Ball State falls to Northern Illinois after one-sided fourth quarter

Fourth quarter

Ball State had the ball to begin the fourth quarter, but was forced to punt, giving Northern Illinois the ball deep in Ball State territory.

On Northern Illinois’s second play of the fourth quarter, Jordan Lynch hit Da’Ron Brown deep for a 53 yard pass, but Brown fumbled and Ball State recovered on their own 13.

Ball State slowly moved the ball down the field utilizing short, quick passes to earn first downs.

After a five-yard run to the Northern Illinois 44, Edwards stayed down after being tackled, suffering an apparent injury. Teddy Williamson entered the game and lost a yard on his only carry, and Edwards reentered the game.

Facing a third and five, Keith Wenning had his pass knocked away. Ball State punted and Northern Illinois took over on their own six-yard line with 8:23 left.

With a second and one, Lynch took off and ran for 24 yards, moving the ball to the 39-yard line.

On third and 11, Ball State appeared to get a sack, but Lynch escaped and found Matt Williams for a 25-yard gain.

Facing a second and nine, Ball State blew coverage and Lynch hit Brown for 36-yard touchdown that gave Northern Illinois a 34-27 lead.

Jamill Smith took the kickoff out to the 29-yard line and Wenning hit Willie Snead for 18 yards on the first play of the drive. Ball State would face a fourth and one and Wenning gave the ball to Edwards, who was stuffed for a loss of one yard, giving the ball back to Northern Illinois.

Northern Illinois started working the clock and with a second and eight, Lynch took off and rushed around the right side for a 16-yard gain and a crucial first down.

Lynch took off and ran for a 16-yard touchdown, giving his team a 41-27 lead.

On Ball State’s next drive, Wenning was intercepted and Northern Illinois returned it for a touchdown, extending the lead to 48-27 with 46 seconds left.

Northern Illinois would go on to win 48-27.

Third quarter

Ball State started the second half with the ball, but it didn’t seem like it.

The team’s opening possession of the third quarter didn’t even last a minute before being forced to punt. Kyle Schmidt’s punt was a decent one, putting Northern Illinois at its own 15.

Northern Illinois drive was nearly stopped when Jonathan Newsome appeared to sack Jordan Lynch for a big loss. Instead, Lynch escaped the tackle and scrambled to pick up the first down.

Lynch picked up another first down on a fourth and short, easily running for five yards into Ball State territory.

Lynch worked the offense deep into Ball State territory. After a Draco Smith touchdown was reversed after replay, Lynch was stopped at the goal line to bring up a fourth and goal situation.

The Huskies converted the fourth down as Cameron Stingily found the end zone, giving Northern Illinois a 27-24 lead.

Ball State moved downfield methodically, and picked up a big third down after a pass from Keith Wenning to Zane Fakes.

On second and goal from the 10, Jahwan Edwards turned a minimal gain into a nine -yard gain. He couldn’t get in on third down as he was stuffed at the line.

Scott Secor hit an easy 19-yard field goal to tie the game at 27-27 late in the quarter.

Ball State’s defense forced Northern Illinois into a quick punt after picking up only one first down. Kenny Lee again came up with pressure on Lynch, forcing an incomplete pass on third down.

Wenning moved the offense to midfield as the third quarter ended.

Second quarter

It took three plays into the second quarter for Northern Illinois to take the lead back from Ball State.

From the Ball State three-yard line, Jordan Lynch ran in for the touchdown to give Northern Illinois a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter.

Ball State went back to work by often giving the ball to running back Jahwan Edwards on the drive. Edwards alone picked up several first downs and runs for more than five yards.

Edwards set up the passing game for Ball State as a pass from Keith Wenning to Jordan Williams put Ball State in a goal-to-go position from the Northern Illinois seven-yard line.

Wenning finished off the drive on a one-yard sneak to put Ball State ahead 14-10 with just over 10 minutes left in the half.

Edwards finished the drive with 51 yards on the ground.

Ball State’s special teams called for a surprise onside kick try on the opening kickoff. The gamble didn’t pay off as Northern Illinois recovered at Ball State’s 46-yard line.

Northern Illinois couldn’t convert the excellent field position into a touchdown, as Ball State’s defense locked in deep in its own territory. Cardinal linebacker Kenny Lee read a fake handoff, allowing him to stop Lynch from reaching the end zone.

The Huskies settled for a 20-yard field goal by Sims, cutting Ball State’s lead to 14-13 with five minutes remaining in the half.

Ball State moved the ball well again on its next drive — this time through the air. Wenning hit Willie Snead, Jamill Smith and Zane Fakes for completions on the drive.

After an 18-yard pass to Fakes, Ball State was again inside the Northern Illinois five-yard line. Edwards bullied his way into the end zone, giving Ball State a 21-13 lead.

His touchdown run was his 38th touchdown, a school record.

Northern Illinois responded on the first play of the drive as Lynch hit Da’Ron Brown for a 58-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead back to a point.

The Cardinals pushed to extend their lead before the half with catches by Williams and Fakes to get first downs in Huskie territory. Scott Secor drilled a tough 43-yard field goal into the wind, putting Ball State ahead 24-20.

Sims missed a 52-yard field goal as time expired to end the half.

First quarter

Northern Illinois started the game deep in its own territory and Ball State quickly lost linebacker Quintin Cooper to a leg injury on the first drive.

Ball State’s defense was able to stop Northern Illinois on its opening drive, forcing a pooch punt from quarterback Jordan Lynch.

But the Cardinals were forced into a quick three-and-out drive that included two false start penalties. After the first possessions for both teams, the game was scoreless.

The Huskies started their drive at midfield and Lynch moved the offense into the red zone on a 25-yard run to the Ball State 17-yard line. Lynch overthrew wide receiver Tommylee Lewis on a 17-yard touchdown pass as Northern Illinois settled for a 34-yard field goal by Mathew Sims to take a 3-0 lead.

Quarterback Keith Wenning nearly took the lead away from Northern Illinois as he overthrew an open Jamill Smith deep down the right side.

After the incompletion, Ball State converted its first, first down and started moving the ball efficiently downfield. Wide receiver Connor Ryan, who hadn’t caught a pass since September, caught two passes on consecutive plays on the drive.

Ball State finished the drive with a three-yard touchdown pass from Wenning to Willie Snead, giving the visitors a 7-3 lead late in the quarter.