KENT, Ohio - It's easy to blame Ball State's defense for the team's 45-43 loss to Kent State on Saturday. Perhaps a little too easy.
The Cardinals may have given up 461 total offensive yards, a 50 percent success rate on third downs and 38 points, but late in the game, when the team really needed its defense to make stops, it did.
On Kent State's final three drives, Ball State recorded an interception on the first and held its opponent to a three-and-out series on the second. It was only on Kent State's game-winning drive that Ball State's defense couldn't hold on any longer.
In between those drives, Ball State's offense took a 43-42 lead on an easy six-yard touchdown that was set up by the defense's interception on Kent State's side of the field. Minutes later after a Kent State punt, the offense failed to pick up a third down conversion that would have helped run out the clock, forcing a punt.
With 2:14 still remaining in the game, it was more than enough time for Kent State to make Ball State pay for its failure to close the game out.
But the game couldn't be narrowed down to those few drives. After the yards and points Ball State had given up all afternoon, defensive tackle Brandon Newman, who grabbed the interception late in the fourth quarter off a tipped pass, said the defense still had to take the blame.
"We can't not play our best game and expect to win games; it's as simple as that," Newman said. "[The] offense has bailed us out the last couple of weeks, and the defense has to step up. We have to be the ones to win the game every now and then. We can't really expect to win these games if we're not doing what we're supposed to do."
Sophomore wide receiver Willie Snead was just as critical of the offense's play late in the game.
"Offensively, we can't go three-and-out ... and expect to make a game-winning drive at the end," Snead said. "It doesn't happen every week."
But as Snead stood on the sidelines and watched Kent State drive down the field for the game-winning field goal, he said he couldn't help but feel like opportunities were going to waste on the other side of the ball.
On the first play of that drive, junior cornerback Jeffery Garrett dropped what would have been an interception returned for a touchdown. Ten plays later, Eric Patterson jumped in front of a receiver and nearly came down with an interception on the sideline.
They both nearly ended the game in Ball State's favor. Either way, between Ball State's mistakes on offense, defense and special teams, "nearly" didn't cut it.
"In the end, we just have to capitalize on defense," Snead said. "Jeff almost had the pick six right there in his hands. [Eric Patterson] down the field could have had the pick. He did it last week, he needs to do it this week. It's just players making plays when they need to."
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