Ball State football head coach Pete Lembo knew beating Northern Illinois wasn’t going to be easy.
Less than four minutes in, Ball State already trailed 14-0. Missed tackles, bad coverage and a muffed kickoff put Ball State in a hole before players had a chance to catch their breath.
Ball State fought back to tie the game at 14, but ultimately fell 35-21 to Northern Illinois.
“I would say I need to do a better job of preparing our team to go put our best foot forward and not play a sloppy game like tonight,” Lembo said.
Huskies quarterback Drew Hare moved the ball downfield quickly to start the game, driving the ball to the Ball State six-yard line with the aid of a defensive pass interference penalty. Aregeros Turner took the ball into the end zone for a quick touchdown.
After Jahwan Edwards muffed the kickoff, Cameron Stingily quickly scored another touchdown for the Huskies, extending the lead to 14-0.
Not exactly the start Ball State was looking for.
“You don’t panic, you don’t flinch, you know there’s so much football left to play,” Lembo said. “Don’t panic, just keep playing.”
Ball State quarterback Jack Milas and the offense quickly responded. Milas found KeVonn Mabon and Jordan Williams for first downs to move the ball deep into opposing territory, before Edwards pounded the ball in from four yards away to cut into the lead.
After the teams traded punts, Williams beat the defensive back, shadowing him as Milas hit him deep down the sideline for a 38-yard touchdown, tying the game at 14.
Milas finished the game with 176 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions.
With momentum slipping away, Hare took off running to the left on the next possession, the ball ripped from his hands. Martez Hester recovered, giving Ball State possession in Northern Illinois territory. The Cardinals couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity, as the teams struggled to move the ball throughout the rest of the half.
After the way the game started, being tied at 14 at halftime had to feel like a victory for Ball State.
Halfway through the third quarter, the Ball State defense started to show signs of fatigue. Stingily and Hare began running the ball through the teeth of the defense, making their way inside the Cardinals 10-yard line. After Hare was stuffed at the goal line, Stingily found the end zone. The Huskies regained the lead, 21-14.
Hare and Stingily were two of Northern Illinois’ most dangerous runners, finishing with 40 and 148 rushing yards.
“We’re going to get really tired when we’re in there a lot. They just kept hammering away at us once they found out they could run on us,” said Zack Ryan, a redshirt sophomore linebacker.
The situation became worse for Ball State to start the fourth, when Milas tried forcing a pass to Corey Lacanaria. Anthony Brooks intercepted it, jumping in front of the route and returning the interception for a 21-yard touchdown, giving the Huskies a 14-point advantage.
Ball State bounced back immediately, Horactio Banks scoring quickly to cut the lead to 28-21 with just more than 10 minutes to go.
Needing a stop, the Cardinals defense continued to struggle as Stingily and Hare used their size to run over, around and through Ball State defenders, chewing time off the clock. After Hare fumbled and Ball State recovered, the Cardinals promptly gave it back off an interception of their own.
Northern Illinois then rode the hot hand of Stingily, who rushed for 44 yards and a touchdown on the next drive to make the score 35-21.
Mabon’s fumble on a screen pass gave the ball back to the Huskies, who ran the clock out and ended the game.
Northern Illinois has now defeated Ball State in six consecutive games dating back to 2009.
Ball State falls to 3-6 on the season, and 2-3 in Mid-American Conference play.
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