Ball State University
3-3 , 2-2
Central Michigan
3-3 , 3-0
Central Michigan Defeats Football, 58-38
October 06, 2007 | Football
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Ball State football team came up on the short end of a 58-38 shootout Saturday against Central Michigan at Scheumann Stadium.
The two teams combined to set stadium records with 96 total points and 1,027 combined yards of total offense.
The Cardinals fell behind 14-0 early following first-quarter touchdown runs by Central Michigan's Justin Hoskins and Antonio Brown.
Dante Love answered the second score with a touchdown of his own, taking the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to cut the Chippewa lead to 14-7. The 100-yard return tied a Scheumann Stadium record. It was the first time Ball State had returned a kickoff for a touchdown since Love did it against Ohio on Oct. 22, 2005.
Love finished the game with a school record 266 kickoff return yards.
The Cardinals added another first-half score on a five-yard Frank Edmonds touchdown run. Edmonds' TD, however, was sandwiched between a pair of touchdown passes from Central Michigan's Dan LeFevour.
LeFevour led Central Michigan with 360 passing yards and five touchdowns. He added 146 yards and another score on the ground.
"I think we as a team didn't take their punches and punch back," Ball State coach Brady Hoke said. "I don't think we played with aggression, and they did. When you miss tackles or you're not finishing a block, that's hesitation and that's what we were playing with."
With the Chippewas leading 28-14 late in the first half, Ball State managed a 26-yard Jake Hogue field goal to cut the Central Michigan lead to 11 points at halftime.
Ball State tried to come back with three touchdowns in the second half, but Central Michigan managed four second-half touchdowns to go along with an Andrew Aguila field goal.
"The football season is a marathon," Hoke said. "I know one thing -- we're going to regroup and we're going to grind at it, and we'll be a better football team. I love this team. I love a lot of the things they've done, and I think it will be critical to see which guys step up in the next couple days."
Koreen Burch scored one of the second-half touchdowns -- his first at Ball State -- on a one-yard run in the third quarter. Burch finished as Ball State's leading rusher with 67 yards.
The Cardinals also scored on a 22-yard pass from Nate Davis to Darius Hill and a late touchdown run by Tanner Justice. Davis led Ball State with 204 yards passing, and Hill topped the Cardinals with four catches for 63 yards.
Central Michigan scored its second-half touchdowns on three LeFevour touchdown passes -- two of which went to Bryan Anderson -- and a LeFevour one-yard run.
With the loss, Ball State drops to 3-3 (2-2 MAC) while Central Michigan improves to 3-3 (3-0 MAC). The Cardinals return to action next Saturday with a Homecoming contest against Western Kentucky.
Team Stats
CMU 7, BSU 0
CMU - HOSKINS, Justin 12 yd run (AGUILA, Andrew kick), 4 plays, 80 yards, TOP 0:27
CMU 14, BSU 0
CMU - BROWN, Antonio 9 yd run (AGUILA, Andrew kick), 1 plays, 9 yards, TOP 0:03
CMU 14, BSU 7
BSU - LOVE, Dante 100 yd kickoff return (HOGUE, Jake kick)
CMU 21, BSU 7
CMU - BROWN, Antonio 21 yd pass from LeFEVOUR, Dan (AGUILA, Andrew kick) 13 plays, 69 yards, TOP 4:12
CMU 21, BSU 14
BSU - EDMONDS, Frank 5 yd run (HOGUE, Jake kick), 11 plays, 60 yards, TOP 4:39
CMU 28, BSU 14
CMU - BRADLEY, Taylor 2 yd pass from LeFEVOUR, Dan (AGUILA, Andrew kick) 7 plays, 80 yards, TOP 3:08
CMU 28, BSU 17
BSU - HOGUE, Jake 26 yd field goal 6 plays, 9 yards, TOP 1:14
CMU 34, BSU 17
CMU - ANDERSON, Bryan 39 yd pass from LeFEVOUR, Dan (AGUILA, Andrew kickfailed) 6 plays, 86 yards, TOP 2:39
CMU 41, BSU 17
CMU - ANDERSON, Bryan 24 yd pass from LeFEVOUR, Dan (AGUILA, Andrew kick) 3 plays, 45 yards, TOP 0:37
CMU 44, BSU 17
CMU - AGUILA, Andrew 51 yd field goal 8 plays, 50 yards, TOP 2:59
CMU 44, BSU 24
BSU - BURCH, Koreen 1 yd run (HOGUE, Jake kick), 7 plays, 62 yards, TOP 1:39
CMU 51, BSU 24
CMU - VOLNY, Carl 6 yd pass from LeFEVOUR, Dan (AGUILA, Andrew kick) 4 plays, 46 yards, TOP 0:41
CMU 51, BSU 31
BSU - HILL, Darius 22 yd pass from DAVIS, Nate (HOGUE, Jake kick) 7 plays, 72 yards, TOP 2:11
CMU 58, BSU 31
CMU - LeFEVOUR, Dan 1 yd run (AGUILA, Andrew kick), 15 plays, 80 yards, TOP 6:10
CMU 58, BSU 38
BSU - JUSTICE, Tanner 8 yd run (HOGUE, Jake kick), 11 plays, 65 yards, TOP 3:55
