Mat Mikesell is a senior journalism major. His views don’t necessarily reflect the views of The Daily News or its Unified Student Media affiliates. You can contact Mat at mlmikesell@bsu.edu.
Ball State offensive line dominates
From the beginning, Ball State’s offensive line set the tone of the game. Senior quarterback Keith Wenning had plenty of time to throw, but more importantly, he established the running game. Running the ball was vital Wednesday night as the first half was plagued by 15 mph winds and rain. The offensive line blew up the Central Michigan University defensive line and created huge holes for running backs Jahwan Edwards and Horactio Banks. Banks led with 143 yards on 11 carries, including a 25-yard touchdown run. Edwards added 90 yards on 18 carries. For most of the night, it seemed both running backs wouldn’t run into Central Michigan defenders until five yards down field. Wenning finished the game 20-for-29 with 299 yards and four touchdowns, three of which came in the first half.
Another record is made
Junior running back Willie Snead continued to add plays to his personal highlight reel when he hauled in a 1-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. Snead made a route for the corner pylon as Wenning zipped a pass his direction. A Central Michigan defender was all over Snead on the route and was called for a pass interference on the play. It didn’t matter to Snead, who still managed to haul in the catch as he was falling to the ground. The touchdown put Ball State ahead 41-10 in the third quarter. The touchdown grab was Snead’s 12th of the season, which broke the Ball State record for touchdown catches in a season. The record was previously held by Darius Hill, who had 11 in 2007. The touchdown throw was also Wenning’s 85th of his career, tying him with former Miami University quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for seventh in Mid-American Conference history.
Showdown with Northern Illinois University set up
Northern Illinois did its part in throttling University of Massachusetts Amherst over the weekend and Ball State’s win over Central Michigan set up a potential classic showdown against the two MAC West opponents next week. Both teams will enter the game undefeated in conference play, with the winner earning a trip to Detroit for the MAC championship game in December. The Huskies will enter the game ranked and the favorites playing at home, but the Cardinals have held leads in the fourth quarter against the two-time defending MAC champions. With the game again on national television as a weekday MAC game, Ball State and Northern Illinois could be one of the top games of the year, at least outside the non-automatic qualifying conferences.
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