-23, disappointing a Scheumann Stadium-record 23,813 fans.
Jackson, who missed a 46-yard field goal in the third quarter, wasn't the only special teams problem for Ball State. Indiana's Marcus Thigpen returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter after Jackson hit a 52-yard field goal. Thigpen's return tied a Scheumann Stadium record for longest kickoff return.
"Kicking game, kicking game, kicking game." Ball State coach Brady Hoke said. "We talked about that being the difference all week. Kickoff return for a touchdown can't happen because we had some really good momentum. We let them back in the game. We just didn't execute some kicks that we normally do."
The Cardinal defense's tackling woes also continued, letting Indiana amass 297 second-half yards. Indiana's third-string quarterback, freshman Kellen Lewis, did most of the damage, gaining 319 total yards.
"We had practiced a lot on him just in case they were going to switch it up because we had problems against Eastern Michigan on the option," safety Erik Keys said. "So we worked on that but we had some missed assignments and tackling. Very poor tackling. I'm not going to take nothing way from him. He was very elusive. We have to make stops and we just didn't do it."
Keys led the Cardinals with nine tackles.
The Cardinals had a chance late in the fourth quarter. On 4th-and-1 from their own 45-yard line with under two minutes remaining, the Hoosiers lined up to go for it. With Lewis using a hard count, he drew Ball State senior defensive tackle William Wise offside, giving Indiana a first down and the game.
"It bothers you a lot," Hoke said. "You got to finish. It's a 60-minute football game. We got a chance and we make a bonehead play and jump offsides at the end of the game. That's just bad.
"They were just going to try to get us to jump offsides. And we did it. We did it."
On the offensive side, Ball State only managed 110 yards in the second half after outgaining Indiana 220-77 in the first half. Neither quarterback, Lynch or Nate Davis, were able to get into a rhythm in the second half. Lynch finished 15-for-24, 246 yards and three touchdowns, with 202 of those yards and all three touchdowns coming in the first half.
"I've seen a bunch of them, but that was one of the finest halves I've seen a quarterback have that Joey Lynch had in the first half," Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner said. "They just executed so well."
Lynch said he didn't felt like he was out of rhythm after Davis came in for back-to-back possessions in the third quarter.
"That's part of the game plan that we're both going to play," he said. "I stayed in tune to what was going on."
The Cardinals' offense got off to a hot start on their first possession, marching 80 yards in 11 plays, culminating with a two-yard touchdown pass from Joey Lynch to Brad Salyer.
On its next possession, Ball State upped the lead to 14-0. Lynch found Dante Love open on a deep post route for a 32-yard gain on the first play of the drive. Four plays later, Lynch hit Terry Moss at the two-yard line. Moss was met by two Indiana defenders, but plowed over them into end zone for a 14-0 Ball State lead.
The Hoosiers' starting quarterback, Blake Powers, did not play due to a leg injury suffered in their game last week against Western Michigan University. Graeme McFarland started the game, but was pulled for Lewis after being ineffective for two series.
The only score in the fourth quarter belonged to Indiana, with kicker Austin Starr hitting a 35-yard field goal with 11 minutes left in the game to give the Hoosiers the one-point lead.
Terry Moss led Ball State receivers with four catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. Love caught nine balls for 80 yards and a touchdown.
Ball State only ran for 63 yards on 22 carries. Freshman MiQuale Lewis led the way with 22 yards on seven carries.
"It's a tough one for the kids but we'll move forward because you have to," Hoke said. "And we want to."
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