Marge:
Offensive stats:
Keith Wenning: 20-29, 299 yards, 4 touchdowns
Horactio Banks: 11 rushes, 143 yards. 1 touchdown
Willie Snead: 9 receptions, 118 yards, 2 touchdowns
On a drive early in the second quarter, Ball State faced a 2nd and 6 at Central Michigan University’s 30-yard line.
Out of the shotgun, senior quarterback Keith Wenning calmly looked left at senior wide receiver Jamill Smith.
After a second’s pause, Wenning threw to Smith, who had broken free of the defense and was wide open at the 10-yard line. Smith made the grab and then dashed into the end zone for Ball State’s third touchdown of the game.
It was too easy — just like the rest of Ball State’s night.
The offense was clicking all night, leading to a 44-24 win over Central Michigan.
From the opening drive, it was clear it was going to be a productive night for Ball State’s offense.
After receiving the kickoff, Ball State marched 75 yards in nine plays, taking 3:51 off the clock. Wenning threw six passes on the drive, with junior running back Jahwan Edwards adding in three runs.
Ball State didn’t face a third down in the entire drive.
The drive was finished with Wenning hitting sophomore wide receiver Jordan Williams for an 8-yard touchdown.
Wenning also hit junior wide receiver Willie Snead for two touchdowns in the win.
Snead caught his on a play-action fake that fooled the entire Central Michigan defense.
On a Ball State drive late in the second quarter, it faced a 4th and 6 at Central Michigan’s 35-yard line. Looking at a 51-yard field goal, head coach Pete Lembo elected to go for it.
Snead caught with room to turn around and pick up a few more yards before being tackled ahead of the first down marker.
Ball State ran 73 plays in the game, with 29 pass attempts and 44 rush attempts. While Lembo didn’t think about it during the game, he said it “felt like a good balance.”
“You like to be balanced,” Lembo said. “You know there’s some times where you’re going to need to run it. … It was nice to see us run the ball effectively. I think we’re going to turn the film on tomorrow and feel good about the push the o-line got.”
Both teams then also traded field goals in the first half.
Late in the second quarter, sophomore Horactio Banks ran for a 25-yard touchdown. At halftime, Ball State had a 31-3 lead.
Adding insult to injury, Wenning hit Snead for another touchdown to bring the score to 41-10.
With four minutes left in the game, Wenning was still in the game, rolling out to his right on a pass attempt.
“A lot of it is the feel and the flow of the game,” Lembo said. “Had we gotten one or two more stops late, we would’ve felt a little better about putting the twos in a little bit earlier.”
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