AMHERST, N.Y. – It happened so fast most people in UB Stadium didn't even see it. One moment Buffalo quarterback Jerry Davis appeared to be tackled by safety Sean Baker and middle linebacker Travis Freeman. The next, Baker was raising the ball above his head as he streaked into the end zone.
Baker's strip of Davis and the 26-yard return that ended in a touchdown caught the whole stadium off-guard. The referee was the closest person to Baker when he scored, and he was at least 10 yards behind.
Baker's teammates weren't too surprised. They have long since been conditioned to expect Baker to make unbelievable plays and were quick to join him on the field to celebrate.
The fumble recovery was one of three takeaways for Baker in Ball State's 20-3 victory at Buffalo on Friday night. The other two were interceptions, the 15th and 16th of his career. His first one broke the Ball State career record.
"Baker played like old Baker," coach Stan Parrish said. "A couple picks, first play of the third quarter steals the ball from the guy and runs it in for a touchdown."
The record-breaking interception came on a pass that bounced off a Bulls receiver and into the arms of Baker, who had read quarterback Alex Zordich's eyes and ran to where the ball would be thrown. With the pick, he passed Shafer Suggs and Mike Lecklider, both of whom are members of the Ball State Hall of Fame.
"The ball tipped up and I was just in the right spot at the right time," Baker said.
Baker's individual performance was a large part of Ball State's outstanding defensive performance. The three points by Buffalo were the fewest scored against Ball State since Toledo was shut out in 2008. The Bulls gained just 144 yards of total offense, the lowest total by a Cardinals' opponent in at least seven years.
Baker said the defensive game plan was to stop the Bulls' rushing attack. The Cardinals certainly accomplished that goal, holding the Bulls about 35 yards under their per-game average.
Linebacker Davyd Jones said a lot of Ball State's success came from the intensity the defense had.
"Every single person who played on defense brought energy and enthusiasm," he said. "Every time we hit, we really hit, and they felt it."
As usual, Baker played with plenty of intensity. He also put energy into cheering on his teammates, running along the sideline at one point in the first quarter to celebrate a big play by running back Eric Williams.
"That stuff is contagious and spreads through the whole team," Baker said. "That kind of represents our night. We were physical and aggressive, and went and got 'em."
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