MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Taking the handoff from quarterback Keith Wenning, running back David Brown burst through an open hole and quickly found himself in Central Michigan's secondary. Brown raced down the field, but it appeared three Chippewas would catch up with the speedy Cardinal short of the end zone.
Yet, just when they came close to tackling Brown, he sidestepped one and outran the angle on two more. After 80 yards, the freshman had his first career touchdown.
The play, which took just 13 seconds off the scoreboard at Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Saturday, changed the complexion of the game and gave Ball State an 18-point lead. There would be no comeback by the Chippewas, and the Cardinals cruised to a 31-17 victory.
The victory's importance wasn't lost on Brown.
"Beating Central Michigan, they were the reigning champs," he said. "Getting a win over them is a big win for our program/"
Rebounding from what could have been a devastating 45-0 loss at then-No. 18 Iowa was crucial for Ball State (2-3, 1-0 MAC). The victory sent a message to the Mid-American Conference that Ball State can't be ignored this year, but also went a long way in introducing Brown to the conference.
Brown wasn't supposed to be such a big factor in the Cardinals' offense this year. He was fighting for touches with MiQuale Lewis, Eric Williams and Cory Sykes. But his explosiveness has made him impossible to overlook and helped him lead Ball State in rushing with 117 yards and a touchdown on just seven carries Saturday.
"Being a redshirt freshman, not many people know who I am," Brown said. "So when I go in there, they think I'm just another running back. But they don't know I was competing with all the running backs last year as well."
Brown's 80-yard run is the Cardinals' longest play from scrimmage since an 81-yard pass from Nate Davis to wide receiver Terry Moss in 2006 against North Dakota State.
Stan Parrish never intended the play to be such a big gainer. After the game, Parrish said he was just hoping to run the clock out and take Ball State's lead into the fourth quarter,
"That third quarter, I wanted to run the ball and try and keep an 11-point lead to get the wind," he said. "David broke one to give us an even bigger lead."
Brown wasn't the only Ball State running back putting together a big day at Central Michigan. Eric Williams scored three touchdowns and had 182 all-purpose yards. Cory Sykes rushed for 92 yards after missing the past two games with an injury.
In all, the Cardinals ran for 306 yards, almost 5.5 times their total last week. While Brown refused to get excited about his own statistics, he was happy to see the team total.
"As a group it makes you feel awesome," he said. "We came out here and we wanted to establish the running game, and I think we did just that."
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