KENT, Ohio - Maybe Ball State's fate against Kent State was decided on its opening drive when it fumbled at the one-yard line. Maybe it was decided when Kent State running back Dri Archer took a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. Or maybe it was decided when cornerback Jeff Garrett dropped a sure pick-six on Kent State's eventual game-winning drive.
Whenever it was decided in the 45-43 loss Saturday, Ball State had a number of mistakes and missed opportunities that cost it the game.
"It was disappointing, we didn't play from start to finish," coach Pete Lembo said following the loss. "That's on me. I got to do a better job of getting these guys ready and make sure we get off to a better start."
For the first 10 plays of Ball State's opening drive, the offense was getting off to a promising start and ended up at Kent State's one-yard line. But it was the 11th play that haunted Ball State throughout the game. Quarterback Keith Wenning botched the handoff to running back to Jahwan Edwards and the Golden Flashes recovered the fumble.
Kent State wasn't able to convert the takeaway into points, but it was seven points left off the scoreboard for Ball State.
"Not coming away with points on that first possession really hurt us," Lembo said. "It was one of those pieces of the game that knowing what we were up against today, you just knew it was going to come back to haunt us."
The mistakes kept racking up in the first half for the Cardinals. Two possessions after the fumble, kicker Steven Schott missed a 51-yard field goal that had no chance of going in. Ball State's defense added more missed tackles and safety Brian Jones and cornerback Chris Pauling were both burned on touchdown passes by Kent State quarterback Spencer Keith.
On top of that, Kent State showed why it has one of the top special teams units in the Mid-American Conference. On several kickoffs, Archer was brought down by the last Ball State defender that prevented him from taking more than one kickoff for a touchdown.
But even will all the mishaps, Ball State still was able to take a lead late in the fourth quarter. All the team needed was a defensive stop and to get the ball back. On Kent State's first play with a 42-36 lead and 6:01 left in the game, Keith's pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and straight up into the air and somehow wound up in defensive lineman Brandon Newman's hands. He fell to the ground after he intercepted the pass, giving his team possession at Kent State's 21-yard line.
"I saw the ball get tipped and I knew I had to run and get it," Newman said. "I just went down, I wasn't thinking about making anything spectacular."
Two plays after Newman's interception, Wenning threw his fifth touchdown of the game - along with 445 yards for the game - on a slant route to wide receiver Connor Ryan to give Ball State a 43-42 lead. At the time, it appeared Newman's pick would let Ball State escape Dix Stadium with a win, but Kent State had one more chance to get at least a field goal.
One play into the drive, Keith about threw away the game for his team as Garrett jumped a slant route and had the football bounce off his chest. Had he held on, he would have been able to score easily and give Ball State a seven-point lead. Instead, it was only a simple incompletion and Kent State drove to set up the game-winning 25-yard field goal.
For those few minutes following Ryan's touchdown to give the visitors the lead, it looked like Ball State would extend winning streak to three games and go 2-0 in the MAC. But it was Kent State who keeps its unbeaten record in the conference alive.
After the game wide receiver Willie Snead, who finished with 216 yards on 14 receptions and two touchdowns, was visibly frustrated with the result.
"We had this," Snead said. "We controlled our own destiny at the beginning with the fumble. We could have gone up seven [points[ right there. We just have to capitalize on defense. Jeff [Garrett] almost had the pick six. [Cornerback Eric Patterson] down the field almost had the pick. He did it last week, he needs to do it this week, too."
Lembo and his players stressed moving onto the next week following wins against two BCS opponents. For the loss to a MAC opponent, the message is still the same: move onto the next game.
"This will probably leave me tomorrow afternoon after I watch film," Snead said. "We have to move on. This isn't a game that's really going to hurt us. This is an [MAC] East team. Next week is a West team in Northern [Illinois]."
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