Ball State University
Toledo
Football Team Defeats Toledo on National Television
November 08, 2006 | Football
For the first time since the 1991 season, Ball State's football team travelled to Toledo, Ohio, and came out of the Glass Bowl a 20-17 winner over the Toledo Rockets.
In a series which dates back to the 1975 season, Ball State accomplished a feat Tuesday night in front of a national television audience that no football team had been able to do since the 1991 season. Toledo owned a 10-4-1 series advantage in games played at Toledo, but Ball State ended the drought and tallied the 20-17 win behind the leg of Lou Groza Award semifinalist Brian Jackson.
"Football is a 60-minute game," Ball State head coach Brady Hoke says. "Our kids played hard and we played all 60 minutes. We gave up a big play on one 92-yard run, but other than that our defense played pretty well."
After Nate Davis connected with Terry Moss for a 24-yard touchdown in the first quarter, and then hit Dante Love for a 39-yard score in the second quarter, Ball State entered the second half with the score knotted at 14-14.
Jackson, who is one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award for the nation's top placekicker, nailed an 18-yard field goal with 1:55 left in the third period and gave the Cardinals a 17-14 edge after three periods.
Toledo tied the game at 17-17 with 12:55 to go in the contest, but Jackson responded with a 27-yard field goal at the 6:27 mark to lead Ball State to the win.
After taking the lead, Ball State's defense forced the Rockets to punt the ball back to the Cardinals with 3:47 to play. The Cardinals devoured 2:19 of the clock, but were forced to punt the ball back to Toledo with 1:28 to play.
But again Ball State's defense held off the Rockets and sealed the victory for the Cardinals.
Davis completed 15-of-30 passes for 212 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Moss was his top target on the evening and he tied his career high of six catches for a career best 127 yards and one score.
Larry Bostic rushed a career high 31 times for a career best 143 yards.
"Larry Bostic did a really good job of being physical and running down hill," Hoke says. "The last three weeks he has really been running the football well."
With the win, Ball State improved to 4-3 in the Mid-American Conference and 4-7 overall. The Cardinals will complete the season Friday, Nov. 24, with a home game vs. Kent State at Scheumann Stadium.
