There were no smiles or joyous celebration when Ball State University's players walked into a packed media room after their 42-20 victory at Indiana University on Saturday night.
Instead of finding happiness in one of the football program's biggest wins, the players desperately wanted a medical update on receiver Dante Love, who lay in a bed at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis.
"We don't got time for this," running back MiQuale Lewis muttered to quarterback Nate Davis, with his worry evident in his facial expression.
Love suffered a cervical spine fracture after getting leveled by Indiana cornerback Chris Adkins when he caught a 2-yard pass with 10:45 left in the first half. Adkins' blast knocked the ball out of Love's hands, and Hoosiers' safety Nick Polk returned the fumble for a 31-yard touchdown. The score cut Ball State's lead to 14-13.
Ball State coach Brady Hoke was pleased with his team's victory, but his worry for Love's health was foremost on his mind.
"It was obviously a tremendous win," Hoke said in the 30-second opening statement he gave before leaving without taking any questions. "I thought our kids played hard. I thought they responded well, and they kept getting after it. ... I appreciate your understanding, but I'm going to the hospital."
As Love was taken off the field on a stretcher, his teammates knelt in a huddle on the 35-yard line and joined in a silent, optimistic prayer. Without the services of their best offensive playmaker, the Cardinals pulled together to earn what seemed to be an improbable victory.
Sophomore linebacker Davyd Jones said his first thoughts were for his teammate's well-being. Once he was able to refocus on the game, he realized the absence of Ball State's best offensive playmaker would give the Cardinals' defense more responsibility.
"I had the mind-set that our defense had to step it up," Jones said. "We had to come out there, get a stop and step it up."
The Cardinals defense got much more than one stop.
Playing an offense that had scored 62 combined points against Ball State in the previous two years, Indiana did not score the entire second half. The Cardinals also had one of the biggest plays in the game when safety Sean Baker returned a Kellen Lewis interception 40 yards for a touchdown with 1:04 left in the second quarter.
Baker's touchdown - his second in as many weeks - gave Ball State a 28-20 halftime lead and sparked 21 unanswered points.
"He's all over the field," fifth-year senior linebacker Bryant Haines said of Baker. "He's a ball hawk, and he's a great player for our defense."
The Cardinals' offense was carried by running back MiQuale Lewis, who rushed 29 times for 166 yards and a school-record tying four touchdowns. Lewis said Ball State's offensive game plan centered on establishing its running game.
"We just kept pushing it," Lewis said. "Just establish the line of scrimmage and hit the holes full speed. As we get to the second line of defense, just make somebody miss. That's what we were able to do today."
Even though it was difficult to celebrate, Jones said, he was proud of the way his team pulled together to get a watershed victory on a difficult night for him and his teammates.
"For our program, it's tremendous," Jones said. "For our team, it's tremendous, and for our city. It feels great to get a win."
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