With less than 5:30 remaining in Saturday's game at Scheumann Stadium, Western Kentucky University quarterback K.J. Black threw an interception to Ball State University cornerback Trey Buice on the Cardinals' sideline.
Following the play, which secured a 35-12 win on Homecoming weekend, about 15 teammates mobbed Buice in a celebration. A week after a 20-point loss to Central Michigan University, Ball State coach Brady Hoke said a critical element of Saturday's victory was the energy his team possessed throughout the game.
"We put a lot of emphasis on that [during practice this week]," Hoke said. "The way we practiced on Tuesday and Wednesday paid off for us [Saturday] because we practiced a lot tougher than we did the week before. That's just the way we're going to be."
After scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter, Ball State was outscored 12-0 in the second quarter and held a two-point lead at halftime. Though the Cardinals' surrendered 12 first downs and 220 yards in the second half, Western Kentucky didn't score a point in the final 30 minutes.
One of the trademarks of Ball State's defense this season has been its ability to gang tackle, instead of relying on one defender in the open field. Throughout Saturday's contest, two to three defenders combined for a tackle. Sophomore safety Alex Knipp, whose 11 tackles against the Hilltoppers was a career high, said the defense responded to the challenge Hoke gave it during the week.
"After last week coach Hoke questioned our toughness on defense," Knipp said. "This week we got back to the basics and focused on running to the football. All the players stepped up on the defensive side of the ball, and I think we all played with toughness this week."
Hoke said Eddie Burk, who had six tackles and an intercession return for 39 yards, was they key to turning around the demeanor of the defense. Burk - who Hoke called the quarterback of the defense - said he took responsibility for the emotionally deadened performance against Central Michigan and tried to spark his team Saturday.
"I've always been a guy who likes to talk and when Wendell Brown [last year's starting middle linebacker and emotional leader] went down I became a lot more vocal," Burk said. "Last week we weren't playing with emotion or with any fire. Fortunately, this week we were a lot more into the game."
The defensive intensity preserved Ball State's lead as the offense sputtered in the second and most of the third quarter with a 23-minute-scoring drought. Cardinals' quarterback Nate Davis said the defense's play inspired his side of the ball in the second half, when the Cardinals scored three touchdowns during the last 20 minutes.
"The defense kept us energized," Davis said. "They just played a great game, and they kept giving us the ball back. We were finally able to start capitalizing on it near the end of the game."
Ball State's victory marked the first time since 2001 that the Cardinals have won on Homecoming weekend, but it was also the last time the Cardinals' seniors will play at Scheumann Stadium on Saturday. While it's important to win each week, Hoke said those two reasons were important to him.
"I was very happy to win on Homecoming because we haven't done that in a while," Hoke said. "But it was also nice to win on the last Saturday these seniors will be playing on this field. Those were kind of the two big things with this game."
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