On a muddy, overcast day that presented miserable conditions for the Ball State University football team's offense, the Cardinals were forced to rely on a defense accustomed to playing in the shadows.
With plenty of uncertainty about whether it could handle the lead role, the defense didn't disappoint. With five forced turnovers - including three interceptions and a fumble returned for touchdown by safety Sean Baker - the Cardinals stymied a sizzling University of Akron offense for a 41-24 win in their first road game of the year. The victory pushed Ball State's record to 3-0 for the first time since 1988, when the program began the year winning five straight games.
"It's been a long time, and Ball State played some tough BCS schools in there, during that last 20 years, to begin the season," Hoke said. "It's a good win; it's nice to be undefeated at this point."
The Cardinals opened the scoring early, executing a 68-yard drive in less than three minutes that ended with a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Nate Davis to freshman receiver Briggs Orsbon. The Zips held Ball State without a touchdown for more than 26 minutes before running back MiQuale Lewis scored on a 3-yard run, giving the Cardinals a 17-10 lead with 1:11 left in the first half.
During that 26-minute stretch, Ball State's defense forced two punts and two interceptions. The only touchdown Akron scored in that time was after Cardinals receiver Dante Love fumbled a pitch from Davis, giving the Zips the ball on Ball State's 10-yard line.
Senior cornerback B.J. Hill, a former running back, said the defense relished the chance to carry the team while the Cardinals' offense found its rhythm.
"Our job is to go out there and stop the other team," Hill said. "It doesn't matter what our offense is doing, it doesn't matter what position we're in, our job is to stop their offense. They struggled a little bit, but this is a team, and we've got to pick them up just like they've got to pick us up sometimes."
Ball State played three defensive linemen in its base defense and constantly mixed blitzes with its four linebackers. The scheme led to two sacks and pressure on Akron quarterback Chris Jacquemain on almost every passing situation.
Along with his four interceptions, Jacquemain finished with 269 passing yards and completed 21 out of 44 passes, including one for a touchdown. Akron receiver Deryn Bowser caught eight passes for 117 yards.
Hoke said his strategy was to pressure Jacquemain throughout the game to keep the Zips' offense off balance.
"When you run a spread offense and you only have five guys to block, if you can bring six [players on a blitz] and hold up in your man coverage then you've got a chance," Hoke said. "So we tried to get him off his launch point, tried to make him uncomfortable, and then we settled into some zone [coverage]. Most of our picks came off of those zones when we settled into that."
Riding the momentum from its touchdown at the end of the first half, the Cardinal offense heated up in the final 30 minutes. Including Lewis' touchdown run, Ball State scored 21 unanswered points and four touchdowns in six possessions.
Lewis finished with 154 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries. Davis completed 24 out of 36 passes for 300 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw an interception, giving him nine touchdowns and three interceptions in his first three games.
Regardless, punting the football has not proved popular for Ball State's offense, so Davis was more upset with the first-half effort than the rebound in the second half.
"I believe the defense [made a statement]," Davis said. "I don't think the offense did. As [an offense], I don't think we came out ready to play. We came out soft, but the defense won the game for us, and [the offense] has got to pick it up next game."
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