Forget Indiana on Sept. 15.
Forget any other upset in Ball State football history, because there's none bigger than what went down inside a packed Scheumann Stadium on Saturday evening.
The Cardinals are dangerous, and once again, they proved it by defeating a much bigger, faster and rugged South Florida team.
"This wasn't luck," coach Pete Lembo said. "We beat them. It can be done."
It sure wasn't luck.
Week after week, this team continues to prove people wrong. Few, if anyone, picked the Cardinals to defeat or even hang with the Bulls, except for the 110 guys wearing the Cardinal red and white.
Ball State fought and continued to fight until sophomore cornerback Eric Patterson intercepted the final desperation heave from South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels, to seal not only the game, but also the biggest win in program history.
Behind a determined offensive line, the Cardinals controlled the line of scrimmage against a ferocious Bulls' defensive front. The most experienced offensive line in the country created running lanes for Jahwan Edwards, Horactio Banks and Barrington Scott, who earned every one of their 169 rushing yards.
The offensive line protected quarterback Keith Wenning every time he dropped back in the pocket, providing him ample time to locate his receivers downfield.
We've seen the Cardinals rise to the challenge for four weeks now, and they resemble a team that we haven't been accustomed to watching since the magical undefeated 2008 season.
Ball State would've crumbled under the same circumstances three years ago. They would've tucked their tail between their legs and accepted defeat. They would've allowed the Bulls to storm back and steal the victory in the fourth quarter like so many other opponents did.
But these aren't the same Cardinals from two or three years ago. These aren't the same old sorry Cardinals that caused so much pain and agony for their faithful fans every week.
No, these are Pete Lembo's Cardinals: a team that no longer shies away from adversity.
Senior linebacker Travis Freeman said he was tired of his team being just an average football team.
These Cardinals are no longer an average football team.
Freeman and the rest of the Cardinals believed. They believed in each other. They believed in the coaching staff. And they believe in what Lembo continues to preach. And as long as they continue to believe, the Cardinals will be unstoppable.
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